Collet Chucking System?

reible · Post by **reible** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:06 pm

I've about convinced myself that I "need" a collet chucking system.

I've found a couple but they seem to require that us shopsmith users have to have an adapter to stick on our 5/8" spindle so we can adapt to a standard lathe size (1" x 8tpi, 3/4" x 16tpi). So far no one seems to have what we really need.

Has anyone found and purchased a true shopsmith collet chucking system?

If someone were to make a true shopsmith collet chucking system would you be interested?

This is what the Beall system looks like:

http://www.bealltool.com/products/turni ... tchuck.php

If I were a rich man, a very very rich man I'd just pay to get what I wanted made, but I don't see me ever getting to that point in life so the best I can hope for is seeing a company adding a shopsmith version because it makes business sense. Thus if I could say hey I've got 10/20/30 people waiting for one of these so if you make it they will buy.... Yea I know, but hope does spring eternal.

Ed

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:39 am

If I understood what it is that I am missing, I might want it.

What would this allow me to do that I cannot do without it?

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:29 am

I'm not really interested enough to spend for one but I did stumble across this one that made me drool a little. It too would need an adapter but I can make adapters. This one is pretty big but mostly it just looked like stuff I like.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HARDINGE-SJOGREN-2J-SPEED-CHUCK-D1-6-COLLET-CHUCK-4-Clausing-Colchester-Lathe-a-/390577155053?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item5af0366bed

If I had the $$$$ loose right now I would buy this and make two adapters, one for Shopsmith and another for my metal lathe. I just can't be buying anything extra right now. Everything is going into the boot/shoe shop, the horse boarding operation and some badly needed farm building repairs.

.

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:40 am

Penn State Industries makes an adapter for the SS 5/8" shaft to the standard 1" X 8TPI thread for their chucks and that adapter will work.
Bill V

reible · Post by **reible** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:33 pm

dusty wrote:If I understood what it is that I am missing, I might want it.

What would this allow me to do that I cannot do without it?

This collet system was used on metal machines historically. Some where along the way they were picked up by wood workers.

They provide a tight grip and do it with out doing damage to the wood. They work for the most part without tools, a hand tightening is all that is needed. When gripping metal you may want to give it an extra bit with tools.

This is much like the grip of a router chuck, some chucks have multi-segments consisting of 4 or more. Most of us a familiar with those.

They come in rather standard sizes, like say a 1/2". The capture is within say a 1/32" of that number, so they come as a set with several options of fixed sizes. You would have no trouble grabbing a standard router bit, fixed size shaft of a drill bit, lathe center, etc so long as it matches the fix size of the collet.

When gripping wood it is much like a drill chuck (3 points of contact) or a lathe chuck (3-4 normally points of contact) but with many more points of contact so as to preserve the shape better. Great for tuning small objects.

Hope that this simple explanation helps.

Ed

alaskanexile · Post by **alaskanexile** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 4:45 am

Good discription, Ed.
Have wanted one for some time. A number of occasions in which I'd have used it if I'd had it. Just that I've never felt the need/want matched up with the cost.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:51 am

reible wrote:This collet system was used on metal machines historically. Some where along the way they were picked up by wood workers.

They provide a tight grip and do it with out doing damage to the wood. They work for the most part without tools, a hand tightening is all that is needed. When gripping metal you may want to give it an extra bit with tools.

This is much like the grip of a router chuck, some chucks have multi-segments consisting of 4 or more. Most of us a familiar with those.

They come in rather standard sizes, like say a 1/2". The capture is within say a 1/32" of that number, so they come as a set with several options of fixed sizes. You would have no trouble grabbing a standard router bit, fixed size shaft of a drill bit, lathe center, etc so long as it matches the fix size of the collet.

When gripping wood it is much like a drill chuck (3 points of contact) or a lathe chuck (3-4 normally points of contact) but with many more points of contact so as to preserve the shape better. Great for tuning small objects.

Hope that this simple explanation helps.

Ed

Thank you, Ed. That does explain it and I just might want a set.

easterngray · Post by **easterngray** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:53 pm

I have a Penn State collet chuck system. The price was very reasonable and I use it with the PS adaptor mentioned earlier. I actually have only used it once, but it certainly worked as advertised. It is currently on sale for 79 dollars. Alec

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCDOWEL.html

BuckeyeDennis · Post by **BuckeyeDennis** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 10:49 pm

In metalworking, collets have a couple of advantages over chucks. First, they hold better concentricity. Think 0.0001" or so. Second, they are easily actuated by a tapered sleeve for automated part feeding, very useful for bar work or for secondary operations with automated part loaders, including robots.

My company sells collet-based metal-working machinery, but it had never occurred to me that there might be a woodworking market. How do the advantages of collets translate for woodworking?

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:14 am

BuckeyeDennis wrote:In metalworking, collets have a couple of advantages over chucks. First, they hold better concentricity. Think 0.0001" or so. Second, they are easily actuated by a tapered sleeve for automated part feeding, very useful for bar work or for secondary operations with automated part loaders, including robots.

My company sells collet-based metal-working machinery, but it had never occurred to me that there might be a woodworking market. How do the advantages of collets translate for woodworking?

From what I understand at least some of the companies "wood" versions are the same as the metal working version. So expect the same improvements in wood working that you would have in metal working.

Wood is of course an organic substance so you have to deal with that on any project, the .0001 is nice to know but not so practical in the forest.

Ed