Keyless Chucks

[George2615]

I have two at home. Both are 18V cordless. A Milwaukee and a Ryobi. At work I have a 20V Dewalt. All have keyless chucks and haven't had any problems with any of them.

I do have two corded drills at home with keyed chucks (both Black and Decker) but haven't used them in years. They have the 3/8" chuck and I use a lot of drill bits larger than that which is why they aren't used.

 

[Bird]

My Craftsman half inch hammer drill has the first and only keyless chuck I've ever personally owned. The drill hasn't seen a lot of use, but I've sure been happy with this keyless chuck so far. The fact that the manual has good, illustrated directions for removing and re-installing the chuck tends to make me wonder if they expect owners to not like it or have a problem with it.

When I was repairing mechanics' air tools, I had some air powered drills come in for me to remove the keyless chuck and put a keyed one on. Apparently the mechanics who owned them didn't know how to remove the chuck and they may have not known how to use it properly.

 

[masscity]

I have the DeWalt 3/8" corded DWD115 8 amp. Works great and is powerful.

 

[crazyal]

I have a couple of 1/2" Keyed drills, a Makita and a Milwaukee angle drill. It seams like it's the bits that are the problem, some drill bits are softer than others and just like to slip. For them I'll just tighten them as tight as I can with leverage on the key.

 

[Deere Dude]

After much bragging about keyless chucks by my friends I finally went down and bought a 3/8" church for and old drill I had laying around. I would never buy another one unless somebody shower me theirs and demonstrated how great it is. It is always slipping after I start drilling hard. And I do tighten the chuck as hard as I can, and I'm a big guy. At least with a keyed chuck you can turn it tight as you can.

 

[Scooby074]

After much bragging about keyless chucks by my friends I finally went down and bought a 3/8" church for and old drill I had laying around. I would never buy another one unless somebody shower me theirs and demonstrated how great it is. It is always slipping after I start drilling hard. And I do tighten the chuck as hard as I can, and I'm a big guy. At least with a keyed chuck you can turn it tight as you can.

What brand of chuck? Model number?

 

[Deere Dude]

What brand of chuck? Model number?

I can't read on the chuck what kind it is, but it seems like it is a Jacobs 3/8" chuck. I can read a little on the plastic part but not enough to get precise info. The next time I'm in the store I'll check it out.

 

[Scooby074]

I can't read on the chuck what kind it is, but it seems like it is a Jacobs 3/8" chuck. I can read a little on the plastic part but not enough to get precise info. The next time I'm in the store I'll check it out.

or even a picture would narrow it down.

 

[Deere Dude]

or even a picture would narrow it down.

Here you go. It didn't work very well right from the get-go.

 

[KubotainNH]

Here you go. It didn't work very well right from the get-go.

I'm pretty sure that's the old style that just worked ok. the new style ratchets down on the bit, you can hear it click tighter as you put more force into it. My Milwaukee will crank down tight enough on my worst slipping bit that it will wrench out of your hand when getting stuck while drilling. It also helps that my drill locks the motor when twisting the chuck. I bet the drill setup you have means you need to put a hand on the plastic piece and the other hand on the small knurled metal piece to tighten it to the max.

 

[Scooby074]

Here you go. It didn't work very well right from the get-go.

No offense, but thats not a good chuck. You cant write off keyless chucks because of that particular low end model.

I got the same one on a Makita. Its garbage. About the only bits that it will work with are hex or tri sided ones, and even then its iffy. Its a Jacobs 510.

Look at the ratcheting chucks like the 700 series from Jacobs, its a 1/2" capacity chuck. once they are snug, there is a ratcheting mechanism that makes them EXTRA tight. And carbide jaws ensure a good bite.

Your drill being 3/8 might be difficult to get a high quality keyless for it. I dont know if they make a 700 series that will mount to a 3/8.

EDIT: If you cant find a Jacobs in 3/8, have a look at Rohm chucks like the Supra 871044 or the Extra RV's


Heres my Dewalt with a 700 chuck.

 

[Deere Dude]

I'm pretty sure that's the old style that just worked ok. the new style ratchets down on the bit, you can hear it click tighter as you put more force into it. My Milwaukee will crank down tight enough on my worst slipping bit that it will wrench out of your hand when getting stuck while drilling. It also helps that my drill locks the motor when twisting the chuck. I bet the drill setup you have means you need to put a hand on the plastic piece and the other hand on the small knurled metal piece to tighten it to the max.

The way I do it is to put a bit in it and grab a hold of the plastic piece and then hit the switch. I can't stop the drill doing that, but I can't put anymore torque on it than that either.

 

[k0ua]

The way I do it is to put a bit in it and grab a hold of the plastic piece and then hit the switch. I can't stop the drill doing that, but I can't put anymore torque on it than that either.

I have a drill like that with a keyless chuck like that. when you are trying to tighten it it just goes so far and stops. that is it you cannot make it any tighter, and it is not very tight. Then I have 2 others that when it gets tight you just keep on tightening it and it keeps on going and going and they get as tight as any keyed chuck. Trust me there is a big difference in keyless chucks.

James K0UA

 

[KubotainNH]

The way I do it is to put a bit in it and grab a hold of the plastic piece and then hit the switch. I can't stop the drill doing that, but I can't put anymore torque on it than that either.

I often lock mine down that way too but the better keyless chucks click after they start to get tight. This seems to lock it down like cranking on a pair of vice grips. If you want to do some reading...the good ones are in the professional series. Professional & DIY Drill Chucks - Keyless Chuck Products

 

[hosspuller]

Even keyed chucks slip... 40 years ago, shop teacher taught technique for maximum grip with a keyed chuck. Tighten till you can't turn it by hand anymore, then move key to another hole... You'll find that you can tighten the chuck just a bit more. :thumbsup:

 

[Deere Dude]

Are there any good 3/8" corded drills that have a key chuck. Seems like they all are keyless now. It seems to me that with a key you can tighten the chuck more.

Hey Bob, Sorry to highjak your thread but your concern peaked my interest because of my piece of junk. After all these inputs here I can see I just have to consider my keyless chuck a paperweight and go down and find a different keyless chuck. I didn't know about the ratcheting action of the newer style, and that makes sense.
I guess the best advice I could give after this is to keep the receipt and try it out for a little bit while it can still taken it back to the store.