How to Remove a Stuck Drill Bit Without Wrecking the Chuck

A stuck drill bit is nearly always one of two problems: the bit is clamped in the chuck and will not release, or the bit is buried in the material and will not pull back out. The fix is different for each, and in both cases patience beats force. Work out which situation you have first, then follow the steps below in order rather than reaching straight for the pliers.

Step one: work out which kind of stuck you have

If the drill turns freely but you cannot open the jaws to swap bits, the bit is jammed in the chuck. If the drill has stopped dead in the hole and the tool wants to twist out of your hands, the bit is seized in the workpiece. Deal with the workpiece first if the drill is still attached to it, because you need free movement before you can safely work on the chuck.

Freeing a bit that is jammed in the chuck

Take the battery out or unplug the tool before you start. A drill that fires up while your hand is wrapped around the chuck is a genuinely nasty accident.

Keyless chucks

1. Set the drill to reverse and hold the chuck sleeve firmly in one gloved hand. Squeeze the trigger in short bursts. The motor does the loosening for you and this alone clears most cases.
2. If the sleeve will not budge, grip the front collar with a strap wrench or a rubber jar opener for extra bite. Avoid metal pliers on a plastic sleeve because you will chew it up and never get a clean grip again.
3. Tap the side of the chuck body lightly with a soft mallet while applying turning pressure. The shock loosens compacted dust and swarf in the jaws.

Keyed chucks

1. Seat the key properly in all three holes in turn and apply steady pressure to each one. Working around the chuck spreads the load instead of forcing one gear segment.
2. If the key slips, check that the teeth are not worn. A rounded key will never shift a tight chuck and will damage the ring while you try.
3. A light spray of penetrating oil down the jaw slots, left for ten minutes, works well when rust is the culprit.

Freeing a bit that is stuck in the material

The instinct is to yank. Do not. Pulling a bound bit sideways is how shanks snap off flush with the surface, which turns a five minute job into an hour.

Put the drill in reverse and run it slowly while pulling straight back along the axis of the hole, keeping the tool perfectly in line. If the bit still refuses to back out, disconnect the power, fit locking pliers to the flats of the shank and turn it anticlockwise by hand while easing it outwards. Hand pressure gives you far better feel for when it starts to move.

Wood

Bits seize in wood when the flutes pack with damp shavings or when you hit resin. Reverse the bit out a few millimetres at a time and clear the debris as it comes. If a screw type auger has drawn itself in too deep, unscrew it out rather than pulling.

Metal

Bits bind in metal when the speed is too high, the pressure is too light, or there is no cutting fluid. The bit rubs instead of cutting, heats up, and effectively welds itself to the swarf. A drop of oil at the mouth of the hole while you gently reverse the bit will often break the bond. Never try to hammer it out sideways because hardened bits are brittle and will shatter.

Masonry

In brick and concrete the usual cause is dust packing tightly around the flutes. Reverse the bit while wiggling it very slightly in the hole to break up the compacted dust, then withdraw a little and blow or vacuum the hole out before going further. Working in and out every twenty millimetres or so prevents it happening in the first place.

When the bit has already snapped

If a stub is still proud of the surface, grip it with locking pliers and wind it out anticlockwise. If it has broken off flush in metal, a left hand drill bit or a screw extractor sized to the hole is the standard answer. In timber, drilling a slightly larger hole around the broken piece and plugging it with a dowel is often quicker than trying to save the original hole.

How to stop it happening again

• Tighten keyless chucks with two or three firm clicks, not by cranking them as hard as you physically can.
• Wipe bit shanks clean before fitting them. Grit in the jaws is the most common cause of a chuck that will not open.
• Peck drill. Withdraw the bit regularly to clear the flutes rather than pushing through in one go.
• Match speed to material: slow for metal and masonry, faster for wood.
• Retire blunt bits. A worn cutting edge rubs, heats and binds long before it breaks.