How to unscrew the chuck of the drill without a wrench

How to remove the drill bit from the drill: 3 common situations

There are several reasons why the drill stays in the chuck and does not respond in any way to the wrench or locking ring. This can also be caused by production faults, shank breakage, overload during work, twisting of the tool. Working with the drill in this case is not possible, and the drill must be removed from the chuck. This can be done quickly in the following ways.

Reasons: Why the drill has stopped

Masters by experience call the three main reasons why the drill does not pull out of the drill (regardless of the type of chuck):

  • Tool diameter too large. In the process, a drill bit that is too large rubs on and gets stuck, like a dowel.
  • Weak steel and, as a consequence, deformation (most often, the tail unclips like an anchor) of the drill bit or drill. This is also the reason why the tooling breaks, especially in peorators and impact drills.
  • Mismatch between the shank and the chuck jaw. This often causes the tooling to fall apart and a part to remain in the chuck, but it also happens that the drill bit / auger simply gets jammed.

Another less common cause is rust. People, often engaged in repair, do not usually encounter with this, but if the drill / core drill with a tool for a long time dusted on a balcony, in a shed, a summer cottage unheated, a garage, etc. п., Corrosion eats away at the tool. Masters say in such a case, that the stinger “has stuck”.

Causes of difficulties in replacement

Sometimes there are situations in which the drill bit cannot be removed from the chuck in the usual way. There are various reasons for this difficulty. in most cases, it is connected with the design of the drill, when the chucks do not have a stop mechanism that protects the surface from the excessive force exerted at the moment of clamping. This causes the chuck to jam when the adjustment ring cannot be moved in the opposite direction. As a result, it turns out that the drill bit is stuck in the drill. How to remove it? Let’s make some recommendations.

A similar situation can occur if the drill bit becomes twisted in the chuck. This is more often encountered with small-diameter tools. These elementary causes can be avoided with care. In other cases, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules, extracting the drill with the tool at hand.

The fastener device is a non-driving chuck

The chuck is the fixture in which the drill bit is secured. The fixture itself is screwed onto the tool spindle. Most drills are equipped with a cam chuck. This design is a hollow cylinder with metal “fingers” inside. When the adjusting ring, which is on the outside of the assembly, is turned, the “fingers” converge or diverge on the inner tapered surface. Both drill bits with a cylindrical shank and hexagonal shank can be clamped in this “cam.

Convenience and ease of use have made the cam-type tool popular. But this is not without its disadvantages. One of them is the difficulty in working with small drill bits. A short product can simply fall in. It is still possible to fix it by putting the drill in a horizontal position, but you can not push it hard during work. If another drill bit has been inserted into the drill, it can be removed by turning the adjustment ring in the appropriate direction. It is not always possible to do it by hand, that’s why there is a special wrench, which acts like a lever, increasing the force. By the way, to tighten the drill without a wrench is also not recommended. the larger the diameter of the drill, the stronger should be secured.

When buying a fastener make sure it is rubber coated so you hurt your hands less when you fasten it.

the quick-action fastener, the second most popular, can be operated without a wrench. It is sufficient to insert the drill bit and turn the lever, which can often be done with one hand. Fixation of the drill, which provides this type of chuck, is quite enough for most jobs, but compared with the classical version of the attachment it is inferior in terms of reliability, and costs more. The main advantage of the quick-change chuck is the speed of changing the drill bit and the safety of the process, because this chuck does not have teeth that can injure your hands. The absence of a specialized wrench is also a significant advantage! Seasoned builders know how easily it can be lost, that’s why very often you can see the key taped to a wire with scotch tape or duct tape.

True, it doesn’t add much convenience, but it gives you at least some assurance that you won’t have to look for a key all over the construction site. How to change the drill bit in an electric screwdriver? The scheme is absolutely identical. the chucks in most drills are similar to the fasteners on screwdrivers. Of course, the latter tool can not be a full-fledged substitute for a quality drill, if only because the fixture is not provided for drills with a large diameter, and the speed of the electric screwdriver, as a rule, is less.

Using drill bits made of soft metal can cause chips to form inside the chuck. It often gets caught between the cams of the clamping mechanism and acts as a stopper. Such an obstacle can hold back the jaws of the chuck when you try to loosen the clamping force. There is also the danger of the soft drill bit sinking deeply into the chuck, its base can flatten out and block the fastening elements. Particularly difficult to extract such a drill bit if it has broken at the level of the fasteners. This makes it impossible to clamp it in a vice. How to remove the drill bit from the drill in this case, we will learn further.

How to change a drill bit without a wrench

As is clear from the subtitle, we are talking about key chucks here.

The most common method is to use a Phillips screwdriver or a nail of suitable diameter, which are inserted into any of the available cavities in the chuck, thereby fixing the first half of it. The other half can be twisted by hand. It is usually quite easy to unscrew in this way.

However, if this does not work, you can use a gas wrench or a vise instead of your hand. By using them, you can create the force you need, which is probably enough to make it turn.

If these steps still do not work, try the steps in the next section.

Using drill bits made of soft metal can cause chips to form inside the chuck. It is often caught between the cams of the clamping mechanism and works as a stopper. Such an obstruction is able to hold the cams of the chuck in an attempt to loosen the clamping force. There is also the danger of the soft drill bit sinking deeply into the chuck, its base flattening out and blocking the locking elements. Particularly difficult to remove when the drill bit has broken at the level of the fasteners. This makes it impossible to clamp it in a vise. How to get the drill out of the drill in this case, we will learn further.

What to do if the key is missing??

If the key is missing, remove the drill will be quite difficult. The most common option to cope with the failure by brute force. The parts of the clamping device are held by the right and left hand and twisted in opposite directions. But if the chuck is tightened very much or the drill for a long time used, unscrew the thread is unlikely to succeed.

To increase the applied pressure, use different tools or self-made devices. Here are a few methods:

  • The experienced masters loosen the fastening of the chuck by several tangential strokes with the right palm edge. Drill with the left hand holding the drill with the drill bit away from you. The disadvantage of this method can traumatize the palm if you are not used to it. Well, you won’t be able to solve a tight (or all the more so, a defective or jammed) mechanism with such method.
  • Choose an iron shaft, the cross section of which allows you to stick it into the hole on the chuck. You can use a nail, an old drill bit, a pin for this. The main thing that the metal is strong enough and does not bend. Screwdriver inserted into the slot in the chuck and act as a lever (support for all this goes on the shaft). Let go of the thread a little and you can take out the drill by unscrewing the mechanism by hand.
  • Clamp the chuck in a vice or hold it tight with a gas wrench. The shaft is inserted into the hole, and then, applying muscular force, unscrew or tighten the mechanism.
unscrew, chuck, drill, wrench

How to install a new chuck

Screw the new chuck by hand, turning it to the right, into the thread of the spindle of the drill until it is against the jam nut. We fix a hexagon in it and clamp its free end in a vise. Then using a spanner wrench, tighten the clamping nut to the right as far as it will go and remove the hex wrench from the chuck.

Now it remains in the hole in the center of the bottom to screw in a screw with a left-hand thread, using a screwdriver with an appropriate bit. It is necessary to preliminary clamp the chuck in a vice and retract the jaws inside as much as possible.

To make sure that the chuck is replaced correctly, check whether it sits firmly on the tool, and the drill is simply and firmly fixed. Test drills have shown that the tool works like new. It means it is completely in order and can work for its intended purpose.

How to remove the drill bit if the chuck is in good working order

If everything is in order, then there should not be any problems with extraction. Therefore this section is more likely to be devoted to users who know nothing about power tools, because the operation in itself is elementary. Still, there are a lot of people, so maybe someone will need this information as well.

In this situation you will need a special wrench to loosen the keyhole chuck, or a straight hand to loosen the quick-clamping counterpart.

In the first case, you must insert the key in one of the indentations on the cartridge and start turning it counterclockwise. The spinning occurs due to the available cogs on both objects.

In the second, the drill should be switched into reverse (reverse rotation) mode. Hold the outer chuck shell with one hand and press the start button with the other. If your machine is not equipped with reverse, it is not very good. this actually should not be, since only key chucks are installed on such machines. But if it happened, you should fix the axis of the drill somehow (for example, with a spanner wrench) and turn the outer chuck shell counterclockwise. And in general, it would be better to remove such a chuck and put a key.

The way with a special extractor kit

You will need a special set of extractions, with which to pull out stuck pins, snapped bolts, broken drill bits and so on.

  • In the center of the stuck drill bit you need to drill, a hole a little smaller than the diameter of the extractor;
  • Next, insert the extractor and gently screw it in;
  • Then start pulling out the jammed drill bit.

Keep in mind that the extractor has a left-hand thread, so as you screw it in, it will screw in the opposite direction.

The method with the special extractor kit

You will need a special set of extractors, with the help of which you pull out stuck pins, broken bolts, broken drill bits and so on.

  • Drill in the center of the stuck drill bit, a hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the extractor;
  • Next, insert the extractor and gently screw it in;
  • Then start pulling out the jammed drill bit.

Keep in mind that the extractor has a left-hand thread, so while screwing it in, it will screw in the opposite direction.

How to change a drill bit without a wrench

As is clear from the subtitle, we are talking here about key cartridges.

The most common method is to use a Phillips screwdriver or a nail of suitable diameter, which is inserted into any of the available cavities in the chuck, thereby fixing the first half of it. The other half can be twisted by hand. Usually, it is easy enough to unscrew in this way.

However, if it is not possible to unscrew the cartridge in this manner, you should use a gas wrench or a vice instead of your hand. Using these, you can create the necessary force that is likely to be sufficient to perform the torque.

If this still does not work, try the steps outlined in the next section.

How to disassemble a chuck on a drill

Disassembly is necessary in order to extend the life of the product. In the process of disassembly, cleaning and lubricating the parts of the products. The disassembly can be done as follows:

  • We use a peorator with a special adapter, on which the cam chuck with threaded connection is put.
  • The cams should be hidden inside.
  • A sheet of foam plastic or styrofoam is attached to the end part of the device. After that, the back side of the foam should be against the wall.
  • Start of the torch in impact mode. In 2-3 seconds the chuck will be disassembled.

The video describes the disassembly process in more detail. The video also shows the process of assembling it back. There are many other disassembly options, but the simplest and most acceptable is the one described above.

In conclusion it should be emphasized that if you want to prolong the life of your tools, you should definitely set aside time for diagnostic procedures.

unscrew, chuck, drill, wrench

Remove the threaded cartridge

To remove it you will need a screwdriver. It unscrews the screw, screwed into the spindle of the tool and installed inside the product. After that it can be unscrewed from the spindle. As mentioned above, the internal screw has a left-hand thread, therefore, it turns clockwise. However, the chuck is unscrewed counterclockwise, because it, on the contrary, has a right-hand thread. If the screw does not want to unscrew it, tap it with a hammer through the screwdriver. No problem with the chuck, it can be easily unscrewed. Although you can use a wrench and a gas wrench in case of difficulties. The first attach the spindle to the drill, and the last attach it to the chuck.

In addition, when the chuck has functioning clamping jaws, you can install a thicker hexagon to unscrew it. You also need to secure the spindle with a wrench. On most modern battery-powered drills, no additional attachments are required to mount the drill. But it’s very hard to change a chuck.

When this does not help remove it either, the body of the tool is disassembled. That’s how you can reach the spindle, because it’s hidden when it’s assembled. Then everything is assembled back, but without using spanners.

What to do if the internal screw is damaged when replacing? In this situation it is better to buy the adapter for the cam-type chuck, because it comes with a screw.

Dismantling the threaded cartridge

To remove it you need a screwdriver. Use it to remove the screw that is screwed into the spindle of the tool and installed inside the product. After that it is screwed off the spindle. As mentioned above, the inner screw has a left hand thread, so it turns clockwise. It is true that the chuck is unscrewed counterclockwise because it has, on the contrary, a right-hand thread. In case the screw does not want to unscrew, tap it with a hammer through the screwdriver. There should be no problems with the cartridge, it unscrews easily. Although if you have problems you can use a wrench and a crescent wrench. Attach the spindle to the drill first and the chuck to the chuck last.

unscrew, chuck, drill, wrench

In addition, when the chuck has functioning clamping jaws, a thicker hexagon can be used to unscrew it. You also need to secure the spindle with an open-end wrench. On most modern battery-powered drills, no additional attachments are needed to secure the drill. However, it is very difficult to change a chuck on them.

unscrew, chuck, drill, wrench

When this does not help remove it either, the tool body is disassembled. In this way you can reach the spindle, because when it is assembled it is hidden. Then everything is put back together, but without using wrenches.

What to do if the inner screw gets damaged during the change? In this situation it is better to buy the adapter for the cam-type chuck because it comes with a screw.

Inserting the cartridge

Installation is done in reverse order. In the case of threaded fixation, the cartridge body must first be screwed onto the thread. Then screw in the test screw. It is advisable to put a little sealant on it beforehand. For additional fixation.

Setting the chuck on the Morse taper, simple and uncomplicated.

Insert the cone into the socket and hit it hard. After putting it on, check that it is seated. The cone will settle even more in the future.