Veteran router collets

[Rod AshtonParticipant @rodashton53132]

Veteran router collets

[Rod AshtonParticipant @rodashton53132]

I am refurbishing a veteran Ingersol Rand fixed base router. All more or less complete except no collets. So reverse engineered to produce some to fit quite snugly. But how to cut the spring grooves? Ideally wire eroded I guess, but do not have that facility.

So slitting saw or elastic wheel. Considering either 1, 2, or 4 cuts, which will be a function of how thin I can cut.

Have you been here and if so could you offer any advice please.

Rod

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Thin slitting saw works but correct practice is to make the collets over-length so the slits can be made without cutting right through into the open end. This leaves a solid spigot to support the fingers. After fitting a suitable internal support rod the spigot can be cut or ground off afterwards to the correct end shape with no risk of distorting the fingers.

Post number 13 here :- **LINK** has a jpg scan from an older textbook giving fuller details of the process alluded to above. On my computer (Mac) copying the jpg onto the desktop and re-opening in a suitable program lets it scale up to decent readability.

Be interested to see what other folk say as I have to make some for my small Pollard tapping head sometime when the roundtuit crop is large enough.

Clive.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

I made some for a minature model stuart lathe recently 3mm 4mm and 5mm. I finnished the outside roughed the inside then finnished the in side by boring in situ in the lathe then hadened and tempered them. I got a friend to wire cut the slots.
David

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

… and David's lathe is very nice too

Neil

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I made these 1/2" x1/8" collets and slit them with a 0.015" x 1" slitting saw which I purchased from my local Boyes general store for about £5 a set in various sizes.

I drilled & reamed a piece of brass bar to 1/8" to accept the collet and used a brass grub-screw at the rear to aid location. It was straightforward to slit the brass bar and the collet in one go. Subsequent collets were held quite firmly despite the presence of slots in the brass bar.

Martin.

[Rod AshtonParticipant @rodashton53132]

Thank you Gentlemen. Resolved to cut the simple form (20 deg. inc x21mm long) and leave it on the stock bar.

After boring and reaming, Mount vertically and slit cut across once at one end. Then part off with elastic wheel to give required ground 10 deg. face for the nut clamping surface. Turn over and slit cut across from the other end. Hopefully to give some semblance of parallel clamping.

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