Broken chuck on SDS drill

[Bert Coules]

Something has gone amiss with the chuck on my ageing budget SDS drill (Ferm FBH620 from Screwfix many moons ago): tools no longer twist-and-lock.

I've seen fixes online but the prospect of dismantling the chuck doesn't really appeal. A quick test has revealed that the tool still works perfectly well as a chisel (which has always been my main need) except for the inconvenient fact that the bit keeps falling out.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't take my most-often-used chisel bit and simply stick it in the chuck? A spot of Araldite or even superglue on the very end ought to hold it, oughtn't it?

Many thanks.

[Brian Reay]

A 'rigid' glue may break up under vibration. Can you not remove the chuck and get a replacement?

[Bert Coules]

True, but that would leave me no worse off than I am now and until it happened I'd have a useable SDS chisel.

I did have a quick search but didn't find anything available. And actually, with comparable brand new drills available from around £50 I think I'd probably prefer to go down that route.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[Andy Burns]

I doubt it would hold.

[Bob Minchin]

An SDS tool has to slide in the chuck. Gluing it will be no good.

[newshound]

Are you sure this is not caused by a buildup of dried grease and/or cementatious matter from drilling? May be worth giving the chuck a good rinse in solvent, followed by your preferred oil spray. May also need to poke in the hole with a brush and/or jiggle any SDS bit around in the chuck to help clear it.

[Bert Coules]

I was contemplating gluing only the very end of the tool, which I hoped would secure it to the hammer part of the mechanism. Unless the glue spread, of course...

[Bert Coules]

Yes, so do I really, but I thought it might be asking. The drill is useable even with the chisel-bit loose: it's just inconvenient to have to keep putting back in.

[Bert Coules]

I did try that in a half-hearted sort of way; I'll have another go. But the fact that the non-locking happened suddenly and that up to then the twist-and-lock had felt extremely smooth and positive does make me think that something's broken or possibly misplaced. I believe that one or more spring-loaded ball bearings are involved, is that right?

[Bob Minchin]

I'd imagine a hard adhesive would transmit the hammer blows for a second or so and a flexible adhesive would hold for longer but cushion the hammer blows so i feel you are pissing into the wind with this idea.

[John Rumm]

The thing about a SDS chuck is that it does *not* have a rigid grip on the bit. It retains it, and stops it rotating relative the the chuck, but it must allow it to slide in and out a bit for the hammer action to actually work.

The sliding hammer inside the drill smacks the back of the bit - which accelerates it forward, and the chuck lets it slide - but catches it before it is actually ejected from the machine. If you fix the bit to the chuck it won't work, and you can't fix it to the hammer either (it only needs to contact the bit on the forward stroke).

So in short, you need to fix or replace the chuck, or treat yourself to a new drill... (and a 2kg class Makita or similar will be a complete revelation after the Ferm!)

[tabbypurr]

well if you do it won't hammer :)

There are ways to bodge it horribly, eg elastic round the bit tied or glued to the drill, but if money's not too tight get a decent drill. I'm happy e nough with a 2kg Dewalt.

NT

[John Rumm]

Yup, if you look at the shank of the bit you can see where they sit/engage.

[Bert Coules]

John,

Thanks for all that.

In what respect? The Ferm did - everything I needed it to. It was more than powerful enough, easy to handle, and required little maintenance. How will a Makita or similar be better than that?

[Bert Coules]

On the part of the shank which goes into the chuck, you mean?

[John Rumm]

IME In several ways... (although this may depend on which Ferm you have

- the early ones were very crude - the later ones slightly less so)

Firstly its lighter to hold and probably a better ergonomic design - so less fatigue using it.

It will have a chuck that allows you to rotate a chisel bit to an orientation of your choice and then lock it in that position. So chiselling a straight cut is much easier, and you can also do it in any direction while holding the drill at an comfortable angle. (many of the cheapies allow a bit to wander in rotation when in roto stop mode)

It will have a better speed control, allowing you to chisel very gently to start with if you need - say delicate cutting through a plaster skim coat while edging round where you want to cut a socket back box recess.

It will run much cleaner - you just need the occasional spot of grease on the shank of a bit (say once every twenty bit swaps), there is no reservoir that needs refilling, and it won't gob grease over what you are working on when it gets hot.

Other than that you get a nice long (12' - 16') rubber flex, and a motor rated for continuous use.

[Brian Gaff]

You think? Well good luck with that one, all that vibration and odd angular stresses. Brian

[Bert Coules]

John,

Thanks for that.

I've had the Ferm for a few years but I certainly wouldn't describe it as being in any way crude, so perhaps I was lucky and missed the earliest incarnation.

The locking-orientation chuck sounds like a good refinement but since most of the use I have for the tool is demolition than channel-cutting I think it's something I can live without. And while the Ferm is certainly weighty I've not found that a particular inconvenience.

The speed control does sound desirable though, as do the other improvements.

[newshound]

Horses for courses, though, my ancient Ferm SDS was a fraction of the price of a Makita. No chuck lock as you say, but long rubber flex and it appears to have a continuous rated motor. I do, generally, buy more up market tools these days but I reckon the Ferm is OK for "building site" type jobs.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Becomes very tiring when used to chase walls over a lighter one.

In some ways, you need two. A heavy one is perhaps easier for breaking up paths etc as the weight helps there.