ER collets

[tinkerer]

I found the thread by arnoldb about making a collet holder. In the picture, I think these are ER collets and I will need to make a holder and nut, as no means of holding these came with the lathe. What arnoldb made doesn't seem to be what retail websites show as holders. The ones I found were MT's. and reaaalllly expensive. I have to buy a change gear set for threading and just don't have the finances to be buying all of the tools required. Is this something that can be made, including the nut? Is the thread size critical? Will I need a drawbar?
ER collets
I have this chunk of metal.
ER collets

[sbwhart]

Hi Tink

Looks like you've got a real mixture of different collet systems there, that I'm affraid to say I don't secognise. The best adivise  I can give you is to settle on one system, that way you can use the same collets in your lathe, mill, rotary table, etc for holding work or tools, settling on one systems this way work out a lot cheeper and gives you maximum flexibility.

Cheers

Stew

[tinkerer]

Thanks stew. The second row I don't know what they are called, but I have holders for them. Are you saying that the top row is not all ER collets and one holder will not work?
ER collets

[bogstandard]

Tink,

By the looks of it, there are no ER collets amongst them at all.

Without actually handling them it is difficult to see exactly what they are.

By the looks of them, what you think are ER collets are actually spindle or quill bore collets, maybe R8. They don't use a holder, but a drawbar.


Bogs

[tinkerer]

Thanks bogs. This picture may help. I have 4 of the ones on the left and 5 of the ones one the right. The tapers seem to be the same, if a little smaller in dia. for the ones on the left.
ER collets

[bogstandard]

Tink,

Unless they can definitely be identified as a certainty, you would need to make up your own collet chuck and closing nut.

Not too difficult to make if you have a bit of experience.

Unfortunately, for the amount of work involved to make a chuck to fit, because you have so few collets to fit it, to me it wouldn't be a viable proposition. 
Unless of course you want to get into making more collets of the same pattern, to fill in all the gaps.

Put them in a box under the bench to be forgotten about.

Maybe not what you wanted to read, but we are talking about the real world here. Sometimes you just have to give up at an early stage, before getting dragged under trying to rescue a lost cause.


Bogs

[tinkerer]

Bogs,
One thing I have learned in life, is to take the advise of experience. I thank you for being honest. In the forgotten box they go.

[Darren]

I'd agree with John here Tink, and I'm a glutton for punishment.

Maybe think about a set of ER collets at a later date, they do seem versatile 

[sbwhart]

Just to give you some idea what the ER collet system is about thought I'd show you a few pics of my system.

Collet set from 1mm to 20 mm

ER collets

SR 32 collets lathe adaptor with a SR 32 tool holder doing the drilling.

ER collets

SR 32 tool holder with milling cutter with the lathe collet adaptor mounted on the Rotary table.

ER collets

Two types of locking nuts:- on the left a nut with bearing so you can realy get some grip, on the right the standard nut as supplied still good but you don't get the same level of grip for heavy machining

ER collets

An adaptor to convert a C4 collet system to take ER32 collets

ER collets

A Stevenson Indexer with ER 32 collet

ER collets

Indexer in use

ER collets

We've all probably got a favourate collet systems and they all have their good and bad points, but a collets are an expensive outlay so you should make your choise and pay your money but try and get the most out of the systems whatever you choose.

Cheers

Stew

[Darren]

I think you meant ER and not SR and 5C not C4 Stew, kinda threw me for a moment till the penny dropped.... 

I often wonder why peeps don't go for the ER40 size, sometimes I wish I had to gain the extra dia.

I do like your indexer ... it's on my list .... 

[sbwhart]

I think you meant ER and not SR and 5C not C4 Stew, kinda threw me for a moment till the penny dropped.... 

I often wonder why peeps don't go for the ER40 size, sometimes I wish I had to gain the extra dia.

I do like your indexer ... it's on my list .... 

 

It was just a senior moment I had there Darren

Stew

[tinkerer]

Thanks Stew. It is interesting to see choices need to be made. I wonder why the previous owner had all of this stuff that did him no good. I find more tools with no use than I find that I can actually use. I also wonder if there was another box of stuff that I did not get. Oh well, I will make the choice when I get to the point of having no choice. I appreciate all of the information you fellas give.

[CrewCab]

It was just a senior moment I had there Darren

Don't worry Stew, your allowed the odd one now and again mate 

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