KeyLess Chucks - Grrrr........

[Gordon Gould]

I needed to replace my Makita corded 3/8 drill. It had a nice keyed chuck. I was leary of keyless chucks but they all seem to have them. I bought a 3/8 corded Dewalt. First hole happened to be 3/8" in 1/8" mild steel. Chuck slipped on starting with a 1/8 pilot hole and again at the end of the hole. I really had to hold it back. Main part of the hole was fine. It was a good sharp bit and to be fair the thing has a ton of torque with an 8 amp motor but still shouldn't the chuck be designed for that.

Is this typical ? Or is there something I am doing wrong or can do to make things better ? All the reviews I read said Dewalt was good as any and better than most. Or do I just invest in some hex shank bits and forget it ? Thanks

gg

 

[Mendonsy]

Hex shank bits are probably the best bet. Nobody seems to make a keyless that will hold very well, but at least you don't have to look for the key every time you need to use it.
Maybe the Makita chuck would fit on your DeWalt??

 

[roadhunter]

I seem to like the newer ones that hold still while you tighten them by hand. The old ones that spin are really a PITA.

You can swap out chuks for a keyed one if you prefer. I've had the whole chuck unscrew from the drill before so I know its' possible.

 

[mrmikey]

IMHO keyless chucks are a PIA, never used one yet that didn't slip unless you babied it.........Mike

 

[4570Man]

The ratcheting chucks in my handheld drills haven't ever given any trouble.

 

[moriboy]

The ratcheting chucks in my handheld drills haven't ever given any trouble.

Same here. I have 4 Milwaukee cordless drill/drivers. Never had any problems with the keyless chucks.

 

[downsizingnow48]

My 1/2" Makita cordless is about 6 years old, the keyless chuck never slips. Using standard bits up to 1/2" and hole saws to 1" in mild steel.

 

[Deere Dude]

Had a keyed Black and Decker I switched the chuck to keyless. The keyless chuck couldn't hold a bit no matter what I did so I threw the whole thing in the junk.

From good reviews on keyless chucks from this forum I bought two 3/8" drills with keyless chucks. They worked fine for a short while but even though I am a big guy with plenty of grip I can't get them to hold bits again.

I found the trick; take a 12" pair of pliers or channel locks to grip the chuck when tightening. Then they work fine for me. But I need the big pliers to loosen it up again to. Sometimes the smaller drill bits take off when loosening them so need to be diligent.

 

[Redlands Okie]

If you need to you can run a file, grinder, etc down at least one side of your bits. Does not take much.

 

[dadster4]

I've seen too many guys just hold the chuck and pull the trigger to tighten it down...that won't do it...after that is done, with the drill OFF, give the chuck a twist by hand...that'll do it