RKSpeed
Well-known member
Bought a DeWalt DW272 drywall gun with a missing chuck for $6. Was thinking that I could convert it to a keyless chuck that would take drill bits, etc but cant seem to find anything. Anyone done this before?
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Converting Drywall driver to drill?
- Thread starter RKSpeed
- Start date
metaleltr
Well-known member
I doubt that would work very well at all, they run at like 4000 rpm and the clutch relies on the depth stop for proper operation. You may be able to find another depth stop chuck somewhere.
RKSpeed has a great idea. I have a 4500 RPM cheap Chinese 1/4" drill that has proven ideal for drilling pilot holes in steel and hard woods. Small drill bits work best with high speed and the drilling speed difference between this drill and my cordless drills is impressive. I, too, would like to know how to convert a drywall driver to accept a conventional drill chuck.
dewalt378g
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2012
- Messages
- 180
The spindle/ output drive should be 1/4" hex (like all the others). I know someone makes a jacobs style chuck with a hex arbor on it, just can't remember, but I know I saw one in HD or Lowes or something like that. If you could get that in there then you would have your drill. It might be a bit "sloppy" though. Having a 4k drill with bad run out only leads to bad holes and broken bits. For similar (or less) effort you could just order the replacement part and have a drywall gun again.
RKSpeed has a great idea. I have a 4500 RPM cheap Chinese 1/4" drill that has proven ideal for drilling pilot holes in steel and hard woods. Small drill bits work best with high speed and the drilling speed difference between this drill and my cordless drills is impressive. I, too, would like to know how to convert a drywall driver to accept a conventional drill chuck.
I have the same driver. It is my "go to" tool for making multiple pilot holes in hard wood. The speed gain is remarkable. Mine seems to be a copy of the Japanese Makita high speed 1/4" drill of several years ago. Milwaukee made a 4500 RPM drill at one time.
Bought a DeWalt DW272 drywall gun with a missing chuck for $6. Was thinking that I could convert it to a keyless chuck that would take drill bits, etc but cant seem to find anything. Anyone done this before?
September, 2019. Jim's Tool Repair in Eugene Oregon converted my Metabo SE 18 LTX 6000 Cordless drywall screwdriver last week. Remove the front gear case (three screws), then take out the one screw holding the gear case to the front plastic outer housing. Remove the drywall driver mechanism and the spring that holds the screwdriver shank in a disconnected position until one pushes in the drywall driver mechanism. Once the spring is removed, put spacers in the recessed, fore and aft movement section of the front of the spindle that is normally held in a disconnected position by the spring until the tool is applied to a drywall screw. Reassemble the drywall driver to have a very capable high speed drill. On the Metabo, when the shaft is permanently positioned in the IN position, a small ball bearing will hold tight any hex shank with a retention groove, which most hex shank drill bits have. In my case, I chose to not rely on the ball and instead epoxied in a Wera quick release Rapidaptor Bit Holder. It could have been a standard hex shank chuck. For those concerned about excessive RPM, many pneumatic aircraft drills operate at the same 6000 RPM . I use various small bits, mostly for pilot holes. The powerful Metabo drills rapidly even in hard woods and has now largely replaced the Milwaukee cordless 32,000 RPM rotary tool that I had been using for quick pilot holes. The Metabo permits very rapid bit changes where the Milwaukee used the slower and clumsier collet chuck. The conversion is very useful.
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