How to remove keyless chuck

Question

Inspired by Bob Engelhardts(sp?) recent posting on his $9 angle grinder, thought I would ask this one of the group..... El Cheapo cordless drills usually get discarded when the (you know from where) battery packs die. I want to recycle the low voltage DC motor (and slipping clutch) as an X-axis feed motor for my mini-mill. I know there is a reverse thread screw down the middle, got that out - but removing the chuck itself seems impossible (without using an angle grinder) (The angle grinder approach leaves you with a short stub that is difficult to fit an extension shaft/slip coupling to...) Theres no chuck lock pin as on a "real" drill, at least not on the ones I have been able to acquire.

So - how is it done? - tried holding the chuck tight in a vise, but cant grip it anywhere on the rest of the thing to break the joint. Putting an Allen key in the chuck and then applying the precision adjusting tool (about a 5lb one) wont do it either, it just rotates the lot. Not concerned about trashing the chuck, just want the motor/ gearbox/clutch assembly. Not even sure if its screwed on or just a press fit - running out of ones to experiment on .. Was inspired by

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which was on here yonks ago...

Regards, Andrew VK3BFA. .

Nik Rim · Accepted Answer

Last one I took off had a small hex socket head CSK screw accessed via the business end of the chuck (open it right up and have a look inside). After removal the chuck could then be unscrewed from the shaft. Yours may or may not be the same.

I've used the motor / chuck in conjunction with an old drawer slide to make a fast little tapping machine. Added a centre off changeover toggle switch to allow quick fwd / stop / reverse control.

Bob Engelhardt · Answer

I've removed quite a few chucks from hand drills. They have all been threaded on, with a keeper screw.

The keeper is left handed, as you know, but the chuck is right handed. They have all come off with the hex-key-in-the-jaws,hit-with-hammer technique. A few have been quite stubborn, but with the drill on a solid surface & a smart whack, they have all come off. I don't think that I've ever had to use anything bigger that a 16 oz hammer.

My intuition is that a smaller hammer, moving faster, would work better than a bigger, slower, hammer.

HTH, Bob

whit3rd · Answer

It's screwed on. That's why the lefthand screw was in the center (it's a reversing drill/driver, the center screw keeps it from loosening). I had the same problem with a pneumatic drill (real nice one, Boeing surplus), had to disassemble the gear housing and use wood blocks and a vise to grab the pinion gear.

You can also try heat (poke a soldering iron down the bore of the chuck) and penetrating oil.

Try to retain the chuck; one of these on a handle is a nice pin vise, and the possibilities don't end there. Your shaft will be 3/8"-24 threaded if you get it off; the chuck can mate that thread to any shaft from 1/16 to 3/8"...

Bill Noble · Answer

on most hand drills that are reversible, the chuck has RH threads, there is a LH threaded screw inside to hold it in place during reversing - you've gotten that screw out, so next step, take a large allen wrench (L shaped), grab it tightly in the chuck and smack it sharply with a hammer to break the chuck free

How to remove keyless chuck

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