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Unjamming a keyless chuck

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Roland Perry

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Dec 30, 2012, 7:34:07 AM12/30/12
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I have a fairly new (~2yrs) £50 orange Black and Decker cordless drill,
and the standard keyless chuck has jammed "open".

Any ideas on how to free it up (brute force seems not to work).
--
Roland Perry

Bob Minchin

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Dec 30, 2012, 8:07:42 AM12/30/12
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It is an all metal one?

Heating and tapping it gently might just do the trick.
Otherwise remove it and soak in plusgas fluid.

If you are successful, keep it lubricated and be very cautious before
doing any upward drilling of vertical holes that allow dust to enter the
chuck.
If you need to fit a new chuck, make sure it is a proper keyed one to
avoid a repeat of the problem.

Bob

The Medway Handyman

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Dec 30, 2012, 8:12:29 AM12/30/12
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On 30/12/2012 13:07, Bob Minchin wrote:
> Roland Perry wrote:
>> I have a fairly new (~2yrs) �50 orange Black and Decker cordless drill,
>> and the standard keyless chuck has jammed "open".
>>
>> Any ideas on how to free it up (brute force seems not to work).
> It is an all metal one?
>
> Heating and tapping it gently might just do the trick.
> Otherwise remove it and soak in plusgas fluid.

Spray it with WD40.
>
> If you are successful, keep it lubricated and be very cautious before
> doing any upward drilling of vertical holes that allow dust to enter the
> chuck.

Those round rubber dust catchers are ideal for that.

> If you need to fit a new chuck, make sure it is a proper keyed one to
> avoid a repeat of the problem.

Nothing wrong with keyless chucks. Keyed chucks take far too long to
change bits.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Roland Perry

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Dec 30, 2012, 9:08:00 AM12/30/12
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In message <kbpeag$9n2$1...@dont-email.me>, at 13:07:42 on Sun, 30 Dec
2012, Bob Minchin <bob.minc...@YOURHATntlworld.com> remarked:
>> I have a fairly new (~2yrs) �50 orange Black and Decker cordless drill,
>> and the standard keyless chuck has jammed "open".
>>
>> Any ideas on how to free it up (brute force seems not to work).
>It is an all metal one?

No, it has grey-painted light-brown plastic on the nose and black
plastic that you grip to tighten the chuck. (And behind that is a black
plastic torque setting ring.

>Heating and tapping it gently might just do the trick.
>Otherwise remove it and soak in plusgas fluid.

Not obvious how to remove it, but applying even more brute force in the
attempt has freed it up. Hurrah!

>If you are successful, keep it lubricated and be very cautious before
>doing any upward drilling of vertical holes that allow dust to enter
>the chuck.

Yes, that's probably what caused the problem, dust from drilling into
ceiling plasterboard. But that phase is over now.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry

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Dec 30, 2012, 9:15:10 AM12/30/12
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In message <V4XDs.975853$yH4.2...@fx03.am4>, at 13:12:29 on Sun, 30
Dec 2012, The Medway Handyman <davi...@blueyonder.co.uk> remarked:

>Spray it with WD40.

Tried that earlier.

>> If you need to fit a new chuck, make sure it is a proper keyed one to
>> avoid a repeat of the problem.
>
>Nothing wrong with keyless chucks. Keyed chucks take far too long to
>change bits.

My "other" drill is an ancient mains-powered one, and I don't seem to be
able to get a proper replacement key. The original one was lost years
ago. On my second "4-way universal" one. The first fitted reasonably
well but broke eventually. The identical-looking replacement simply
doesn't fit. The teeth are almost entirely chewed off the one out of the
four that fits the closest.

There's also the safety issue: my tool-training says don't fiddle with a
chuck-key on a drill that's on power. So changing bits takes even
longer.
--
Roland Perry

Nick Odell

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Dec 30, 2012, 9:46:23 AM12/30/12
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On Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:15:10 +0000, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk>
wrote:
This will horrify you then. When I was running the Hayman Guitar
production line (back in the 70s before h&s was invented) the
factory-wide technique for quick-changing drill bits involved keyed
chucks without keys and was all done by hand. It's easier to
demonstrate than describe (yes, I still change drill bits this way)
but tightening the chuck involved squeezing the drill trigger while
holding the chuck and _just_ letting go as the jaws snapped around the
drill. Opening it again was done with a quick flick of the wrist while
it was stationary. It works with all the smaller-sized drill bits such
as the ones we used on the production line but isn't much use with
stuff much bigger than 5mm - and absolutely, definitely shouldn't be
tried with a pillar drill!

Nick

Bill

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Dec 30, 2012, 10:08:33 AM12/30/12
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In message <01k0e8126t3p9oosj...@4ax.com>, Nick Odell
<ni...@themusicworkshop.plus.com> writes

>This will horrify you then. When I was running the Hayman Guitar
>production line (back in the 70s before h&s was invented) the
>factory-wide technique for quick-changing drill bits involved keyed
>chucks without keys and was all done by hand. It's easier to
>demonstrate than describe (yes, I still change drill bits this way)
>but tightening the chuck involved squeezing the drill trigger while
>holding the chuck and _just_ letting go as the jaws snapped around the
>drill. Opening it again was done with a quick flick of the wrist while
>it was stationary. It works with all the smaller-sized drill bits such
>as the ones we used on the production line but isn't much use with
>stuff much bigger than 5mm - and absolutely, definitely shouldn't be
>tried with a pillar drill!
>
>Nick


I used to do the same, I had a rather old B&D mains powered hand drill
with a keyed chuck that was smooth and easy to grip just enough to
tighten/untighten it. Then came the day that I tried the same stunt on
one that the manufacturers had thought it a good idea to knurl the
surface of the chuck........ It took a while for the skin on my left
hand to grow back..........
--
Bill
( A different one )

Roland Perry

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Dec 30, 2012, 11:29:58 AM12/30/12
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In message <01k0e8126t3p9oosj...@4ax.com>, at 14:46:23 on
Sun, 30 Dec 2012, Nick Odell <ni...@themusicworkshop.plus.com> remarked:
>>There's also the safety issue: my tool-training says don't fiddle with a
>>chuck-key on a drill that's on power. So changing bits takes even
>>longer.
>
>This will horrify you then. When I was running the Hayman Guitar
>production line (back in the 70s before h&s was invented) the
>factory-wide technique for quick-changing drill bits involved keyed
>chucks without keys and was all done by hand. It's easier to
>demonstrate than describe (yes, I still change drill bits this way)
>but tightening the chuck involved squeezing the drill trigger while
>holding the chuck and _just_ letting go as the jaws snapped around the
>drill.

That's not very different to how a keyless chuck works (especially at
high torque settings). The problem with using keys in a live drill is
the risk of the drill starting to turn (if you hit the trigger
accidentally) with the key in-situ and it flying off across the room.
--
Roland Perry

Bob Minchin

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Dec 31, 2012, 4:46:36 AM12/31/12
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The Medway Handyman wrote:
> Spray it with WD40.
Why? is it full of water??

WD40 is not a lubricant and it not a penetrating fluid.

Bob Eager

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Dec 31, 2012, 4:58:20 AM12/31/12
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+1



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

Ian Jackson

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:02:49 AM12/31/12
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In message <akd5ts...@mid.individual.net>, Bob Eager
<news...@eager.cx> writes
>On Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:46:36 +0000, Bob Minchin wrote:
>
>> The Medway Handyman wrote:
>>> Spray it with WD40.
>> Why? is it full of water??
>>
>> WD40 is not a lubricant and it not a penetrating fluid.
>
>+1
>
-1
I'm afraid you're both wrong.
--
Ian

polygonum

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:03:32 AM12/31/12
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Ah but!!!

The other day I was in a hardware/tool shop - and there was a whole
shelf of WD40 products. Including Silicone spray, White Lithium grease,
penetrant spry and, I think,some others. So "WD40" is now an inadequate
description to identify whether the product is, or is not, a lubricant,
penetrating oil, or whatever.

--
Rod

Ian Jackson

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:12:05 AM12/31/12
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In message <akd67p...@mid.individual.net>, polygonum
<rmoud...@vrod.co.uk> writes
The 'real McCoy' is here:
http://wd40.com/files/pdf/wd_40tec16952473.pdf
"WD-40 lubricates moving parts such as hinges, wheels, rollers, chains,
and gears. It protects against rust and corrosion on items like tools,
and sporting equipment. It penetrates to free stuck corroded parts like
nuts, bolts, valves and locks. It quickly removes adhesives, corrosion
and paint. It displaces moisture to restore water flooded equipment such
as engines, spark plugs and power tools."
--
Ian

newshound

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:16:11 AM12/31/12
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On 30/12/2012 16:29, Roland Perry wrote:
> The problem with using keys in a live drill is
> the risk of the drill starting to turn (if you hit the trigger
> accidentally) with the key in-situ and it flying off across the room.

I still remember my first day working in a factory in 1965 being shown a
broken pane of wired glass in the sawtooth window about 30 feet above a
lathe, and the foreman explaining that this was where the chuck key
could end up if you started the lathe with they key in the chuck.

A lesson never forgotten!


The Medway Handyman

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:35:22 AM12/31/12
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On 31/12/2012 09:46, Bob Minchin wrote:
Its both. Luddite.

The Medway Handyman

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:37:02 AM12/31/12
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And - it's kind to children, old ladies & fluffy animals.

Ian Jackson

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Dec 31, 2012, 5:43:04 AM12/31/12
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In message <9VdEs.1032434$Rc7.9...@fx04.am4>, The Medway Handyman
<davi...@blueyonder.co.uk> writes
So, so true. And if the weather's a bit damp, it also can be used to
help you light reluctant garden fires.
--
Ian

newshound

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Dec 31, 2012, 11:34:13 AM12/31/12
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I was going to say that too!

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