Small MT2 Tailstock Chuck for ML7

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

All, the smallest tailstock chuck I have for the ML7 is still fairly large and heavy. Although it closes to pretty much nothing, I sometimes have to put a pin chuck in it for very small drills. Obviously this increases overhang, reducing accuracy and stiffness just when I need it.

Can anyone recommend a very small Jacobs type chuck with an MT2 taper? Preferably keyless, but anything considered so long as it’s accurate and securely closes to about 0.25mm diameter minimum.

Thanks.

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Get a pin chuck and mount it in the standard chuck. Do not tighten the main chuck down enough to stop it from moving. You can restrain the pin chuck with your fingers for these small drills and move the pin chuck into the workpiece by hand giving a good feel for the cutting action. You may need to add a collar to the pin chuck for drills that are bigger than your Ø0.25mm ones. 

Martin C

Edited By Martin Connelly on 27/01/2022 13:32:07

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

The obvious [but perhaps costly] choice would, I think, be something like a watchmaker’s tailstock spindle mounted to slide within a Morse Taper blank.

MichaelG.

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Edit: __ for inspiration only … unless you have very deep pockets :

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/lathe-drilling-tailstock

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/01/2022 13:59:53

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

there was a posting beginning of January re stuff at Lidl – one mentioned included a small vice, small drills and a hand held pin chuck – none of items is 1st class tho but the pin chuck may be salvageable as it uses the same thread as the old Minicraft drills which had better chucks and for which you could buy a MT2 arbour with soft head from say ARC and screw cut the thread on it – dremel made a much better tiny chuck that could be purchased as a separate item but used a different thread – I’ve made arbours for both for use in my Perris lathe (MT0) – tracy tools used to sell small Rohm chucks on MT2 arbours.

Edited By Frances IoM on 27/01/2022 14:01:30

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I've use one of ARCs little sensitive holders and a chuck to do 0.3mm hole so should be OK for your 0.25mm ones too.

Regularly use their "heavy duty" ones for 0.8mm holes too.

Edited By JasonB on 27/01/2022 14:22:02

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

I use a Rhom supra 0 – 4 mm B10, top one in the supra list, Niko.

**LINK**

Edited By speelwerk on 27/01/2022 14:29:10

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

+1 for the Arc sensitive chuck that Jason shows, use mine all the time and it has a nice ‘feel’

Martin

[Dave WoottonParticipant @davewootton]

Another +1 for the Arc sensitive chuck, find it invaluable and seem not to have broken so many tiny drills since purchase! Previously used an Arrand one that fitted on the tailstock dieholder set, not such a sensitive feel as the Arc for really small drills.

Just done a few oil jets for sight glasses at No 78 drill with no casualties.

Dave

Edited By Dave Wootton on 27/01/2022 16:21:51

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Bear in mind that the chuck and arbor are sold separately. So, for example, Arceurotrade's two smallest chucks (keyed and keyless) can both be married to 2MT arbors.

Rod

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Arc sell a range of MT2 tapers with various tapers on the nose – and the chucks to match them.

I also purchased a 'sensitive' drill but frankly felt that the drill shaft was far too loose in it's body – so I remade it as mentioned a week or so back. However, I think it's worth pointing out that you don't really need this kind of drill holder (with knurled bearing) as when used in the tailstock, it doesn't need to revolve.

You could use any small chuck and just make a sliding shaft into an MT2 blank arbor.

The knurled bearing is required if you use it in a drill or mill – as then the body does spin. This 'sensitive' type of chuck & holder is also useful if you have a small horzontal mill with a vertical head that has no 'quill' (so drilling has to be done by raising/lowering the table). My re-built version has a reduced 10mm shaft end, so it can fit in an ER16 collet and be used on my Taig milling head.

Regards,

IanT

 

Edited By IanT on 27/01/2022 17:56:28

[Henry BrownParticipant @henrybrown95529]

There's a chap on facebook in Coventry called Dave Adkins who sells used tools etc. he usually has lots of that sort of stuff. I've had a 3MT chuck and various bits and bobs from him and he's usually pretty reasonable price wise.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I also have one of those from Arc, the chuck is 0.3mm – 4mm, but it won't hold onto a a piece of 0.26mm wire, but they are a good piece of kit.

Regards Nick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The chuck will hold PCB type drills with their larger shanks without problem.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

We have a couple of pristine Jacobs small chucks, one 5/16" and the other 1/4", I believe they are JT1 tapers. One has a MT2 and the other is on an R8. The 1/4" will hold a no80 drill easily, and probably smaller and the body is much shorter than the common 1/2" chucks.

Edited By old mart on 27/01/2022 21:40:31

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Thanks all.

So the Arc chuck and collar is fixed into a larger chuck in the tailstock, and can be extended and retracted by the collar? And if fitted into a mill or pillar drill, the chuck rotates but the collar stays loose, and can still be extended and retracted?

Sounds spot-on, but ideally I’d like to fit it direct into the MT2 taper to get it as short as possible. Can the straight shank easily be replaced with a taper? Then I’d have both options?

thinking about it, I think I may have a small chuck on an MT2 in a box I got with the lathe. Might dig it out, but it looked dead IIRC, and obviously wouldn’t be ‘sensitive’ (which seems like a good idea).

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yes you have the operation right.

Has the Myford got a through hole so you could use a MT2 x 1/2" collet

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

I have a small Jacobs chuck it is a medium duty up to 4mm size. It has an 0 JT taper mount and I have the 0JT to 1/2 " stem mount. It can be used in a collet on the mill or in the chuck on the lathe but I believe you can get a Morse 1 to 0 JT arbour it runns very true within a couple of thou at worst. I have made a mount for my Stuart lathe for the same chuck to suit the tailstock.

David

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2022 07:19:19:

Yes you have the operation right.

Has the Myford got a through hole so you could use a MT2 x 1/2" collet

Yes, the tailstock MT2 taper is hollow if that’s what you mean? Presumably I’d need a draw bar then? Thanks.

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Posted by David George 1 on 28/01/2022 08:16:19:

I have a small Jacobs chuck it is a medium duty up to 4mm size. It has an 0 JT taper mount and I have the 0JT to 1/2 " stem mount. It can be used in a collet on the mill or in the chuck on the lathe but I believe you can get a Morse 1 to 0 JT arbour it runns very true within a couple of thou at worst. I have made a mount for my Stuart lathe for the same chuck to suit the tailstock.

David

Thanks David. That’s similar to the one I think I’ve got in a box, only MT2. I’ll dig it out today.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Dr_GMJN on 28/01/2022 08:25:44:

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2022 07:19:19:

[…]

Has the Myford got a through hole […]

Yes, the tailstock MT2 taper is hollow if that’s what you mean? […]

.

Hence my [presumably inappropriate] suggestion, yesterday.

MichaelG.

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 28/01/2022 09:37:18:

Posted by Dr_GMJN on 28/01/2022 08:25:44:

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2022 07:19:19:

[…]

Has the Myford got a through hole […]

Yes, the tailstock MT2 taper is hollow if that’s what you mean? […]

.

Hence my [presumably inappropriate] suggestion, yesterday.

MichaelG.

Sorry Michael, I thought you suggested a method of using a hollow MT2 taper and making some kind of sliding arrangement, or the tailstock mechanism you linked to. You didn't mention a collet?

Jason I think was suggesting a simple tailstock collet to hold the ARC supplied sensitive chuck – thus reducing overhang and weight of having a second chuck to hold the first?

Unless I've misunderstood, these are two completely different concepts in terms of cost and complexity?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yes an MT2 collet closed by a simple cobbled together draw bar would hold the attachment with minimal overhang.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Posted by Dr_GMJN on 28/01/2022 08:25:44:

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2022 07:19:19:

Has the Myford got a through hole so you could use a MT2 x 1/2" collet

Yes, the tailstock MT2 taper is hollow if that’s what you mean? Presumably I’d need a draw bar then? Thanks.

When I first obtained my 'sensitive' drill chuck – I used it held in an MT2 – 1/2" end-mill holder (the tool itself being secured by a grubscrew) to mount in my S7s tailstock – and it worked fine without a drawbar. It also helped to extend the device over the cross-slide btw. There's enough 'grip' in a well fitting MT2 taper to not mind the sprung drill being moved in & out. My issue with the device was that mine had a lot of slop when extended.

You could buy the device and fit it into a MT2 blank arbor by drilling the arbor to suit the diameter of the sliding part of the chuck mount but that would seem a relatively expensive approach to the problem…

Regards,

IanT

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2022 12:07:03:

Yes an MT2 collet closed by a simple cobbled together draw bar would hold the attachment with minimal overhang.

Yep, that combination sounds exactly what I was after.

For the drawbar I expect a rod threaded at one end for the collet, and a hollow stepped brass plug to fit into the other end of the tailstock ram would do. Then make some kind of tommy bar thing to turn it?

The job I have in mind is the 0.25 mm diameter hole in the apex of the aluminium cones I mentioned on another thread. I have some PCB drills, so the ARC key chuck capacity should be OK, although it's a shame it doesn't close further.

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