3/8" Chuck Upgrade?

[Scottathon]

Hello. My name is Scott and just read Mike's thread about removing a cordless chuck ( Removing a Cordless Drill Chuck ) and decided to join. The thread was incredibly helpful, thank you! Very nice forum and hopefully I can help someone else out much like this article has helped me.

My question is if I can upgrade my drill's chuck? The chuck on it is a very beat up and plastic (starts sliding when my palms are sweaty). I've seen chucks on newer Dewalt's that have rubber on the outside and a really fine racheting mechanism. Does anyone have any insight on a nice chuck that will fit on my drill? Can i put a 1/2" on and would there be any problems with the motor or gearbox? Any insight on an upgrade is greatly appreciated!

It's a DeWalt DW953 Type 3 with a 3/8" chuck

[Scottathon]

I picked up a Jacob's brand chuck from Home Depot today for $25. Pretty good deal I thought, but i'd still like to hear what ya'll think about other chuck upgrades out there. I'm not very stoked on this particular one because of it's weight (call me a sissy, but it's way too heavy!)

[Mike]

There are tons of replacement chucks out there, and many of them are Jacobs brand. It's always a trade off between durability and weight. Lots of people really prefer an all-steel chuck because they last a long time and they don't wear away if you're drilling against other material. Plastic chucks tend to be lighter but the plastic sleeve can break or eventually wear away. They're also usually cheaper.

Did you manage to put a 1/2" chuck on your drill Scottathon?

[Scottathon]

I did end up with a 1/2" chuck. So far im loving it too.

!'ve got another question about the same drill; While in the midst of replacing the chuck I also to the liberty to take about the drill and clean out a bunch of hair/dust inside of it. I used some automotive grease inside the gear box (it was the only grease I had lying around) and it now makes a very high pitched whine when running.

Could the grease have damaged it in some way? It still works fine as a drill, but makes this terrible noise now.

[Mike]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to you. I don't think the new grease is the problem. If the drill is making a whining noise you've probably put something together wrong. Maybe something in the gearbox is aligned wrong, or maybe the motor isn't seated properly. You might want to take the drill apart again and see if something needs to be realigned.

[Scottathon]

Roger that. I'll try getting it apart soon and let you know.

No worries on the late response Mike. I'm greatful theres a forum like this that exists with knowledgable people like yourself on it!