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  1. #1
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    Default Collets sizes and types plus and minus

    hello, newby member here seeking opinions on which type of collet to go for. I have a few imperial sizes but I find metric collets would be to my advantage. On checking to see whats around ebay lists a few different ones such as ER 32, ER25, ER40, morse taper, etc. They are to be used in my lathe & mill spindles which have a morse taper (No 3 I think). I see that I can get a collet chuck with a morse taper and will take the ER collets. It appears that the collets are similar however ER 25, 30 & 40 have ever increasing bigger bore capacity. So the question is what is a good initial size range that can be added to later as the need arises. I'm thinking around 3 - 20 or 25mm. what do you fellow machinists use and the pros & cons of ebay collets. Thanks in advance

  2. #2
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    Default

    Ebay collets are very hit-and-miss; sometimes you get lucky and they run true, sometimes they go straight in the bin..

    ER has a good clamping range and are easy to source. You don't have to go spending $50+ a piece on something out of Germany, but if you can afford to buy a kit from a good mid-range/semi-pro brand like SYIC you will not be disappointed.

    Size wise, ER32 goes to 20mm, ER40 goes to 25mm

  3. #3
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by hpa1 View Post
    They are to be used in my lathe & mill spindles which have a morse taper (No 3 I think).
    ER40 is the go. This guy sells pretty good Chinese made stuff.

    https://www.ausee.com.au/shop/item.aspx?itemid=3839
    Chris

  4. #4
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    Default

    I would say ER40 is very ambitious for a mt3 machine. I have a heavy ish mill but I still use er25 most of the time which hold up to 16mm.

    These days I find I can get most stuff done faster with smaller solid carbide end mills than I ever could with larger hss stuff. Also on my machine I have not got much Z so I use the smaller chucks all the time.

    Edit: I more mean that an ER40 collet is probably going to grip a tool with enough force to spin in the taper if stalled, if you mill has a way to deal with that like a belt to slip then I wouldn't be as concerned.

  5. #5
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    Default

    I'm assuming he wants to use it for work-holding in the lathe, so ER40 will give him more scope.
    Chris

  6. #6
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    There is one more thing to bear in mind about er collets, especially in er40, the torque required to really get them to seat accurately is pretty high. I can reccomend that the ball bearing collet nuts make this a lot easier. I know in the home shop repeatability isn't everything but to get it you need to really Gronk on it.

    Sent from my Nokia 8 Sirocco using Tapatalk

  7. #7
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by elanjacobs View Post
    ER40 goes to 25mm
    You can get ER40 collets up to 30mm.
    Chris

  8. #8
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    I'm assuming he wants to use it for work-holding in the lathe, so ER40 will give him more scope.
    Yes quite right jack620. Work holding in the lathe and tool holding in the mill mostly. At the moment limited to 1/2" shank endmills and tooling

  9. #9
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    Default

    What size is your lathe spindle bore?
    Judging that it has an M/T 3 I would say probably no more than .875", if that's the case you may be able to get a direct spindle mount collet chuck for your lathe and just buy a M/T 3 , ER32 collet chuck for your mill.

  10. #10
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    Default

    Hi Hpa1, a name would be nice !

    I use both MT2 and MT3 ER 25 and ER32 on both the lathe and the mill.

    My experience of Chinese collets is that you need to clean and debur them prior to use. Quite difficult on the smaller size ones. I've found that a Stanley knife blade will get rid of the swarf between the slits, but you need a piece of rod to remove the burrs left on the inside. After cleaning I've been quite happy with the performance.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  11. #11
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    Hi hpa1
    I use an ER32 in the lathe and while it works for 90% of the work there is the odd occasion where an ER40 would be nice.
    Given the choice again I would probably go for the ER40

    Phil

  12. #12
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    Default

    Speaking of collets, one of the accessories suggested for my lathe is a 5C collet adaptor - I'm wondering if an ER40/MT5 would make more sense?

  13. #13
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    If your lathe has a 5c taper in its headstock go for that as it will be very true and low stickout. If not I would go for a backplate mounted er chuck. Last option would be a taper mount unit, as you need a drawbar and can't pass stock through them.

    Sent from my Nokia 8 Sirocco using Tapatalk

  14. #14
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    The one I've been eyeing off is this:
    https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/C980

    It's designed to fit the MT5 of my spindle and has a tube for a drawbar. I guess that makes it a better option than an MT5 to ER adaptor which wouldn't allow long stock.

    However the 5C kit is not cheap, and nor is a box of 5C collets.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by RustyArc View Post
    However the 5C kit is not cheap, and nor is a box of 5C collets.
    And 5C collets have a smaller clamping range so you need more of them.
    Chris

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