Talk to me about collets...

[Screwdriver]

So I have a very nice looking collet adapter for the Colchester. Posted a thread about it some time ago looking for the particular type of collet it should work with.

Turns out (I suspect!) that type is either Weiler, Pultra or Conflex

Frankly, might just as well be made from recycled asteroids because they are both stupidly rare and insanely expensive.

It occurs to me I ought to be able to pull out that taper insert (to be confirmed) and machine up my own taper adapter with an external thread for fitting a bought in collet closer.

So my question is: what is the best collet type for a biggish lathe so I can work on small diameter up to, say, a half inch ish. Willing to sacrifice the largest size if the costs come down. I can always build another but for now just want to get going with a working collet set - on a budget!

I will either go for a cheapo chinese set or scour eBay for the actual collets but I have a little project I need to make stuff for and it's all around a half inch / 12mm diameter

Cheers

Screwd.

 

[MattH]

Look like 3C to me.

 

[Screwdriver]

Look like 3C to me.

uh, ok, not seen 3C suggested before I will go and re measure. I did this to death some time ago and got nowhere.
S.

 

[Maker]

So my question is: what is the best collet type for a biggish lathe so I can work on small diameter up to, say, a half inch ish.

I would go with 5C or ERxx, just something easily available or cheap.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Have you seen this thread?
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/good-resource-for-taper-and-shaft-dimensions.55162/

 

[Screwdriver]

There's also this thread which went nowhere.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/help-identify-this-collet.59927/

 

[Screwdriver]

Have you seen this thread?
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/good-resource-for-taper-and-shaft-dimensions.55162/

It's none of those and none of these either https://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Collet_Dimensions

and none of these http://www.tools-n-gizmos.com/specs/C_Collet.html

I have done this to DEATH so am braced to modify the fitting as above. even if I could identify it, I would still need to make and use a through spindle collect closer which is too much of a faff anyway.

 

[Screwdriver]

Well it didn't really help much!

I'll probably end up buying a stubby collet adapter and fitting it to a new front plate. Just a question of getting it bang on dead accurate, ideally by performing all of the machining with the part fitted to the remaining half of the L0 fitting.

S.

 

[HughF]

Schaublin collets, as used on the alexander grinder...

 

[MattH]

I made up a 5c adapter and a drawbar for my Cardiff which is L0. About two weeks later I managed to score a nice Burnard Multiflex collet body and a full set of collets.

If you want the adapter and drawbar you are welcome to it.

 

[Screwdriver]

I made up a 5c adapter and a drawbar for my Cardiff which is L0. About two weeks later I managed to score a nice Burnard Multiflex collet body and a full set of collets.

If you want the adapter and drawbar you are welcome to it.

I can certainly give it a try thanks. I'll pm you etc.

It appears the thing I was just about to make, is available from RDG tools! http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/...SE-PLATE-FOR-ROTARY-TABLE-4-HOLES-986874.html

My fitting is exactly 4 inches, this one is 100mm. The problem is with the PCD of those holes which are 80mm compared to my 81.2mm (which doesn't seem to correspond with a sensible inch measurement)

Bit pricey if I have to turn it down to fit because clearly, I want to fit it well within a thou and ideally 1/10th thou runout.

S.

 

[Pete.]

No sense having a collet chuck if it doesn't run true. I'd check out what collets you can easily get and buy or make the adapter. You could use a sine plate to set the slide angle and turn it directly from the compound.

One thing to be wary of is that whatever collect you use - if it's a drawbar-type the drawbar must fit through the spindle hole.

 

[Screwdriver]

No sense having a collet chuck if it doesn't run true. I'd check out what collets you can easily get and buy or make the adapter. You could use a sine plate to set the slide angle and turn it directly from the compound.

One thing to be wary of is that whatever collect you use - if it's a drawbar-type the drawbar must fit through the spindle hole.

It's looking like ER32 might be the way to go. I also have a (very) old milling machine which will need a collet solution because it too has some weird collet type. So ideally I settle on one particular system. I am leaning towards the RDG collet plate above, I just need to figure out a method for fitting it accurately. It might be that the L0 fitting Matt has will be a better candidate for modifying a plate to fit.

At the moment I have a pressing need for a collet because I need to knock up a few small fittings.

S.

 

[MattH]

It's not a fitting how you are thinking, it's a adapter that goes in the bore of the spindle to enable direct fitting of collets. I'll get some pics sorted in a mo.

 

[Screwdriver]

ah, iswym.

 

[Pete.]

I have a MT3 collet adapter but it's quite flimsy to hold stuff in. Not nearly as useful as I thought it would be.

I too have an old milling machine with obscure collets. I had the spindle modified to take R8 collets and never looked back.

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I made up a 5c adapter and a drawbar for my Cardiff which is L0. About two weeks later I managed to score a nice Burnard Multiflex collet body and a full set of collets.

If you want the adapter and drawbar you are welcome to it.

If screwdriver doesn't want it could I blag it for my Kerry? I have a box of collets but no drawbar or holder

 

[Screwdriver]

He does...

Send me your collets. They're no good for you.