Adrian Mariano asks:

I recently got a Grizzly drill press and am wondering whether it's
worth upgrading the chuck.

What advantages would a Jacobs chuck give me? They are rather
costly. Are they worth the price? Heavy duty or medium duty?

My machine came with a 0-5/8" chuck. It appears that if I want such a
chuck I have the choice of a 0-1/2" or a 1/8"-5/8" but there is no
0-5/8". Now I'd rather not lose the low end and I have no clue what
things anyone sells that have a shaft over 1/2". What would I be
missing out on if I put in a 1/2" chuck? (I could, of course, keep
the existing chuck in reserve.)


Chuck changeovers are easy enough that your idea is practical. The Jacobs chuck
will do two things for you: you'll be able to grab really small bit shafts more
securely; you'll get less runout than with a no-name chuck, all else being
equal (if the quill runout is too great, nothing will help). That means you can
drill more accurate holes.

There isn't all that much that an amateur woodworker is likely to want to do
that will require a bit over 1/2", though there are times when 5/8" is handy
(and even a few when 3/4" might work). These usually have to do with special
cutters and with larger Forstner bits. I wouldn't worry about it.


Charlie Self
"The test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the
exercise of his mind." Jacques Barzun