JACOBS

Arthur Irving Jacobs was never one for leaving things alone. He was always improving them - continually coming up with new ways of working and new gadgets to do the work. Before he was 30, "A.I.", as he was known, had perfected a new method for making bicycle spokes, and chains, plus many other manufacturing advancements.

On one particular occasion, he was working with an old style drill press, trying to hold the belt control with one hand, and applying the spanner wrench to the other. The wrench slipped and he badly battered his knuckles. A.I. knew there had to be a better way. In a matter of days, he had developed the first drill chuck with a toothed sleeve and key. A few months later, he founded what would become The Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company. The rest, as they say, is history......

The keyed chuck helped to transform the production process just at the time when industrial manufacturing was about to experience its most significant growth in modern times. Today, the concept of the original keyed chuck is an integral part of all drill chuck technology.