# Advice on collets needed



## More4dan (Jan 30, 2019)

I’m thinking of getting a collet chuck for my mini metal lathe (7 x 10). I am thinking ER32 size works best with my lathe and the sizes I might need to hold. I’m also leaning towards getting a set of 2-20mm collets. Where i don’t plan to use them in a mill to hold tooling but to hold blanks for turning pens, I was thinking I could get away with a cheaper set off EBay. Thoughts and or advice?

Thanks,

Danny



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## Dieseldoc (Jan 30, 2019)

DAN:
 Good chose E32 as you can get  collets for little machine shop.
 For the most part I use 3/4 or 11/16 collets. As I turn my blanks down round for  collet  size . Then drill them.  
 Cheers

Charlie


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## BeeAMaker (Jan 30, 2019)

This is the set I purchased, chuck only. Screws right onto the 1x8tpi head stock
The Beall Tool Company

and got the collets from Aliexpress,
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Spi...21pcs-from-2-mm-to-20-mm-for/32450726843.html

oops, never mind Ali - when i purchased them there was free shipping, but banggod has free shipping
https://us.banggood.com/Wholesale-W...or-CNC-Milling-Lathe-Tool-wp-Usa-1032144.html

However it takes a lot longer to get them.


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## RangeRat (Jan 30, 2019)

Dan, I’ve been looking at the same style of chuck from LMS for quite some time now, but haven’t purchased one yet. I have the Grizzly 7x14 and everything I’ve read and researched so far shows that to be the best choice collet chuck for our lathes. ER32 also seems to be the best size range for pen work. Seems like many people are satisfied with chucks and collets from EBay, Aliexpress, Banggood, etc. Personally, I’ll eventually get the LMS version just because I feel like there is some peace of mind concerning returns/replacements, but honestly, a lot of that is due to having never dealt with those other companies.


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## leehljp (Jan 30, 2019)

I ordered a set of ER 32 (mm set) off of eBay about 9 or 10 years ago and they are as good today as they were then. I bought the Beale chuck though.


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## More4dan (Jan 30, 2019)

RangeRat said:


> Dan, I’ve been looking at the same style of chuck from LMS for quite some time now, but haven’t purchased one yet. I have the Grizzly 7x14 and everything I’ve read and researched so far shows that to be the best choice collet chuck for our lathes. ER32 also seems to be the best size range for pen work. Seems like many people are satisfied with chucks and collets from EBay, Aliexpress, Banggood, etc. Personally, I’ll eventually get the LMS version just because I feel like there is some peace of mind concerning returns/replacements, but honestly, a lot of that is due to having never dealt with those other companies.





The chuck on Amazon uses the same photos as the one from Baggood for about $20 more. I’m sure the LMS one is built in China and is likely the same but for $130 vs $50. I might just take the risk on this one. 


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## More4dan (Jan 30, 2019)

BeeAMaker said:


> This is the set I purchased, chuck only. Screws right onto the 1x8tpi head stock
> The Beall Tool Company
> 
> and got the collets from Aliexpress,
> ...





Have you purchased from Banggood?  Experience?  They are a LOT cheaper than what I’ve been finding. 

Danny


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## dogcatcher (Jan 30, 2019)

I originally bought the ER40 because it allowed a 1" piece of stock to fit through the spindle.  But After I started playing with the 5C indexer, I wished I had went that route, but it also would have meant that I lost some of the distance between the head and tailstock.  The extra 1/8 capacity was no worth the lost of length.  The ER40 goes from 1/8 through 1" which was enough for my making tooling for game calls.


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## RangeRat (Jan 30, 2019)

> The chuck on Amazon uses the same photos as the one from Baggood for about $20 more. I’m sure the LMS one is built in China and is likely the same but for $130 vs $50. I might just take the risk on this one.



Wow, that’s a significant price difference. If you do order one, please let us know how it works out. I may have to change my way of thinking.....


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## BeeAMaker (Jan 30, 2019)

More4dan said:


> BeeAMaker said:
> 
> 
> > This is the set I purchased, chuck only. Screws right onto the 1x8tpi head stock
> ...



Yes I have purchased several things from Banggood - so far everything is good. I have several collets and other tooling from them. It is decent quality, nothing spectacular but quite usable. Depends on the vendor, but a lot of times if you are not satisfied you can usually get a full refund and keep the product. Only issue I have is the shipping time, usually 3 to 4 weeks - slow boat from China.


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## magpens (Jan 30, 2019)

Are you wanting a collet chuck for your mini-lathe in order to improve the precision of your drilling and turning ?

Do you think it is worth it to get the improvement you expect ?

Once you have the collet chuck installed are you likely to see the need to switch back to a 3-jaw or 4-jaw chuck ? . That takes time.

I know you can leave the collet chuck permanently installed and do your turning between centers with it, using the appropriate collet and driving center.

Just thought I would ask these basic questions in hopes you can enlighten me as to possibilities. . I use a mini-lathe with 4-inch 4-jaw chuck for all my pen turning and I feel that I can get quite good precision that way ... down to 1 thou or so.

Using a collet chuck means a little more time/effort if/when you want to actually insert different size round blanks ... compared to using the usual 3-jaw or 4-jaw and a chuck key.


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## BeeAMaker (Jan 30, 2019)

More4dan said:


> RangeRat said:
> 
> 
> > Dan, I’ve been looking at the same style of chuck from LMS for quite some time now, but haven’t purchased one yet. I have the Grizzly 7x14 and everything I’ve read and researched so far shows that to be the best choice collet chuck for our lathes. ER32 also seems to be the best size range for pen work. Seems like many people are satisfied with chucks and collets from EBay, Aliexpress, Banggood, etc. Personally, I’ll eventually get the LMS version just because I feel like there is some peace of mind concerning returns/replacements, but honestly, a lot of that is due to having never dealt with those other companies.
> ...



Most likely Amazon is getting them from Banggod or at least from the same vendor. Check where it ships from. If it's not in a amazon warehouse or fulfillment center it will most likely come from china and take 3 weeks.

Amazon doesn't seem to be the great deal it use to be. I have found many items on there that I can get cheaper straight from the manufacture.


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## bmachin (Jan 30, 2019)

Danny,
The style of chuck that you are looking at is probably the only thing that will work on a 10" lathe. Anything else is going to take up too much space. Have no idea if there is any quality or precision difference between sources. FWIW, mine came from LMS and with a high quality collet I get less than .001 runout.

As far as collets are concerned, there are videos up on YouTube that indicate that some of the cheap chinese sets can pretty bad in terms of runout. If you're talking about work holding only, it probably doesn't make too much difference. Again, if work holding is your only objective (depending on pricing) you might want to consider just buying individual collets rather than a set with the smallest somewhere around 3/8". I don't think I've ever used any of my collets that small for work holding. 

Oops! just looked at Banggood pricing. Just buy the set. If they are really bad you can throw them at pigeons or something.

Bill


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## More4dan (Jan 30, 2019)

bmachin said:


> Danny,
> The style of chuck that you are looking at is probably the only thing that will work on a 10" lathe. Anything else is going to take up too much space. Have no idea if there is any quality or precision difference between sources. FWIW, mine came from LMS and with a high quality collet I get less than .001 runout.
> 
> As far as collets are concerned, there are videos up on YouTube that indicate that some of the cheap chinese sets can pretty bad in terms of runout. If you're talking about work holding only, it probably doesn't make too much difference. Again, if work holding is your only objective (depending on pricing) you might want to consider just buying individual collets rather than a set with the smallest somewhere around 3/8". I don't think I've ever used any of my collets that small for work holding.
> ...





A MT3 holder would work and be more accurate but I like the ability to recess the material into the head stock. 

Price is good enough to try I think. 


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## More4dan (Jan 30, 2019)

magpens said:


> Are you wanting a collet chuck for your mini-lathe in order to improve the precision of your drilling and turning ?
> 
> Do you think it is worth it to get the improvement you expect ?
> 
> ...





I’ve had the 3 jaw chuck damage/mark my blank when making kitless pens. I was thinking the collet might help. It would also allow me to pass larger diameter stock through the headstock. It would also give me a little more length between centers to work. 

I do have an independent adjustable 4 jaw chuck. I’m guessing getting the material centered would take longer than changing the collet. 


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## lorbay (Jan 31, 2019)

Go with the collets. I use mine all the time. I recently bought a new metal lathe and I bought a whole set of 5C collets for it. Oh and I buy from Banggood at least 3 times a month. 
Lin


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## Curly (Jan 31, 2019)

Check into some of the British companies for a chuck like Chronos and Arceurotrade. They have a wide range of chucks and tooling. You’ll have to see if the prices are better than from the US or Asia.


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## BeeAMaker (Jan 31, 2019)

magpens said:


> Are you wanting a collet chuck for your mini-lathe in order to improve the precision of your drilling and turning ?
> 
> Do you think it is worth it to get the improvement you expect ?
> 
> ...



That is why I like the Beall chuck, it screws right off the 1x8 thread and I can screw my chuck right back on.


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## More4dan (Jan 31, 2019)

BeeAMaker said:


> magpens said:
> 
> 
> > Are you wanting a collet chuck for your mini-lathe in order to improve the precision of your drilling and turning ?
> ...





On the metal lathes it’s 3x 6mm threaded studs with difficult to install nuts that are a pain to change. Very little clearance for my fat fingers. 




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## bmachin (Jan 31, 2019)

Here are some helpful tips for dealing with the small space behind the headstock flange when installing/removing chucks. From Frank Hoose at mini-lathe.com:

Mini Lathe Chucks

The part you want to see is right at the top of the page under chuck mounting.

Bill


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## More4dan (Jan 31, 2019)

bmachin said:


> Here are some helpful tips for dealing with the small space behind the headstock flange when installing/removing chucks. From Frank Hoose at mini-lathe.com:
> 
> Mini Lathe Chucks
> 
> ...





Great advice, thanks. You can also use a rod mounted in the drill chuck in the tail stock and the main chuck to hold the main chuck jammed in place to free up both hands to get the nuts started. I will have to machine some studs like in the article. 

Danny


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## BeeAMaker (Jan 31, 2019)

More4dan said:


> On the metal lathes it’s 3x 6mm threaded studs with difficult to install nuts that are a pain to change. Very little clearance for my fat fingers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ah, I assumed you were using a wood lathe.


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## More4dan (Jan 31, 2019)

BeeAMaker said:


> More4dan said:
> 
> 
> > On the metal lathes it’s 3x 6mm threaded studs with difficult to install nuts that are a pain to change. Very little clearance for my fat fingers.
> ...





I was surprised looking at wood lathes at how small the spindle ID is even for some of the largest lathes.  Most if not all were MT2 profiles.  The metal lathes have larger spindles allowing materials to pass through the head stock. The small 7 x 10 lathe has a MT3 profile in the headstock, I can pass 3/4” material through it. Chucks are attached to a flange plate with a large ID. This lets me recess the entire pen blank after turning it round. The collet or chuck can hold the blank on the end where you start drilling.  It is much more stable and gives me more room to drill on the shorter lathe. 

Thanks for the link to Banggood. You just saved me $40-$50 on this order alone!


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## magpens (Jan 31, 2019)

*7x12 Mini-Lathe - Speeding Up Main Chuck Changing*

Thanks, Bill, for this reference. . It is great to have and I'll keep it handy.

The part I like best is in green and I am going to do this once I get some extra M6-25 bolts or perhaps order some extra studs from LMS:

"*For mounting studs, I used M6-25mm stainless hex bolts for my 3 Jaw Chuck and M6-30mm stainless hex bolts for my 4 Jaw Chuck.  All I did was turn the heads down to the ID of the nut, leaving a "staging" area for the nuts and to help align the nuts with the threads. Now I can mount the chuck without using the third hand technique. (I have big hands anyway)"*


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## Penultimate (Jan 31, 2019)

Hi Dan
I just started using ER25 MT3 collet chuck from my mill on my 7x12 lathe. I wanted to use it to hold some blanks securely without indenting them from chuck jaws. It worked great, runout was as good or better than my three jaw. The drawback as you pointed out is the limited depth. Check out arceurotrade they have a full line of chucks that mount on the backplate. 

Good luck


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## More4dan (Jan 31, 2019)

Penultimate said:


> Hi Dan
> I just started using ER25 MT3 collet chuck from my mill on my 7x12 lathe. I wanted to use it to hold some blanks securely without indenting them from chuck jaws. It worked great, runout was as good or better than my three jaw. The drawback as you pointed out is the limited depth. Check out arceurotrade they have a full line of chucks that mount on the backplate.
> 
> Good luck
> ...



Thanks for the information. Banggood has the ER32 chuck on a back plate that mounts to the 7” mini metal lathes for $50 and a set of 2-20mm collets for another $45. 





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## dachshund1 (Feb 1, 2019)

leehljp said:


> I ordered a set of ER 32 (mm set) off of eBay about 9 or 10 years ago and they are as good today as they were then. I bought the Beale chuck though.



I did the same as Hank:  Purchased the Beall chuck separately and individual collets on eBay.  Similarly, I have no complaints.  Terry


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## More4dan (Feb 3, 2019)

I ordered the flange collet chuck and ER32 collets from 2-20mm in 1mm increments for under $100.  I was happy to also find carbide cutters and holders  for wood turning at a fraction of the retail cost at banggood.com thanks for sharing the link. 10 carbide cutters for $20 and a holder for $23; just need to make a handle. I’ll find out if this deal was too good to be true in a few weeks. Just about everything is suppose to be shipping from a US warehouse in 5-7 days. 


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## magpens (Feb 3, 2019)

Dan,

This sounds good ..... BANG good ! . Keep us posted regarding your opinion of the products you bought, please.


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## More4dan (Feb 3, 2019)

magpens said:


> Dan,
> 
> This sounds good ..... BANG good ! . Keep us posted regarding your opinion of the products you bought, please.





Mal, I see they have a warehouse in Canada too. 

I’ll do a review once I get a chance to put them trough their paces. 

Danny


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## BeeAMaker (Feb 3, 2019)

More4dan said:


> I ordered the flange collet chuck and ER32 collets from 2-20mm in 1mm increments for under $100.  I was happy to also find carbide cutters and holders  for wood turning at a fraction of the retail cost at banggood.com thanks for sharing the link. 10 carbide cutters for $20 and a holder for $23; just need to make a handle. I’ll find out if this deal was too good to be true in a few weeks. Just about everything is suppose to be shipping from a US warehouse in 5-7 days.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app



I get my Carbide from Banggood also - no complaints.

FYI - I have a hard time convincing people that Banggood is a merchant site  :tongue:


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## randyrls (Feb 4, 2019)

To Join the Thread;   Take a look at this Library Article that discusses Collet usage.

You probably know this already, but the loading order is unusual and specific.

http://content.penturners.org/library/tools_and_jigs/colletchuckusage.pdf


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## More4dan (Feb 4, 2019)

randyrls said:


> To Join the Thread;   Take a look at this Library Article that discusses Collet usage.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Thanks Randy


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## More4dan (Apr 3, 2020)

I know this is an old thread, but I came across it and see I needed to give some thanks and feed back. 
Thanks everyone for all the advice and tips, especially the Banggood source.
The flanged ER32 holder works great and I have gotten efficient at swapping it out for my chuck, no big deal. However, I don’t really have to swap them often. I find I use the collets for just about everything I do on the lathe. I’ve since purchased several more ER32 chucks for turning.  I have a MT2 version I use in my metal lathe tail stock and on the head stock on my wood lathe. I also have one with a straight shaft I modified as a tap holder that works like the LMS die holder. I use this for specialty dies that don’t have a dimple in the back for the LMS tap guide.

Thanks again everyone for all your suggestions.

Danny


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