Eccentric Chuck

[DKurzweil]

I finally bit the bullet and bought the T-18 set.  I am very happy with it.  I just have one question.

With the eccentric chuck, I know it is made to hold standard 1/4" hex 1" long wire detent bits.  I tried to put in a bit, and it was very stiff, even with the collar pulled back.  In the end, I just pushed the end of the bit against a work bench to seat it.  After the bit went in, the collar did not go back into a locked position.  To remove the bit I had to take a pair of pliers to grab the bit and pull it out. 

Is the chuck just stiff?  Or does this sound like something is off?

Thanks for the help,

Daniel

 

[AlexThePalex]

This is not normal. My the collar of my chuck moves very easy.

It's not made for wire detent bits though, but for ball detent bits. But it holds wire detent bits just as easily.

 

[DKurzweil]

Alex,

You just solved my problem.  I must have mis-read somewhere that it accepted standard 1/4" insert bits. 

It is odd however, that the chuck will not accept the centrotec bits.  That is part of what confused me.  For a system built around the use of the centrotec system, it suddenly accepts regular bit holders but not the centrotec bit holder.  After it didn't accept (meaning that it doesn't lock in) the centrotec holder, or the standard insert bit I didn't even consider using a standard ball detent bit. 

Any thoughts?

Daniel

 

[peter halle]

Daniel,

The reason it won't lock onto a Centrotec bit is because of the length of the Centrotec shank up to the point of the detent.  The eccentric chuck is designed to be compact and for a better word stubby. 

Peter

 

[DKurzweil]

I understand the physical limitation of depth, it just seems odd that a company like festool would all of a sudden introduce a third (First being centrotec and second being wire detent) bit type into the mix.  I haven't looked inside the eccentric chuck, but it seems hard to believe they couldn't find some dead space to allow the shaft of the centrotec bit holder to slide back further and continue its usefulness as a system approach.

Daniel

 

[AlexThePalex]

but it seems hard to believe they couldn't find some dead space to allow the shaft of the centrotec bit holder to slide back further and continue its usefulness as a system approach.

I sincerely doubt they made the chuck 1 mm longer than absolutely necessary. Festool goes to a great length to keep their drills as short as possible. There would be no extra space to accomodate a longer centrotec shaft.

The centrotec shaft would also require a retainer ring on the chuck, and that would defeat the purpose of the chuck, which is to make sure you can get along a wall as closely as possible. The ring would make the distance between the tip of the drill bit and the wall bigger.

Anyway, the chuck still accepts centrotec bits, it just doesn't lock them so the fit is a bit loose. Didn't stop me from using them in the few cases I needed them.