Morse taper 3 collets

[trlvn]

Hi:

As mentioned in another thread, I bought a few lots from an auction this week. The pictures were poor and the lot description was worse. I thought the lot included R8 collets that would be useful on my mill/drill. But it turns out they are Morse taper 3 which is too big for my tiny Atlas 618 lathe (MT2 spindle).

Probably, I should just offer the MT3 collets for sale. But, I see that BusyBee offers an R8 to MT3 sleeve, for $15:

https://www.busybeetools.com/products/sleeve-r8-mt3.html

Are there any advantages to using MT collets in my mill/drill via the adapter sleeve?

Craig

 

[Alexander]

I have never seen MT3 collets before.

 

[PeterT]

You see them for smaller machine spindles, assuming they are the end-thread end kind. I actually don't know if they would eject from a lathe MT3 tail stock, I dont recall seeing those used in that manner.

Personally, buying an R8 adapter tool to hold the MT3 collet may not gain you a lot of utility. Some people don't agree with holding endmills & tooling in collets like that, claiming harder to grip, no lateral retention set screw preventing tool from spinning, the bigger spindle is right close to the work which might limit work visibility ..... If its already a small machine, you may not be chucking shanks bigger than 0.5" anyways which is half the set? So the question becomes, what are you going to hold in those nominal sizes with the R8 adapter. The BB adapter isn't expensive, but that could also mean its no too accurate so now you've potentially doubled your runout (or maybe they will cancel!).

Hard to say, personal choice. You might be better to sell them & reinvest proceeds in the tools you are 100% sure what you will use. But I'm just chin waggin here.

 

[Dabbler]

there are a lot of little 'things' with MT3 collets... I agree with Peter. You aren't gaining much by cascading adapters, but when you are a hobbyist, you do what you have to do.

 

[trlvn]

Thanks guys. Your comments mirror what I was thinking. I'll probably offer them for sale in the next few days.

Thanks again,

Craig

 

[Brent H]

Hey Craig,

what is the spindle in your lathe? Some of the smaller ones will have a 3 or 4 morse taper (usually ones with thread on chucks). You can check your lathe out and see, could be that you can use those Morse Taper collets for work holding on your lathe- just make up a draw bar through your spindle to tighten and knock free your morse taper collet.

 

[trlvn]

Hey Craig,

what is the spindle in your lathe? Some of the smaller ones will have a 3 or 4 morse taper (usually ones with thread on chucks). You can check your lathe out and see, could be that you can use those Morse Taper collets for work holding on your lathe- just make up a draw bar through your spindle to tighten and knock free your morse taper collet.

Hi Brent

The little Atlas 618 has a MT2 spindle so unfortunately the collets are too big.

Craig

 

[Brent H]

That is a bummer! Hope you can get a good sale.

 

[Johnwa]

I use them in my Southbend spindle and in my X2 mill. They aren’t self releasing and sometimes hard to remove. R8s are a better choice In a mill.