-
Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.
Collets
- Thread starter PowderPig
- Start date
What makes you think you need a collet set for your Utilathe? What will a collet set do for you that a 4J or 3J wont?
I got an ER32 collet set, ER32 chuck and back plate for my 9" Utilathe and have never used them. I chose ER32 since they were the closest match to the lathe's spindle bore size.
I got an ER32 collet set, ER32 chuck and back plate for my 9" Utilathe and have never used them. I chose ER32 since they were the closest match to the lathe's spindle bore size.
Last edited:
4J - Ya, 4 Jaw chuck. What is the max size round stock you plan to work with?
@YYCHM has one very legitimate view of the all-around best chuck. It is the king of chucks. A 4 jaw can be made to do anything most of us might want to do. I have a 4 jaw and a 3 jaw. But I think the best chuck for you all depends on your usage and needs.
I have a Bison 5C Collet Chuck on my lathe. It is the chuck I use most often. On any given day, the 5C chuck is the one you will usually find mounted on my lathe. It is sooooo easy and convenient to use.
I agree that a 4jaw will do everything a 5C will do. And perhaps even better. But nowhere nearly as fast and convenient.
Why 5C? Because I already had a set of collets...... LOL!
But beyond that, the 5C is primarily designed to hold work. Whereas the ER collets are primarily designed to hold tools. They will both do the opposite too, but that is their general intent.
A 5C will hold long stock that extends through the headstock. Most ER collet holders cannot. Note that I said most. It depends on your collet holder. I've seen a few that will take long stock through the center but most don't.
I use my 5C collets to hold work on both my lathe and my mill.
I use ER collets mostly to hold tools in my mill since mills turn the tool, and I use my 5C collets on the lathe since lathes turn the work. I also have a work holding 5C indexer for my mill.
Naturally, you might expect that my vote is for a 5C chuck.
I think every ER collet 'chuck' or 'plate' I've seen has a clearance hole which would allow work to extend within the lathe spindle. If, not, pretty easy to bore & does not detract from usage.
An ER collet 'toolholder' may have a more limited recess bore to accommodate tool shanks extending within, but typically you would not hold this in a lathe spindle as a regular collet fixture.
Lots has been written on the forum about collets, types, pros & cons. Search is your friend.
An ER collet 'toolholder' may have a more limited recess bore to accommodate tool shanks extending within, but typically you would not hold this in a lathe spindle as a regular collet fixture.
Lots has been written on the forum about collets, types, pros & cons. Search is your friend.
I'm not against collets. I have an ER20/MT2 collet chuck for my lathe tailstock that I swear by. I also use an ER20/R8 chuck on my mill. A full set of metric ER20 collets allows any size up to 1/2". I have an ER32/R8 chuck for the mill and ER32 chuck for the lathe headstock and a set of ER32 inch collets. The ER20 stuff gets used way more often. I got the ER32 chuck for lathe because everyone raved about them for lathe work. I just didn't find them any more convenient than the 3J.
I keep thinking about making an ER chuck for my lathe but I don't think I'd use it much either. The ER system requires a nut. 5C collets are pulled into the chuck from the rear using an internal threaded mechanism that engages with threads on the outside rear of the collet. Some are tightened with a wheel and some (like mine) are tightened with a square drive key just like other chucks. (I actually use a 12V driver.)
You might like using a 5C collet chuck on your lathe much more than an ER chuck. It's a lot faster and easier to use. The biggest downside for those who already have ER Collets is another whole set of Collets!
But I already had a set of 5C Collets that came with the spin indexer I got with my old mill drill so for me it was a no-brainer.
darrin1200
Darrin
My 10“SM Utilathe came with 4c collets, which are very hard to source. And when you do, they are expensive.
They fit, with an adapter, right into the MT4 spindle.
They fit, with an adapter, right into the MT4 spindle.
Does that require a drawbar?
MrWhoopee
Well-Known Member
I'm a 5c guy myself. I use them more than my 3j and 4j combined. I have the lever action drawbar which makes inserting and removing parts very fast, even with the spindle turning. Being able to insert a long piece of stock thru the spindle is a big advantage. Like others have said, there are multiple other pieces of tooling that use 5c. The biggest drawback to the spindle nose mounted 5c collet chucks is they are slow to open and close, but if your spindle bore is less than 1-3/8" they are the only option.
darrin1200
Darrin
Yes it does. Unfortunately the draw bar threads are striped, which means I need to find the time to make a new one.
I don’t have a full set of collets, so I use my ER32 the most. So it doesn’t land high on the priority list.
If you are talking about collet brands the best are Hardinge or Royal or Royal/PBA or Crawford/PBA (PBA = Pratt Burnerd Association). I use them all the time in my lathe, milling machine and most of my machine tool accessories. I wouldn't be without them. They are both fast and accurate but the material has to be on size (to no more than +- 0.001" - with the 3C, 5C, R8 types) to not distort them when clamping stock. Beware of used. You never know to what use or abuse they have been put to. The best are not cheap but if you don't abuse them, they will last a lifetime.
Attachments
Last edited:
@PowderPig - @YYCHM has the setup that will work for you. One other option would be to buy the "Tru-Set" chuck that will allow you to fine tune the runout of the chuck.
I have ER and 5C and find each have their place. ER collets are good on standard size round rods but if you need a square or hex collet 5C are the only ones I've found that do hex and square. One advantage to the ER collets is your stock can be .020 or more under size and still use the collet, AFAIK 5c collets are much less forgiving and only have a few thou leeway. One advantage with 5C is you can buy blank collets that let you make a one off size for those specialty jobs.
When I needed a 3/16 hex I found a Hardinge 5C speed chuck at a decent price so I bought it and the hex collet.
For me the ER spends much more time on the lathe than the 5C but that may be that I bought the ER setup before needing the 5C.
@PowderPig - where are located? Maybe @YYCHM demo or let you try his setup.
I have ER and 5C and find each have their place. ER collets are good on standard size round rods but if you need a square or hex collet 5C are the only ones I've found that do hex and square. One advantage to the ER collets is your stock can be .020 or more under size and still use the collet, AFAIK 5c collets are much less forgiving and only have a few thou leeway. One advantage with 5C is you can buy blank collets that let you make a one off size for those specialty jobs.
When I needed a 3/16 hex I found a Hardinge 5C speed chuck at a decent price so I bought it and the hex collet.
For me the ER spends much more time on the lathe than the 5C but that may be that I bought the ER setup before needing the 5C.
@PowderPig - where are located? Maybe @YYCHM demo or let you try his setup.
I can recommend them, but they're not a replacement for split collets imo. I've got two rubberflex chucks, different sizes that fit different lathes (d1-6 and D1-3) and they are very good. For both lathes I also have split collets (2J and 5C). Usually the split collet is the preferred choice but if the work isn't a nominal size, I'll use the rubber chuck. The rubber chuck's disadvantage, like ER, short pieces are a no-no and the the front of the collet is slightly behind the tightening ring. That makes a difference for pieces where you need to turn close to the collet.
If you need any, did you see listing below? seems like a deal for anyone looking for a set.
That is the best set up, collet right in the spindle or with an adapter and a drawbar. I've got 5C, w20, w12, two 10mm and a bunch of 8mm set ups like that. With high quality collets you get next to no run out, i.e. barely a flicker on a 10ths indicator. I had a 12 or 13" Standard Modern once, great lathe, and it had a 4 1/2 MT. As I heard the story, 4 1/2 was created as it was just large enough to allow enough space for a 5C adapter. Still a little sorry I sold that lathe.
Log into Facebook
Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com
Last edited: