How to Fix a Broken Drill Chuck

A broken drill chuck can be frustrating. This is especially true if it is stuck in a piece of wood or another material. The best solution is to remove it, if possible, and replace it with a new one.

Fixing a Drill Chuck

Most drills have a chuck, which is a clamp that tightly grips a drill bit around its shank. These chucks have two main types: keyless and tapered. The keyless type is a two-jawed chuck that can be adjusted by hand, while the tapered chuck has three jaws and requires a geared wrench, called a chuck key, to tighten or loosen it.

Changing A Chuck

If you have a keyless chuck, the most common way to change it is by opening the jaws of the chuck with the drill pointed at you and unscrewing the setscrew out clockwise. If you have a tapered chuck, the only other option is to open the chuck’s jaws fully with the drill pointed at you and unscrewing a screw off the chuck’s spindle, which can be difficult on some models.

You can also try a chuck removal wedge to get the chuck off the spindle of your drill. Buy a cheap two-armed wedge, and make sure it has a gap between the arms that is larger than the diameter of your drill’s spindle but not too big. Insert the wedge between your drill and your chuck, and hold it in place while you rotate the wrench counter-clockwise to loosen the chuck from the spindle.

Removing a Failing Chuck

When you have the chuck removed from the drill, it is easy to clean and lubricate the chuck. Apply a small amount of a quality drying lubricant to the chuck’s open jaws and rotate them until it has penetrated all the parts. Wipe away any excess lubricant, and dry the chuck.

Repairing a Breaking Chuck

A broken drill chuck is the most common reason for service visits to a tool shop. A faulty chuck can become infected with dust, dirt, rust, and other debris over time that can corrode the chuck and cause it to seize up or become damaged. A chuck is a component that is prone to breaking or becoming damaged when used in a high-use environment, so it’s important to regularly take the time to repair it.

If the chuck is damaged, it will not grip the drill bit and it will slip out of the hole you are trying to create. The most common reason for a stuck drill bit is if you are drilling too quickly or changing angles while the bit is being driven, and if this happens a lot, it may be worth replacing the drill chuck.

Replacing a Failing Chuck

A broken chuck can be the result of a variety of factors, but some of the most common are poor handling and use over a period of time. It can also be the result of improperly fitted or incorrectly ground bits. Alternatively, a chuck may simply have become worn out from the use of too many different drill bits over the years and need to be replaced.