T15 offset chuck question

[TJ Cornish]

I picked up a T15 kit last week and had a chance to use the offset chuck.  I've noticed that it doesn't seem to hold the bits very securely - I pull the collar back and insert a 1" bit (doesn't matter if I use one of my own or the ones that came with the kit), and it holds a little bit, but the collar doesn't seem to come back up all the way, and I can pull the bit out fairly easily.  Is this how it is supposed to be?

 

[tbellemare]

The collar should return all the way up and the bit should be held quite securely.

If I put a bit like this in it, I can't pull it out.

Tom

 

[TJ Cornish]

Interesting - that's definitely not the case for mine.

 

[tbellemare]

Maybe there's something stuck in it.

Tom

 

[Holzhacker]

Mine did the same thing in the beginning. I thought there might be something stuck in it, nothing found. I sprayed it with some WD40 and it helped a little bit. Once I had actually used a number of times the problem went away at some point. Maybe it's a matter of tight tolerances that need to be 'worked in', don't know. Mine is fine now. That off-set chuck is one of those beautiful tools that doesn't get used much but when it does, man is it great to have.
Good luck.

 

[TJ Cornish]

I got off the phone with Festool support a few minutes ago.  Apparently the offset chuck is ball-detent, meaning it is designed for bits like these:
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/HPR-0220/Phillips-ACR-Bit-Ball-Detent

The one inch bits, depending on a few factors do fit anywhere from fairly snug to a little loose.  There are a lot of very similar looking quasi 1/4" things out there that have taken me a few minutes to get my mind around, but I think I'm making progress.

Thanks to all for the comments.

 

[James Watriss]

Yup... same bits that fit in an impact driver.

One more reason to carry the offset around.