I have a 19.2 volt 1/2" Craftsman battery powered drill that I really like. The problem is that it has a "hand chuck" (not a geared one with a key). My hands, in addition to being subject to arthritis, are also losing their strength. Has anyone ever converted one of these to a geared chuck? Whoever made the decision to put a "hand chuck" on a 1/2" drill is an idiot.
You may get a quicker answer over at the Garage Journal. I had a question about lighting and I got my answer very quick. HRP
Not really on there. I figure there's gotta be enough old guys on here that somebody has run into this.
Yes, me. But I haven't tackled it yet. I have some normal chucks spare and a good corded drill with a shit hand job. I often think about the change. As it is, I grip the hand chuck with stilsons/monkey wrench etc.
Yeah, not a problem. I've done some using chucks from old defunct drills. I hate those hand tighten things. I usually try to leave it loose and get a run at it. Still don't hold well.
shine a light down inside and look for a fastner. remember it is left hand thread . replace with the chuck of your choice
Age and tightening keyless chucks is one thing...but for those who are buying one before you buy make sure when your tightening the Chuck the shaft locks when tightening (one hand tightening). If it spins and you have to use two hands to tighten put it back... My Craftsman drills were like that...never...ever could get the drill tight enough...ooooo I cursed that...and low and behold I bought a chuck but never could get it loose and then the Ni-cads gave out...trashcanned it...good riddance.
I've changed a couple of Makita drills from keyless chucks to keyed with no problem. Just remember, as already mentioned, that there is possibly a screw holding the chuck to the drill shaft and it's probably left hand thread.
Tubman its a cool site as well. One thing of note is your Hamb password works on all the other Specialty sites...ie. Fordbarn, Garage Journal etc.
"bct" - Thanks for the link; it's what I needed to get me off my dead ass. "Stogy" - I like the "hex ended" bit deal, but I just paid $150 for a full index of M42 Cobalt bits with round shanks. Which, by the way, is one of the best things I have ever done.
Keyless chucks may be an answer to a problem most of us never had to begin with. But the fact is they're out there and some of us have them. Fortunately, my drill press chuck uses a key but I do have a cordless drill that is keyless. So that one can be hit or miss due to my Barney Fife grip. I keep a couple of those rubber tortillas, made for opening jar lids, on my workbench to give my old tired hands a bit more grip when I have to do it barehanded without a wrench or a key. My wife still asks me to open the occasional pickle jar so I've got that going for me for now.
As implied by previous posts, there is some 'commonality' to drill chucks as to how they attach to the drill shaft. As locking screw inside the chuck with left hand threads keeps the chuck from unscrewing itself when drilling. Over the years I have made a point of saving chucks from defunct drills for reuse. Ray
Yes! I have a whole set of DeWalt 20 volt stuff, two identical drills. Like you I don't like keyless chucks that much so I changed chucks. I ordered on eBay, and it took a while to change, fastened down inside left hand threaded bolt. It's much better now and I can use each drill for different things. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
Mine has a torque setting. I set the torque on #4 and let the ratcheting impact like action do the tightening and loosening. Much easier. Once tight I put it back on the drill setting.
Have you tried calling Craftsman and asking if both types of checks that fit that Model drill? Charlie Stephens
Those hand tightening chucks are supposed to be self tightening under load; at least the expensive ones are..Oil in the chuck stops the self tightening feature..
I have had, and worn out, several Milwaukee 18V drills with hand chucks. I've tried Black and Decker (pure junk), DeWalt (better but still not as good, chuck grip was too slick and didn't lock down well) and Makita (wouldn't stay tight). The Milwaukee is a simple one hand deal. Put the chuck in forward gear, hit the throttle and hold the chuck lightly with the other hand. Spin it and it locks. Never slips. I can use it much easier than I can my older keyed chucks. For me, my hands are stiff and fingers don't always do what I want them to. The Milwaukee is hands down (sorry for the pun) the best drill for me to use. I don't even get any of the others out anymore. Gave the B&D to the wife to keep in the house and the DeWalt is what I loan to the neighbors. The Makita died after a series of holes. SPark
Another vote for Milwaukee! Keyless, simple and locks tight. When any 'serious' drilling needs to be done, I pull out my late fathers old corded and keyed, made in u.s.a. Shopmate 1/2" drill. Gotta be 60-70 years old and will drill through 3" of steel without missing a beat!
I've been a Snap-on dealer for almost 12 years. I prefer the keyed chucks as well but can't seem to sell them. All the customers think the keyless is better so much so we have even made the air drills keyless now. Of course one of the things I've noticed in this biz is the younger guys will not listen to your advice, nor risk trying things on their own they all want the tool their buddy told them is the best, regardless of where it is made etc.
To tighten those keyless chucks; grab the rubber hand grip with Channel-Lock pliers. Pull the trigger and let the drill do the work. The chuck will get plenty tight.
I've always bought the drill bits that have 3 flat sides machined into them. Good bits are harder than the chuck fingers so they don't bite into the bit to grip. Softer bits don't hold an edge. If you want a keyed chuck, buy one with a hex shaft to put in the keyless chuck. This 3/8 set is $10.72 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-20754A-Change-Convert-Impact/dp/B0051AE85W You could buy a 1/2 inch chuck threaded for 1/2-20 then take it and a 1/2-20 bolt to a machine shop to put 3 flats on the bolt so it clamps firmly into your keyless chuck.
The younger guys lost the chuck keys faster than we could buy them. Even on the corded drills where I taped them to the cord, they would cut the tape.
My bigger drills are all keyed chucks. Most of my machine shop ones are keyless and good ones, Albrecht and Jacobs. You have to research how the old one to see how it comes off. Jacobs are a lot less than the Albrecht.
That's one of the reasons I buy used tools, so I can afford a tool for every occasion.. keyless for speed and keyed for bite.. Depending on what chuck you buy.. (nicer Jacobs) it may be cheaper to buy another drill? I prefer air and have three ARO drills I got for reasonable,, I don't know but by the looks and sound they may run longer than I do? Just fyi but dynabrade makes an at tool flow control that obviously aids in rpm management which can be usefull in keeping the tool from binding, if you have problems w/your hands and go the air route one may be beneficial..
There's another type of keyless, my neighbor has on his cordless drill. You don't have to keep twisting it to get it tighter, it's kind of a snap lock thing. Now most of what he does in the in construction business- mostly wood- so I'm not sure how well it would work on steel.
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