Keyless Chuck for Drill Press?

[Alan Schaffter]

Can't say what chuck will fit your Jet but likely has a #2 or #3 Morse taper. I switched my Delta to a keyless chuck years ago and would never go back.

[Vince Shriver]

I changed over to an Albrecht chuck last year for my Delta 16" DP. Spendy, but worth every penny. It still amazes me when I twist the chuck to extract a bit; it requires a simple easy turn to make the bit fall right out. Also I seem to have much less run-out (not that it was all that bad before). Love this thing.

[Ronald Blue]

Maybe the Grizzly H8260 intregal? If yours is a #2 MT anyway. You don't need the precision of an Albrecht for wood working. While they are sweet I can tell you from experience in metal working that they can tighten themselves far tighter than the bare hand can ever loosen. So even the highest priced keyless chucks have a slight downside to them. All it takes is for the bit to spin, then the jaws bight in and stop it but when it does it tightens much tighter. You should never experience this working with wood. The plus side is even if that happens it doesn't require you to stop and tighten it tighter like you would with a keyed chuck.

[Eric DeSilva]

I put this Woodriver on my Steel City 17" DP and its done fine for me. I considered something like an Albrecht, but seemed overkill for woodworking. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...rch_detailpage

[Jim German]

I love my keyless chuck, I use an old Bridgeport milling machine for my drill press so it has a standard R8 taper. Bought a chuck from Glacern for it and have been quite happy. It will hold a 1/64" bit and also has a spanner wrench if you need to tighten or loosen it more.

[Peter Kelly]

Albrecht is the top of the food chain in Keyless chucks. Jacobs makes some also, but I prefer the Albrecht. If you want cheaper but better than some no-name Chinese stuff, look for Rohm. I own all three brands and have used them in the machine shop for 40+ years.

The Röhm keyless chucks come in 2 different series - Supra and Spiro. The Spiro series are on par with the Albrecht and Jacobs chucks and priced accordingly. Supra-series chucks are considerably less expensive and probably more than adequate for manual-feed hole drilling in wood.

[Mike Goetzke]

A keyless chuck can "self tighten" so in that instance you won't likely have a strong enough grip to loosen it. A strap wrench works good in that instance. As has been said already Albrecht is the best followed by Jacobs. I would just get a new arbor to go with it rather than deal with separating the two. Morse taper arbors aren't that expensive and you can get the one that is matched to your chuck. You won't regret upgrading to keyless. Here is a dead link to a PSI on Amazon. I have a PSI and it seems acceptable in quality for wood working.

amazon.com/PSI-Woodworking-Products-TM32KL-Keyless/dp/B004CVJC3E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1457304884&sr=8-5&keywords=keyless+drill+chuck

I just put an Albrecht keyless on my drill press. It is self tightening so I tried to just tighten it lightly but I needed couple wrenches to remove a 2-1/8” Forstner bit. It does have close to zero runout but what is the advantage of keyless if you need 2 wrenches to loosen the bit?

(maybe I’m just doing something wrong???)

[Curt Harms]

I have both but I prefer a keyed chuck on my drill presses, especially when drilling steel. I know some people get frustrated hunting for the key. I drill a hole in the top right corner of the pulley cover and the key is always there.

I did similar, built a little wooden support for the drill press's VFD and drove an eye screw whose eye fits the key and the key is always there. If I used a drill press a lot I might prefer a keyless chuck but for the occasional bit change (few times a month) I don't find a keyed chuck onerous.

[Mark e Kessler]

Albrecht is the go to, the Jacobs 9682D is the one i have, Is a lower cost alternative which is pretty good. I haven’t had luck on cheap ones, too much runout, don’t hold the bits well…

[Mark e Kessler]

I have the jacobs 9682D and it doesn’t take much, i would say its a non issue. Can’t speak for other brands

For those who use a keyless chuck, how hard do you have to turn it to secure the bit.

I would love a keyless chuck, but with arthritis I wonder if I can tighten it effectively.

I am also looking for a replacement chuck for my Jet DP.

[mike calabrese]

I don't mind using a keyed chuck in fact I have 3 hand held drills with keyless chucks and I hate them as they are never tight enough to keep from slipping .
I am one of these idiots that not only use a key but use it in at least two chuck positions when installing a bit in my press.
All that aside how do you guys hold the drill press quill from rotating when you tighten your keyless chucks , does it take two hands?
mike calabrese

[Mark e Kessler]

you just hold the main body and the top of the check and do a light twist and its done. Sometimes i find on large bits/hole saws it can take a little bit more effort to remove due to the self tightening nature. It depends on the quality of the check

I don't mind using a keyed chuck in fact I have 3 hand held drills with keyless chucks and I hate them as they are never tight enough to keep from slipping .
I am one of these idiots that not only use a key but use it in at least two chuck positions when installing a bit in my press.
All that aside how do you guys hold the drill press quill from rotating when you tighten your keyless chucks , does it take two hands?
mike calabrese

[John Kananis]

I have the jacobs 9682D and it doesn’t take much, i would say its a non issue. Can’t speak for other brands

I have that chuck and my only criticism is that I need to crank down on it sometimes (i get some slippage here and there if I don't). Size of the bit is irrelevant as it's happened on both small and large.

[mark mcfarlane]

Slightly off topic, but a small rare earth magnet epoxied to my drill press head holds the key in easy reach.

[Keith Pitman]

I have a Spanish made keyless chuck listed in the classifieds. It’s a very nice chuck and very smooth.