Material for Collet Holder

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Material for Collet Holder

This topic has 27 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 2 June 2023 at 12:32 by A Smith.

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30 May 2023 at 15:39 #646986
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
I want to make a ER16 collet holder for my tailstock.

I have a piece of meehanite bar just the right size for it.

Is this a wise choice of material? Would I be better of saving it for a better application and use mild steel instead?

Cheers,

Steve
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30 May 2023 at 15:39 #29210
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
30 May 2023 at 16:19 #646994
Dalboy
Participant
@dalboy
Is it worth messing about making one when you can get one for just under £30.00+postage you also get the nut as well for that price.

All my ER32 collet chucks are made from steel

Edited By Dalboy on 30/05/2023 16:20:25
30 May 2023 at 16:21 #646996
bernard towers
Participant
@bernardtowers37738
when I made mine I used USACUT55 which is a type of 16T and seems to be ok.Theynwere for a taistock turret.
30 May 2023 at 16:25 #646998
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
Posted by Dalboy on 30/05/2023 16:19:52:

Is it worth messing about making one when you can get one for just under £30.00+postage you also get the nut as well for that price.

All my ER32 collet chucks are made from steel

Edited By Dalboy on 30/05/2023 16:20:25

I need to make one to fit the adjustable tailstock tool holder on my Sherline lathe.
30 May 2023 at 16:32 #647005
DC31k
Participant
@dc31k
Posted by Steve Crow on 30/05/2023 15:39:17:

Is this a wise choice of material?

Take a look at commercial fireguards. Do you see any that are made of chocolate?

Now take a look at commercial ER collet chucks and see from which material they are made.
30 May 2023 at 16:53 #647013
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
Posted by DC31k on 30/05/2023 16:32:04:

Posted by Steve Crow on 30/05/2023 15:39:17:

Is this a wise choice of material?

Take a look at commercial fireguards. Do you see any that are made of chocolate?

Now take a look at commercial ER collet chucks and see from which material they are made.

Thank you for one of the most unhelpful posts I've seen.

Maybe you think it was a stupid question but it was a genuine query.

I'm not making a commercial collet chuck. It's for a Sherline bench top lathe.

If you can't answer informatively and politely, don't bother.

Steve
30 May 2023 at 17:08 #647021
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
For all the ER collet holders that I have made, mild steel has been the material, and since relative movement is limited and at extremely low speed, so far the six or so "specials) that have been made, none have caused any problems.

I did take the coward's way bout and boughtb the nuts (Er20, ER 25 and ER32 )

I suspect that Mehanite being a cast material is likely to be less strong, when subjected to the outward forces required to close the collet, than mild steel.

Howard
30 May 2023 at 17:14 #647022
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
Thank you Howard for a sensible answer.

I asked about the cast iron just because I had a suitable size lump.

I intend to buy the nuts as well. I do have some EN1A but I wanted to avoid getting the hacksaw out!

Steve
30 May 2023 at 17:36 #647026
bernard towers
Participant
@bernardtowers37738
Dalboy, I made 7 and the nuts were £22 and the material was in stock plus how much is satisfaction per hour?
30 May 2023 at 17:53 #647031
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
I have mixed views on any form of cast iron.

Easy to machine

BUT although strong in compression, it is weak in tension.

Dirty to machine; the dust gets everywhere. (A powerful magnet under a shee or sheets of newspaper catches a lot, but not all, of the swarf. This makes cleaning up and disposal easier.

Just make sure that the newspaper or sheet does not become in involved with anything rotating!

Howard
30 May 2023 at 18:08 #647035
Baz
Participant
@baz89810
Considering the amount of use any home made tool for model engineering will get in its lifetime, or our lifetime, I don’t think it matters at all what material you make them out of, you are not going to wear them out. If you have a piece of material handy, use it, if it works that’s great.
30 May 2023 at 18:22 #647038
Nealeb
Participant
@nealeb
My concern would be a relatively fine thread in cast iron – it's ok for a coarse backplate thread, for example, but closing nut threads take a fair load.
30 May 2023 at 18:43 #647042
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
Posted by Nealeb on 30/05/2023 18:22:07:

My concern would be a relatively fine thread in cast iron – it's ok for a coarse backplate thread, for example, but closing nut threads take a fair load.

I'm going to be using mini nuts as well – an even finer thread, M19x1.

I think I'll get my hacksaw out and use mild steel.
30 May 2023 at 19:30 #647048
colin hawes
Participant
@colinhawes85982
I would use mild steel as I would be very doubtful that the cast iron threads would be strong enough. Colin
30 May 2023 at 21:22 #647059
Andrew Crow
Participant
@andrewcrow91475
Hi Steve, when I owned a BCA Miller I made 2 er collet chucks and the material I used was what used to be known as EN24T now 817M40 it's a high tensile steel but machines well and should have all the strength and wearability needed
31 May 2023 at 09:54 #647098
Iain Downs
Participant
@iaindowns78295
I've recently bought a bunch of ER11 collet holders from Aliexpress. the one I've measured so far has a run out of 12 microns, which is OK, I think.

They are actually decent quality on the whole, and quite ridiculously cheap. For a tenner you can get 2 or 3!

One word of warning – some of the reviews and my own experience indicates that the holder proper is pretty nice, but the nuts can be subject to burrs. Seems random, so maybe buy a couple of spares.

I think you can also get them from Amazon for a little bit more.

Iain
31 May 2023 at 10:03 #647100
Hopper
Participant
@hopper
Steel is going to flex rather than crack when subjected to the forces of the taper on the OD of the collets being forced home by the nut. Definitely go with steel.

Save your meehanite for a use where it is advantgeous: bushings, gears etc.
31 May 2023 at 10:42 #647105
Tim Stevens
Participant
@timstevens64731
I agree with Hopper – if you have a mishap, cast iron is likely to snap, just like that, while steel will bend. Good steel (like most of the bought ones) might be so strong that damage will be done to other parts, and needs careful heat treatment, so for 'delicate' use on a small lathe (etc) mild steel should be a good choice.

Cheers, Tim
31 May 2023 at 11:01 #647107
Mike Crossfield
Participant
@mikecrossfield92481
I made a couple of ER25 chucks from mild steel about 15 years ago, one for the mill and one for the lathe. They get a lot of use, but they are still going strong and remain accurate.

It’s well worth while paying a bit more and buying ball bearing nuts. The tightening torque for good grip is considerably less. Particularly important in the mill, where I’ve never knowingly had a cutter slip.

Mike
31 May 2023 at 18:45 #647141
Anonymous
Rather than make the complete holder and having to select a suitable material, would it be possible, to modify an existing commercial holder by adding the tang or whatever is needed to fit the tailstock?
1 June 2023 at 12:18 #647195
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
An ER16 collet chuck, with a 2 MT taper is available from Arc Euro, (M10m drawbar thread ) and no doubt, from other suppliers.

A quicker and easier, but possibly more expensive (And maybe more accurate? ) solution.

Howard
1 June 2023 at 12:55 #647201
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
If you want a tang, and none is available as a screw in tang, a short piece of M10 studding will perform the same role, whether in an extractor type tailstock or to drve out from a hollow tailstock barrel.

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 01/06/2023 12:56:50
1 June 2023 at 14:33 #647213
Steve Crow
Participant
@stevecrow46066
I don't need a taper or a tang. I need a 5/8" straight shank for my tool holder.

Here is Sherline's 8mm watchmakers adaptor.
1 June 2023 at 21:00 #647249
Dalboy
Participant
@dalboy
I wonder how hard the shaft is on one of THESE as it is only just over size. Could it be brought down to size
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