How To Remove a Stuck Drill Chuck

Broken gearboxes and sticky chuck screws can make removing a drill chuck difficult. This article explains the tricks you need to overcome these common repair setbacks.

Most drill chucks come off their drills using normal chuck removal methods, like the chuck removal steps we offer in our article, "How to Remove a Drill Chuck."

However, drill chucks can be difficult to remove for a number reasons that require an extra trick or two to get the job done.

The steps and suggestions below explain how to remove keyless drill chucks from drills with broken gear boxes. We also explain how to remove sticky chuck screws.

See this article's repair video for a professional demonstration!

How to Separate a Chuck Collar from a Drill Chuck

Our example drill in this article came into the shop with its gearbox already broken.

In cases like these, drill chucks usually come off the drill with the arbor shaft and chuck collar still attached to the chuck. The first step to remove the chuck then is to first take its collar off.

Step 1 Use a Pair of Snap Ring Pliers to Remove the Snap Ring

Getting that snap ring out will allow the chuck collar to pop off when we press it off of the chuck.