Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Beall Collet owners????
EagleS.C.
>I am contemplating either the beall or Axminster collet chuck.
The downside of the Axeminster is the limited sizes.
Both are pricey.
My biggest qusaetion is both are avaiable in a 1/2" size.
Will either be able to hold a 7/16ths size tenion for drilling without marring?
In other words,how much variance would I have in the size that it will hold?
Re: Beall Collet owners????
Barry Turner
>I have the Beall collet system. I don't believe there will be a problem holding 7/16" in the 1/2" collet. 9/16" in a 1/2" collet would be more difficult, but probably would work.
Re: Beall Collet owners????
Lee Weed
>Barry,
Will the Beall Collet work on a large lathe? :)
Lee
MT2 7/16" collet for $9 *LINK*
Phil Joines Krum, Texas
>Little Machine Shop carries Morse Taper collets. They go directly onto the spindle and use a piece of 3/8" all thread to tighten.
This link has all kinds of interesting collet stuff.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_search.php?critFast=collet&SearchBy=1
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_
Re: MT2 7/16" collet for $9 - LONG
Fred in NC
>Phil, I have dealt with Little Machine Shop for a while, since I also have a small metal lathe. Very nice people, and good quality parts at reasonable prices. Some the the metalworking accesories are very useful for wood lathes too.
I actually have 2 of the Morse taper collets, and again, very high quality and precision. And nothing beats a collet for accurately centering a workpiece.
Collets are made for chucking rods, usually of metal or harder plastics. There is a range of rod sizes that the collet is intended for, and that is usually a FEW thousands under or over the nominal size. For example, you cannot use a 1/2" collet with 7/16" or 9/16" rods. You can chuck a size "D" drill (.246") in a 1/4" chuck. I hope this gives you an idea of the kind of range.
Additionaly, Morse tapers were not designed for direct use with collets. Morse tapers have been used a lot for the shanks of larger drills and other cutting tools. The angle of the taper is very small for use as a collet. So these Morse collets are generally considered something for emergency or occasional use only.
The drawbar which screws into the smaller end of a Morse taper was designed to prevent the tool from coming off the spindle. You are not supposed to overtighten it, just snug it to keep it in place.
The Morse collets have to be pulled tight into the spindle so they will close. Repeated use of these collets will wear out the spindle internal taper.
The Beall collet was designed to screw ONTO the spindle thread. The first advantage, besides being more secure, is that there is no chance of damaging the spindle. Also, because of the external size, it can accept collets for larger diameter workpieces. The only downside is the price. For repeated use I think it is a good investment.
A machinist type chuck is also another possibility for use with rods. Little Machine shop sells adapters with several thread sizes that allow these chucks to be used with wood lathes. This includes the common 1-8 thread. Cost is under $100. Talk to the owner directly because the plate needs to be precision fit to the chuck. These parts, by the way, are of the highest quality and precision. I have them!!
