Thread: Drill Chuck

G'day Dean
Not being familiar with all of his videos, can you post a picture? I looked at one video but the chuck was a normal type on a massive drill press, so possibly not the one you are thinking of. If it were keyless, possibly an Albrecht. Provided you don't overload them a great chuck

Michael

I am not sure whether a picture of use is possible but I will have a look. May take a while tho. I am not particular about that exact chuck. I would like to look into the possibility of getting a chuck that works as well as his does.

Dean

Found one. Only a snapshot from the vid tho.

Keith Fenners Drill Chuck.jpg

Based on googled pics of the Albrecht it looks very similar but I don't know if others also look the same. Albrecht's are not too expensive.

Dean

ps As you will no doubt notice this one is on a mill .

I have found that using lower quality drill bits can cause slip. Since I have been using Dormer I have had no slip at all. Might just be that they cut better than anything to do with the shank grip. The other thing about Keith is that it would be reasonable to assume that he has his feeds and speeds perfect and his drills sharp. So that would remove a lot of the drills propensity to grab and slip. +1 for Keith. The guy is a legend.

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

Found one. Only a snapshot from the vid tho.

Keith Fenners Drill Chuck.jpg

Based on googled pics of the Albrecht it looks very similar but I don't know if others also look the same. Albrecht's are not too expensive.

Dean

Dean, I use genuine Albrecht 13mm chucks on my two lathes, and a Chinese made Albrecht lookalike chuck on the drill press. All need very little force to clamp, and all hold the drill well. The Albrecht have 43mm body diameter, the clone is much larger and heavier with 50mm body diameter (for same 13mm clamping range). The Albrecht have a split clamp collar with tangential lock screw, the clone has a plain collar with radial grub screw. And the clone has no brand marking except for size. I would say the three big differnces that really count are runout, longevity and .... price. Expect to spend at least 3x more for a genuine Albrecht compared to Chinese clones. The same goes for the arbor, you will pay about 4x more for a genuine Albrecht arbor (but then it would be silly to pay for a precision chuck and then ruin its precision with a crooked cheap arbor). In the same quality ball-park with Albrecht you can also look at the Rohm "Spiro" range of chucks.

Just for a drill press, I personally feel a Chinese clone is good enough. There are now such Chinese chucks with integral arbor (made from one piece of steel), and I would seriously consider one of these next time I need a chuck. Chris

Edit: my Albrecht chucks are very old, I compare them with a near new Chinese clone. I do not expect the clone to age as well.

Originally Posted by variant22

I have found that using lower quality drill bits can cause slip. Since I have been using Dormer I have had no slip at all. Might just be that they cut better than anything to do with the shank grip. The other thing about Keith is that it would be reasonable to assume that he has his feeds and speeds perfect and his drills sharp. So that would remove a lot of the drills propensity to grab and slip. +1 for Keith. The guy is a legend.

I have some Dormers left over from years ago I think. They were step ground for a specific job so may not be a good test.

I still think part of my problem is the chuck tho.

Regarding Keith, I agree with what you say plus he always uses a cutting oil, which I do nearly all the time now. He is a legend but like all yanks he does like to dribble on. Great teaching in a genuine workshop setting. Wish I had his machines.

Dean

Hi Dean, i swear by the French made LFA's. I have 3, 13mm and 16mm keyless and a 16mm keyed. Just like the Albrechts and the Rohms they are not cheap though. I have a 10mm Rohm on the new Waldown, it seems to have a way of working itself loose, but who knows how old it is and how much work it has done.

Cheers,
Ew

Dean, depends on whether you want to take a chance - All my Albrechts are secondhand from ebay and then I bought the parts to fix them if necessary. (Come to think of it, I may even have a spare in the drawer doing nothing)
Before using these I had keyed chucks on everything as I'd had a nasty experience with cheaper keyless chucks. Now I have them for the lathe, drill and mill. If you do decide to drop in at some stage to see what the fuss is about a Waldown drill press, you can look at the chuck too!

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

Dean, depends on whether you want to take a chance - All my Albrechts are secondhand from ebay and then I bought the parts to fix them if necessary. (Come to think of it, I may even have a spare in the drawer doing nothing)
Before using these I had keyed chucks on everything as I'd had a nasty experience with cheaper keyless chucks. Now I have them for the lathe, drill and mill. If you do decide to drop in at some stage to see what the fuss is about a Waldown drill press, you can look at the chuck too!

Michael

Thanks Michael. I was going to ask if the day before the get together would suit you. I will probably come up on the Saturday 19/10/13 and call in on my way past if that would suit you. Its not that big a deal if a later time would suit tho. I would think about lunch time or so. Say 1:00 or 2:00. My plans are not set in concrete yet.

Dean

hi dean i have bought a couple of these now and have been quite happy with them. good value too IMO
0 5 16mm B18 Precision Keyless Drill Chuck With Arbor MT3 Free Postage | eBay

i was going to get a second one for the lathe but it is generally quicker to change drills with these than it is to change chucks.

the drills never slip, the chuck self tightens under load so you only need to do it up a whisker.
Sometimes this can be a bad thing, if you load it up too much it can be a pain to undo it again (have to lock the tailstock and knock the chuck undone with a punch). It also bruises cheap drill bits when it overtightens too much.

Originally Posted by andrew_mx83

hi dean i have bought a couple of these now and have been quite happy with them. good value too IMO
0 5 16mm B18 Precision Keyless Drill Chuck With Arbor MT3 Free Postage | eBay

i was going to get a second one for the lathe but it is generally quicker to change drills with these than it is to change chucks.

the drills never slip, the chuck self tightens under load so you only need to do it up a whisker.
Sometimes this can be a bad thing, if you load it up too much it can be a pain to undo it again (have to lock the tailstock and knock the chuck undone with a punch). It also bruises cheap drill bits when it overtightens too much.

Thanks Andrew. I will keep that in mind.

One problem I found was having to undo the chuck on occasions when it has locked in tight. I started using a strap type oil filter remover which does not suit my car. It sits on a bench just next to the drill press which is what have me the idea. I have now bought a small ordinary strap wrench for the job. My chuck does not have slots/holes for punches and I think the strap wrench would be kinder on the poor machine.

Dean

Hi Dean,
Earlier in the Year, I went to a Black Smithing Day in Footscray, Vic.
You wood not believe it, but I bought a No.2 MT, Keyless 5/8in Chuck, $10.
The seller said it wood not hold properly, kept slipping. Had 3 Case Holes for tightening.
I'm sure I do not know what he found wrong with it, but it has not missed a beat, since I've had it, & I have not used the Holes.

Could be the way it was used. I know that keyless chucks don't like drilling over their rated size - that is, if the rated maximum is 13mm, then say a 16mm reduced shank drill can cause it to loosen off. I reckon if it was being used by a blacksmith then there was a fair chance that reduced shank drills were being used.

Michael

Hi Michael,
I have a 5/8th.drill bit that has a ½in. shank, but have not used it yet, but I have no trouble with any of the other sizes.
Thanks for that info, as I was not aware of that problem.
The articles he was selling & showing were not large at all, so I can't think of what size drills he may have used.