Collet closer

[marksbug]

THANK YOU!!!! we all get different ideads from others ideas and thats what evolution is all about. and it keep us trying to make a better mouse trap. I remember one shop I ran&programed cnc mills and much more we had as old band saw, a big one I think it was a meat saw at one time.but it had a 4 speed volvo trans mission running it.oh so eazy to change speeds when you needed too with no fuss at all. I presume it only had 1 speed as a meat saw. I remember long ago in okanawa japan growing up with motorcycles and gocarts, when we needed something different to finish a build we just fired upo the big hibachi groll ( basicly the big green egg but 35 years before the big green egg) and we would make what we needed with whatever we had...Ive addvanced a bit since then but still love making things .and seeing other peoples stuff just adds to the brain power for all of us. remember there is always a better way.

[threesixesinarow]

These are less interesting, but still useful parts of it.

The first picture is to show the sleeve with a couple flats that unscrews from the spindle guard to release the 3c adapter. I made it soon after the first time swapping from collets back to a regular chuck. I also figured out pretty quickly using it that I needed a splash guard, but didn’t spend as much time on that.

[old_toolmaker]

threesixesinarow<

Thank you for the pictures. They are most helpful.

[Toolmaker51]

Going by the drawings and the steps they suggest and what parts could be bought in I would make a ball one now. The yellow South Bend drawing I posted yesterday makes the mechanism pretty clear, here’s a photo, also from practicalmachinist.com, https://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...9/#post1859229

I’m curious if there are problems with them, though, I wonder why they aren’t more common compared to the finger ones.

One time I made new 3 piece finger sets for a worn collet setups where I worked. I don't remember if they were chuckers, screw machines, or multi spindle. They were sawn from A2 and milled into shape, no CNC all rotary table and indexer. I bet ball operated closers outnumber finger closers for that very reason. High quality Class 7 balls; easy OEM procurement, accurate size and form, perfect heat treat, and replace when time comes. Another plus is engineering factor, more compact. I suspect fingers are preferred for mechanical advantage of leverage; bigger lathes, bigger material, heavier cuts.

[DIYer]

Thanks threesixesinarow! We've added your Chuck Guard to our Lathe Accessories category,
as well as to your builder page: threesixesinarow's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Chuck Guard by threesixesinarow

tags: lathe, safety

[whitehouse260]

hi,
do you all have any plans for a ball bearing version?
thanks,
matt

[threesixesinarow]

hi,
do you all have any plans for a ball bearing version?
thanks,
matt

Hi, Matt,

I don’t - I’d like to see them, too, if someone else has them.

I don’t know how much this will help, but up the thread there’s a couple drawings for a South Bend that might make a good start toward making one, combined with the photos at Practical Machinist. That works like an inside out version of the watchmaker lathe clutch shown on the second page.