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On 07/02/2021 at 00:43, -missy- said:

I have a different arrangement of collet chuck. So easy to use and invaluable when high accuracy is needed.

 

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Missy :)

 

I'll see your chuck and raise you an adapter.

 

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Guest Isambarduk
On 07/02/2021 at 08:43, -missy- said:

I have a different arrangement of collet chuck. So easy to use and invaluable when high accuracy is needed.

 

image.png.394ebd842e7a536ed31ded785069ddf5.png

 

Missy

I have exactly the same arrangement but, sadly, the collet holder is no longer available.  It is (well, it was) really useful as the holder screws directly onto the nose of the Unimat 3 spindle, so there is very little overhang (unlike some other arrangements involving a backplate).

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7 hours ago, Isambarduk said:

I have exactly the same arrangement but, sadly, the collet holder is no longer available.  It is (well, it was) really useful as the holder screws directly onto the nose of the Unimat 3 spindle, so there is very little overhang (unlike some other arrangements involving a backplate).

That particular collett holder is still listed by Emco Holz und Hobby in Austria though importation might now be a little difficult - tinyurl.com/10urobov  - current price €57.60

Pro Machine Tools Ltd in the UK, whom I would otherwise check, appear to currently have their website under maintenance.

 

Regards

Michael

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An EMCO ER/ESX25 collet holder can be had for the Unimat 3/4/any other variant with an M14x1 spindle thread. These come up on Ebay from time to time and are worth the investment, I use mine in preference to my ER16 holder, which in turn is usually used in the tailstock as a more accurate means of holding small drills. One recent job saw the ER25 holder being used in a dividing head for work holding and the ER16 in the milling spindle.

 

Another item to look for if you own a U3 is a watchmakers collet adaptor. The business end is hardened and ground and fits in the end of the spindle, with a drawbar which fits inside the spindle and clamps the (threaded) 8mm watchmakers collets. One of the advantages of this accessory is the availability of stepped collets, very useful for holding small wheels and gears for facing/boring etc.

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5 minutes ago, RedgateModels said:

So thinking of a collet chuck. Lathe has an MT2 taper, so I assume once I remove the chuck from the spindle adaptor and then remove the adaptor an ER20 with an MT2 taper will knock right in?

 

ER20 or 25 - pros and cons apart from cost?

ER25 collet chuck from RDG tools on my S7.Ideal collet size as i use them on my Warco milling m/c.

 

                        Ray.

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On 16/02/2021 at 15:52, halfwit said:

Another item to look for if you own a U3 is a watchmakers collet adaptor. The business end is hardened and ground and fits in the end of the spindle, with a drawbar which fits inside the spindle and clamps the (threaded) 8mm watchmakers collets. One of the advantages of this accessory is the availability of stepped collets, very useful for holding small wheels and gears for facing/boring etc.

 

I bought mine from Shesto back in the day when they did that sort of stuff, and have since bought vast quantities of WW 8mm collets, including step chucks, plus a number of blanks that I've drilled and slit for custom work. My Unimat3 is on it's second motor but I do have a conversion 24V kit (motor + pwm + ps) ready to go when the time comes. I also managed to bulk buy the three O-ring sizes required - loads cheaper than from the established sellers.

 

I've also got an ES16 holder and collets too so that I can use the drawbar down the nose and the other on the tailstock at the same time.

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7 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

So thinking of a collet chuck. Lathe has an MT2 taper, so I assume once I remove the chuck from the spindle adaptor and then remove the adaptor an ER20 with an MT2 taper will knock right in?

 

ER20 or 25 - pros and cons apart from cost?

It will, but in some cases the distance between MT2 cone and collet chuck is too short. I had to take off 2mm from the collect chuck to make it work. Also consider a draw bar to be sure the MK2 spindle doesn't get lose.See below draw bar and spindle adaptor. I use SX25 collets as they are the same as for my vertical unit. Lathe = Emco compact 51401214109_20210218_165820(2).jpg.c300c66630454ea25cdfbab88bd73a7c.jpg

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11 hours ago, Vecchio said:

It will, but in some cases the distance between MT2 cone and collet chuck is too short. I had to take off 2mm from the collect chuck to make it work. 

 

So the MT2 cone would not bind in the spindle?

 

My lathe is a bit smaller than yours which looks more like the CL250M's bigger brother, the CL300M

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20 hours ago, decauville1126 said:

 

I bought mine from Shesto back in the day when they did that sort of stuff, and have since bought vast quantities of WW 8mm collets, including step chucks, plus a number of blanks that I've drilled and slit for custom work. My Unimat3 is on it's second motor but I do have a conversion 24V kit (motor + pwm + ps) ready to go when the time comes. I also managed to bulk buy the three O-ring sizes required - loads cheaper than from the established sellers.

 

I've also got an ES16 holder and collets too so that I can use the drawbar down the nose and the other on the tailstock at the same time.

 

My watchmakers adapter was a lucky eBay find - lucky because the seller didn't know what it was and I only spotted it by chance. I only got the collet adapter itself, I had to buy a generic drawbar and shorten it. One of the things that I like about it is it only takes a fraction of a turn to tighten, unlike my ER holders, which makes facing axles to length quicker and easier (very useful when you've got 100+ to do!). 

 

I have a spare motor, bought when the original went 'pop' and let out some smoke. Took it into work, the cap. haas blown but as the motor runs ok he said its fine to use. 

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12 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

So the MT2 cone would not bind in the spindle?

Exactly. To overcome this I took off 2mm of the collett holder, there was no problem with mechanical strength as there is still enough material left. It may be different on your lathe, a collet holder spindle is available on the internet for less than 10£ - so probably woth a try.  The only problem was that the flattened area used for the spanner gets less wide.  Not a problem as I applied a few 6mm holes to take a hardened 6mm bar as a "spanner".

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1 hour ago, RedgateModels said:

I am sure it will. My problem was that my lathe is almost 40 years old and accessories are rare... (company left the market years ago)

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I got one of the smaller ER16 ones for my CO ‘baby’ lathe ( for which I also had to get and machine a M14 backplate). They are well made and accurate and worth the money. A bonus if no other machining is needed.

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My ancient South Bend 9" has a MT3 headstock so I broke-down and sent for a MT3 to ER-16 collet holder. It will project a bit more than my home-made affair but the additional clearance could be useful in some situations. For $24 (including shipping) how bad could it be? :D

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$24 well spent I think. This the collet holder that plugs into the Morse Taper on my lathe. It does have a lot more overhang than my home-made effort but there is very little runout. Looks like one third of a thou and that could be the collet more than the holder. Pay no attention to the piece of stainless steel behind the holder. It's just a cover that screws on to the lathe's nose to protect the threads.

 

EDIT: I have a TOYO miniature late and it has a #1 Morse Taper headstock. I was wondering if there are ER16 collect holders similar to this but with the smaller taper. There are, and there are also #2 MT versions.

 

 

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So what's going on here? 

 

 

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Really pleased how well the diamond cut-off wheel worked. £7 well spent. 

 

I'm making an expanding mandrel for the spindle so I can turn the lathe manually. A large 125mm handwheel will be fitted to it in due course

 

 

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Yes, that is a Rawl bolt inside, why re-invent the wheel 😉

 

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