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Collets

P

PowderPig

Member
I would like to purchase a set of collets for my 9" Standard Modern Utilathe and am uncertain how to begin my search. If anybody out there has one of these lathes or knows what type of collet set I would need, I would appreciate your help. Thanks.
 
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.

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If you are referring to a 4 jaw chuck, I think the set up with the collet would be quicker especially with repetitive work with round stock. I thought I'd give it a try. Thanks for the info.
 
PowderPig said:
If you are referring to a 4 jaw chuck, I think the set up with the collet would be quicker especially with repetitive work with round stock. I thought I'd give it a try.
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4J - Ya, 4 Jaw chuck. What is the max size round stock you plan to work with?
 
PowderPig said:
I would like to purchase a set of collets for my 9" Standard Modern Utilathe and am uncertain how to begin my search. If anybody out there has one of these lathes or knows what type of collet set I would need, I would appreciate your help. Thanks.
Click to expand...

@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.
 
My lathe has a 5C collet chuck. I also have a 5C spin index, 5C milling fixture, and 5C square and hex blocks. The advantage of having the same collets for all machines is great, and it’s easy to get 5C collets in hex and square sizes.
 
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.
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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.
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Lots has been written on the forum about collets, types, pros & cons. Search is your friend.
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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.
 
YYCHM said:
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.
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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.
 
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