According to pogo :

[ ... ]

Just so I know, if I do have to replace the chuck, why would a more
expensive one make a difference with slipping bits? By that I mean what is
different mechanically about a premium one ? Do they have ridges that grip
the bits or something ?

A good chuck has hardened jaws with fairly narrow ridges to
contact the drill shank. This narrow ridge displaces some of the steel
in the soft drill shank, allowing a better grip.

A good chuck also has better bearing surfaces, so of a given
amount of tightening force more goes to the grip and less goes to
fighting stiction.

Note that what I use on my drill press at present is a 1/2"
Jacobs keyless chuck (patterned after the Albrecht chucks). It grips
pretty well just from hand tightening (no key needed), and the torque of
cutting tightens it even more, so it normally will not slip.

The exception (for both this and normal Albrecht chucks) is when
you are trying to grip something with a hardened shank such as an end
mill (not a good idea anyway for most things). Albrecht has an answer
to this problem, too. There are chucks made with diamond grit embedded
in the faces of the jaws, so it will get a grip on a smooth hardened
shank. But it is a significantly more expensive chuck, and it is
typically made with a 30-taper, 40-taper or R8 shank to fit a milling
machine, not a drill press.

I do have genuine Albrecht drill chucks on several other
machines, including all the tailstock chucks for my Compact-5/CNC, some
of the ones for my 12x24" Clausing, and even the little Cameron
Precision sensitive drill press. I also have a 5/8" clone of the
Albrecht for the Clausing lathe, but it is not as good as a real
Albrecht. Some of the clones, such as Rohm, are pretty good. Others
are not.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---