Removing a Cordless Drill Chuck

[Mike]

So you're ready to replace the interior components in your drill or you need to replace your chuck. How do you remove the chuck in the first place?

A lot of cordless drills require the removal of the chuck for repairs, especially when repairing the gearbox or torque selector collar. This little guide should help. Please remember that these instructions only work for threaded-on chucks and not taper-fit chucks (almost all cordless drills have threaded chuck spindles). These are helpful hints only and I'm not responsible for any mistakes or mishaps which might happen while removing your drill's chuck. Please use caution and common sense.

Remove the chuck screw
In many drills there is a small screw deep inside the jaws of the chuck. This screw helps hold the chuck onto the spindle during operation, preventing it from spinning off. Check to see if you have a screw inside your chuck's jaws. Depending on the brand and model of your drill, you may have to use an allen key, torx driver, or a flat-head screwdriver to remove the screw. The most important thing to remember is this: the chuck screw is reverse-thread. You will have to spin the screw clockwise to remove it. This reverse threading helps to act against the torque of the drill and keep the screw tightly connected.

Prepare to remove the chuck
A lot of people are surprised that the chuck doesn't just thread off the spindle once the chuck screw is removed. In reality, the chuck is usually torqued very tightly onto the spindle and it cannot be easily removed. Most of the time it's so tight that the chuck screw can fall out and the drill will operate normally.

You're going to have to bring out the heavy artillery for this one. You're going to need a large 90-degree allen key like this one:



Use the largest allen key that your drill's chuck can accommodate. With most drills this will be a 1/2" key (pictured above) but some drills can only accommodate a 3/8" key. Chuck-up the key as pictured below:



Put the short end of the allen wrench into the chuck and let the long end of the wrench hang out. Tighten the chuck down completely.

Bring out the hammer
You're going to have to hit that allen wrench. Use the flat side of a hammer and hit the end of the wrench (as pictured above). Make sure that the blow will spin the chuck counter-clockwise. Sometimes a chuck is attached very tightly and you may have to hit the wrench hard. Swing through. Sometimes it takes a few swings to loosen the chuck. When you've succeeded the chuck will probably spin around a few times and come to a rest on the spindle. You're done!



Click here to find replacement drill chucks. The finished project should look something like the image above. Good luck!

[indewind]

Can you please tell me how to open the chuck? There is a drill bit in it and the chuck just turns freely without opening .

[Mike]

Can you please tell me how to open the chuck? There is a drill bit in it and the chuck just turns freely without opening .

Sounds like a broken gearbox. What is the brand and model of your drill?

[indewind]

Sounds like a broken gearbox. What is the brand and model of your drill?

Mike, the drill is a DeWalt dc988. It has seen a lot of use and has been dropped off of a ladder several times onto concrete by my helper.

[brokenarrow]

if you can not remove the chuck using mikes method. I was successful in removing the chuck (dc925) by first removing the gear box. step 1 remove 4 screws (2) take out gear box. (3) slide out chuck assembly make sure you remove the gearbox to chuck shaft key (this is a star shaped key). You will now see the chuck driveshaft. it is flat on 2 sides. I used a large plumbers adjustable wrench with a tapered nose to hold the shaft from inside the casing. I placed the wrench in a vise. then a took a chain wrap vice gripe and locked it on the chuck i turned it counterclockwise and off came the chuck.

[kenchiku]

my DC236 chuck was stuck too. The chuck spun freely, with a stuck bit. I cut off the plastic housing with a hack saw. Beneath it, I could see where the chuck teeth met the chuck body. I cut around the chuck with a grinding wheel till the chuck top and teeth fell away, exposing the chuck screw head. I did this by slowly working around the chuck exterior, being careful not to cut too deep or too long at any one spot to prevent damage to the chuck screw. This is a reverse threaded star head screw. After removing this screw, the hard part started.

I tried the Mike's allen wrench and hammer trick to no avail. But I still had the back end of the chuck still attached to the drill body. I applied some lubricant to the remainder of the chuck, and welded a 1/2" by 16" steel rod across the face of the chuck to extend my lever arm that the allen wrench had inadequately provided. As soon as the weld was finished I whacked the longer end of the lever arm with a hammer. First try worked.

The welding heated the remainder of the chuck body, expanding the metal around the spindle just enough, I think, to be able to loosen the chuck off the spindle. I'm sure the extra lever arm was helpful too. My number 6 allen wench was only 6" long.

I'm going to replace the keyless chuck with a keyed chuck, just to make sure I'm not dependent on the button lock in the future. The lock feels weak and I'm less confident in it now.

[Mike]

I applied some lubricant to the remainder of the chuck, and welded a 1/2" by 16" steel rod across the face of the chuck to extend my lever arm that the allen wrench had inadequately provided. As soon as the weld was finished I whacked the longer end of the lever arm with a hammer. First try worked.

That's awesome! I've definitely never heard of anyone doing that before but I'm glad it worked!

[frank from dallas]

hey mike thanks for the info man i messed with my drill for hours i pulled out the center screw and couldnt figure it out my replacement part didnt come with instructions so i took the darn thing apart still no luck thats when i found your post put it back together gears and all lol tried the allen and it worked like a champ with a little muscle behind it but none the less had i found your post 2 hours ago it would have been a 10 min job thanks very helpfull

[Mike]

hey mike thanks for the info man i messed with my drill for hours i pulled out the center screw and couldnt figure it out my replacement part didnt come with instructions so i took the darn thing apart still no luck thats when i found your post put it back together gears and all lol tried the allen and it worked like a champ with a little muscle behind it but none the less had i found your post 2 hours ago it would have been a 10 min job thanks very helpfull

Well, at least you know for next time.

[eolson]

I think I am one of those unlucky ones with a tapered chuck. How do I remove that?

Also I am replacing parts due to the drill is not spinning and just clicking. What parts would that need?

Thanks

[Mike]

I think I am one of those unlucky ones with a tapered chuck. How do I remove that?

Also I am replacing parts due to the drill is not spinning and just clicking. What parts would that need?

Thanks

Sounds like you might have gear problems. I would check that first.

Tapered chucks are removed differently from threaded chucks. We have an article on our website that covers both threaded and tapered drill chucks:

Removing a Drill Chuck

The article shows the same method for removing threaded chucks at the top, and further down it shows the removal of a tapered chuck. You'll need to get some chuck removal wedges to make this method work. I hope this helps!

[juststartingtech]

so i'm quite sure i have a threaded chuck, but the lock button is givin me trouble.. can't hold it and strike the allen with out it slipping... what am i doing wrong any help would be great!

[Dale]

What tool do you have?

[juststartingtech]

i have a dewalt dw236 i have the replacement chuck so i know that its threaded, the lock button just won't hold it.

[juststartingtech]

threw that sucka in a vice with a nut to hold down the lock button locked on a 1/2 allen bit threw the impact on it... no hesitation n we got it. thanks!

[Odie]

Here is a video we made that shows the steps Mike illustrated above on how to remove a key-less chuck from a cordless drill:

How to Remove a Cordless Drill Chuck

[cmoorejack]

Hey guys,
Good job on the video..being a bench monkey myself for a few years..I appreciate the effort you guys put in to your customer service..kudo's to you !!
Craig

[NorthCountry]

Ridgid R86006 cordless drill.
I normally have no problems with chucks but this one's got me stumped. I removed the internal screw. That tells me the chuck is screwed onto the gear box. Customer had a spade bit stuck in the jaws. I began by removing the plastic sleeve that covers the jaw teeth, threads and speed nut. I grabbed the speed nut and the cone part of the chuck and went counter clockwise and was able to release the bit. I now have to purchase a new chuck for the customer. will using the 1/2 or 3/8" allen wrench remove the chuck or is it a part of the gearbox.

[UtahAV]

Hi NorthCountry,

The chuck is a separate part. You should be able to remove it using the allen wrench technique. The chuck for the Ridgid R86006 is part #680301007.

Good luck with your chuck repair!

-UtahAV
-Mark

[NorthCountry]

Thank you for the assistance in removing that ridgid chuck. The allen wrench method works like gangbusters! It took me two hard raps with a hammer and it spun right off! I also managed to locate a used chuck off a sears drill and THAT came off exactly as the other one. So rather than just order a new one for the ridgid, I used the one off the sears. fits perfectly. The customer is very satisfied with the short turn-around time.