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High quality drill press chuck?

Bennylava

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Apr 17, 2012
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954
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Cleburne, TX
Can anyone recommend me a high quality drill press chuck? I ordered one off ebay, and apparently it was chinese garbage. First time I tried to use it, the little teeth on the chuck turned to mush.

Where do I get a good one that is hardened and will actually last? Now I'm scared to buy others, maybe they just use the same junky chinese supplier.
 
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californiaHank

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Nov 20, 2015
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Albrecht (German) chucks are excellent, but also very expensive.
Jacobs (Chinese) chucks are available in several grades, the more expensive ones are good.
Older (British made) Jacobs chucks can be bargains if you find one used.
 

Dave455

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Mar 19, 2013
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Sussex, England
I refurb a lot of drills so am always needing chucks!

Yes, the Chinese seem to vary between junk and total junk. Taiwanese are better, but still not as good as a U.S. or British made Jacobs!

I've got to say, that unless you are very lucky, I'd probably not bother looking for a used Jacobs. So many are either very heavily used, or abused, that you seldom see a decent one. They all seem to have a lot of wear to the front gripping surface of the jaws. You sometimes find a 'sleeper' but rare now, and even the Chinese made Jacobs are entering the used market.

Albrecht are superb chucks, but superb money too.

My advice is to look at Rohm chucks. Still beautifully made, but a lot less money than the Albrecht. They offer conventional keyed chucks, and also some superb keyles models, which I tend to go for.

The 'Spiro' series are top end, but for general use I advise the 'Supra' chucks.

The 13mm (that's half inch to us) Supra's often seem to be on some sort of factory promotion.

I can get mine from a number of sources here in the U.K. but MSC are probably a good bet as I know they're in the U.S. as well.
 

6PTsocket

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Mar 12, 2014
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I refurb a lot of drills so am always needing chucks!

Yes, the Chinese seem to vary between junk and total junk. Taiwanese are better, but still not as good as a U.S. or British made Jacobs!

I've got to say, that unless you are very lucky, I'd probably not bother looking for a used Jacobs. So many are either very heavily used, or abused, that you seldom see a decent one. They all seem to have a lot of wear to the front gripping surface of the jaws. You sometimes find a 'sleeper' but rare now, and even the Chinese made Jacobs are entering the used market.

Albrecht are superb chucks, but superb money too.

My advice is to look at Rohm chucks. Still beautifully made, but a lot less money than the Albrecht. They offer conventional keyed chucks, and also some superb keyles models, which I tend to go for.

The 'Spiro' series are top end, but for general use I advise the 'Supra' chucks.

The 13mm (that's half inch to us) Supra's often seem to be on some sort of factory promotion.

I can get mine from a number of sources here in the U.K. but MSC are probably a good bet as I know they're in the U.S. as well.
MSC is in the UK, too? They are an old American company that stated out supplying the machine shops in Manhattan, a borough of New York City. MSC comes from Manhattan Supply Company. I recently stopped at their Harrisburg, PA warehouse, where there is counter service. It was big enough to be it's own country.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

E.Marquez

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Jan 11, 2010
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Kempner Texas
https://www.mscdirect.com/FlyerView...84217272&contentPath=/sales-catalogs/big-book

No arguments that Albrecht is a top tier chuck. However most are for clockwise turning only. They are also a high precision tool with TIR <.002". A waste of money to put one on a cheap spindle. For most people a plain Jacobs chuck on a drill press is more than enough to get the job done.

lg
no neat sig line

Agree as long as you go with the higher end Jacobs chucks like the ball bearing styles not the plain bearing ones
 
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tarbellb

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Apr 17, 2011
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Oregon
I just went through upgrading my chuck on the DP. Read my review here- https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=359134

Besides overall quality, the best upgrade was going to Keyless. So nice not needing to chuck up with a tool every time.

A few brands to look at:
_ Rohm (German)
_ Llambrich (Spain)- also produce Jacobs high-end line
_ Albrecht (German)
_ Yukiwa (Japan)

You can find all of these in 1/2" (13mm) in either new or excellent condition on Ebay and Amazon for >$100. Rohm often pop up in the Warehouse deals section, be careful to order the correct taper and chuck opening size,again 1/2" or 13mm is best.
 

bczygan

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Joined
Nov 4, 2009
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22,002
Location
DETROIT! Arsenal of Scrappers
Can anyone recommend me a high quality drill press chuck? I ordered one off ebay, and apparently it was chinese garbage. First time I tried to use it, the little teeth on the chuck turned to mush.

Where do I get a good one that is hardened and will actually last? Now I'm scared to buy others, maybe they just use the same junky chinese supplier.

Did you chuck it?

Sorry!:lol_hitti
 

Davefr

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Jan 7, 2010
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OR
Once you go with an Albrecht, you'll never miss the old fashioned keyed chucks. (unless you do L.H. drilling).

You can find used Albrecht chucks on Ebay at far less then MSRP and rebuild them. Just about any Albrecht part can be found at MSC.

If you really want to use a keyed chuck then go with a Jacobs Super Chuck (ie ball bearing) and try and find one made in Hartford.
 
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pcmeiners

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Aug 13, 2009
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In the only town in Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg.
"Jacobs (Chinese) chucks are available in several grades, the more expensive ones are good"
As to newer Chinese Jacobs bearing chucks, they are incorrectly hardened, they are laser marked. The older, stamped marked, "Super Chucks" are top quality (USA).
 

Dave455

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Mar 19, 2013
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Location
Sussex, England
MSC is in the UK, too? They are an old American company that stated out supplying the machine shops in Manhattan, a borough of New York City. MSC comes from Manhattan Supply Company. I recently stopped at their Harrisburg, PA warehouse, where there is counter service. It was big enough to be it's own country.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Yep! Been here for a few years. Started out as J and L Industrial Supply, then I think there was a takeover.

They were needed, A lot of British firms in that market were very hard work to deal with. You know the score:-

Can you send me two centre drills?
'Have you got an account?'
No! I'll open one if I have to!
'You need to apply for credit'
Don't want credit, just two centre drills!
'O.K. One pound each, 3pounds postage'
Fine! Send two centre drills!
'Minimum order ten Pounds'
Send seven then
'Oh, we only have five in stock'
How long then?
'Well, they have to come from Coventry..'
Don't care where they come from, only where they're going, AND WHEN!
'Well it's two days by steam lorry but we use Bert's Barges who need five, if the Canal isn't frozen...and the five days start only when I've sent the docket to ordering...but our Lamson Tube is down...!'

Don't know why it was always such hard work, but it was!

With the smaller firms I always used to go direct to the Manufacturers wherever feasible, and they were always the complete opposite - dead easy to deal with!

Interesting to hear the history!
 
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Bennylava

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Apr 17, 2012
Messages
954
Location
Cleburne, TX
Sorry I have made an error. I just need a chuck key.

Yeah its nice using the keyless ones, but I don't really want to buy one of those unless I just have to someday. I'm only using this small craftsman drill press for somewhat light work on fixing cars, as well as the occasional "house work".

Something like this: (but I don't know if this is any good)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Magne...044911?hash=item33bac8a9af:g:HloAAOSwwo1XezfL
 
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skruft

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May 9, 2011
Messages
759
The trick is to get and use only one where the teeth match the chuck exactly.
 

tool_scrounge

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Jul 20, 2010
Messages
4,244
Location
Southern California
Can anyone recommend me a high quality drill press chuck? I ordered one off ebay, and apparently it was chinese garbage. First time I tried to use it, the little teeth on the chuck turned to mush.

Where do I get a good one that is hardened and will actually last? Now I'm scared to buy others, maybe they just use the same junky chinese supplier.

We need a chuck mfg. and part number or key size to better help you.
 

6PTsocket

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Mar 12, 2014
Messages
4,593
We need a chuck mfg. and part number or key size to better help you.
Bennylava, all that is required is the taper on the press that the new chuck has to fit. The brand of the old one and the key does not matter. From there he can select a chuck that fits. It presumably comes with a key, unless he chooses to go keyless. The taper should be marked on rhe old chuck. For that he does need to refer to rhe old chuck.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
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