How do I get a drill bit that is stuck in the chuck out?

A keyless chuck holds a bit by wedging three jaws down a taper. Anything that stops those jaws sliding back up the taper — grit packed in the guideways, a bit that has been hammered, a chuck overtightened by an impact-heavy job, or corrosion after a wet winter in a shed — leaves the bit locked in. The cure is almost always more grip and better leverage rather than more force applied to the wrong part. The diagram shows why.

Safety

What you'll need

• A cloth or rubber glove for grip
• Strap wrench or self-grip pliers (optional)
• Penetrating oil (optional)
• Soft-faced mallet (optional)

Step by step

1. Remove the battery or unplug it, first.Everything that follows involves holding parts of a rotating tool. This is not optional, and it is the step people skip because they are annoyed.
2. Get proper grip on both parts.A rubber glove, a strip of inner tube or a rag around the sleeve doubles the torque you can apply. Hold the chuck body — the part nearest the drill — still with the other hand.
3. Turn the sleeve anticlockwise, hard and steadily.As you face the chuck from the front. A steady increasing pull beats a jerk, and most stuck chucks give up here. Two-sleeve chucks need the rear collar held while you turn the front.
4. Use the motor if hand pressure fails.Refit the battery, set the drill to reverse, hold the chuck sleeve tightly with a gloved hand or a strap wrench so it cannot turn, and blip the trigger. The motor turns the chuck body against the held sleeve and breaks it open. Short bursts, not a sustained pull.
5. Tap the chuck body, never the bit.If it is still locked, a light tap on the side of the chuck body with a soft mallet, while it is held, shocks the jaws loose. Striking the end of the bit drives the jaws further down the taper and makes it worse.
6. Apply penetrating oil and wait.For a chuck that has been in a damp shed, a drop of penetrating oil into the jaw slots and half an hour of patience does more than any amount of force. Work the sleeve back and forth as it soaks in.
7. Clean the jaws once it opens.Open the chuck fully, blow the dust out with compressed air or a puffer, and work a drop of light oil in with the jaws opening and closing. Wipe the excess — oil left on the jaw faces makes bits slip later.
8. Find out why it stuck.Masonry dust in the mechanism, a bit used in hammer mode when it should not have been, or overtightening. If it happens repeatedly, the chuck is worn and worth replacing.

Tips

• Some drills have a spindle lock that holds the shaft still. If yours does, use it — it turns a two-handed struggle into a one-handed job.
• If the bit is snapped off flush inside the jaws, open the chuck fully and push the stub out from the back with a nail punch through the spindle, where the tool allows it.
• Chucks tighten themselves under load in forward rotation and loosen in reverse. A bit used in reverse a lot, such as backing out screws, can also work loose — that is the same mechanism running the other way.

Common mistakes

• Gripping the bit in a vice and turning the drill by hand — It works occasionally and bends the spindle or cracks the chuck the rest of the time. The bearings are not built for that load.
• Hammering the end of the bit to knock it back — It drives the jaws harder down the taper. Every blow makes the bit tighter, which is the opposite of what you want.
• Using the motor without holding the sleeve — Nothing happens except the whole chuck spinning. The technique depends entirely on holding one part while the motor turns the other.

Questions people ask