100mm Dia. ER32 Collet chuck mounted on spindle,opinions?

[Ken from ontario]

What's your opinion on using this collet chuck on a lathe for holding smaller diameter workpiece? is it more suitable for smaller lathes ? there has been a few occasions that I hoped for a better / firmer or more reliable chuck that the 3 jaw chuck/mini lathe.
I'm aware the MT3 collets could be used in the same way with a shopmade drawbar or an ER32/MT3 collet holder could achieve the same thing (I used ER32 just as an example) but correct me if I'm wrong, the last two options will limit the length of the workpiece that can be inserted in the collet when compared to the 100 mm chuck I was inquiring about which allows 25/32" stock through the headstock of the lathe. so longer stock will be alright.

I'm not convinced I will use it often enough at this stage in the hobby but the few times I tried to hold a long piece of 1/4" aluminum rod in my 3 jaw chuck (w/o using dead/rotary center for knurling or threading ), I was constantly worried if I tighten the chuck hard enough , or will the workpiece get loose/slip if I add any more pressure.those were the times I wished I had a better work holding tool.

 

[T Bredehoft]

I use an ER40 for almost everything. You're should work fine.

 

[Ken from ontario]

The major concern I have is how much run out the chuck will have if any, they are all (as far as I know) are manufactured in China with a very hit and miss QC .

 

[mikey]

Ken, is that 100mm ER chuck a direct mount for your lathe? If so, it is a very, very good option to have because it will allow you to hold any round stock up to 3/4" OD, will allow you to pass long stock through the spindle, and will be far more accurate than a 3 jaw chuck on workpieces that have already been turned once. It also allows you to hold threaded parts without messing up the threads (unless you gorilla tighten the nut) and lets you work up close to the chuck without worrying about losing your knuckles.

If you use good collets and a good nut then accuracy should be acceptable. Of course, you cannot always rely on a Chinese chuck to be really accurate but they're getting better at it nowadays. If the dealer claims a certain amount of run out and yours exceeds that then you usually can exchange it for a hopefully more accurate one. I bought a direct mount D1-4 ER-40 chuck from HHIP on ebay and mine was concentric to 0.0001". Others who bought subsequent batches from the same company did not experience such accuracy so it's a gamble. But hey, you might get lucky, right?

Personally, I like and use my ER-40 chuck a fair amount and I wouldn't want to be without it.

 

[Tozguy]

Ken, I don't know what your 3 jaw is like but an ER collet should be expected to hold better, firmer more reliably as you related. It is not a good idea to torque a scroll chuck too much.
My D1-4 direct mount ER 32 chuck sees more use than was initially imagined. Plus it is a fun project to make your own version. I bought a kit of R8 ER32 with 6 collets including a wrench on sale from BB. Then only had to make up the direct mount body. Not having a limit to the length of work is wonderful.
ER collets are not the most accurate of the other collet systems but you get a broader range of size capacity per collet (so you need fewer collets) and are hard to beat for general purpose. Just my .02c

 

[Tozguy]

The major concern I have is how much run out the chuck will have if any, they are all (as far as I know) are manufactured in China with a very hit and miss QC .

If you make your own direct mount chuck body, the the threads and taper are cut to the least run out your lathe has to offer. The other parts (ER nut and collets) in my case came from the R8 kit from BB and are quite good actually.

 

[Ken from ontario]

If you make your own direct mount chuck body, the the threads and taper are cut to the least run out your lathe has to offer.

Tozguy, I might consider making my own direct mount chuck , but so far every project I've worked on, I had to make it twice, the first one was to learn from and make mistakes on. that only indicates that I'm not as good as I can be with machining stuff, not yet but I do have the drive to get there, it is a good idea to make my own chuck but the best I can do for now, is to copy the one I buy (if I buy one) minus its flaws,.

Ken, is that 100mm ER chuck a direct mount for your lathe? If so, it is a very, very good option to have because it will allow you to hold any round stock up to 3/4" OD, will allow you to pass long stock through the spindle, and will be far more accurate than a 3 jaw chuck on workpieces that have already been turned once. It also allows you to hold threaded parts without messing up the threads (unless you gorilla tighten the nut) and lets you work up close to the chuck without worrying about losing your knuckles.

If you use good collets and a good nut then accuracy should be acceptable. Of course, you cannot always rely on a Chinese chuck to be really accurate but they're getting better at it nowadays. If the dealer claims a certain amount of run out and yours exceeds that then you usually can exchange it for a hopefully more accurate one. I bought a direct mount D1-4 ER-40 chuck from HHIP on ebay and mine was concentric to 0.0001". Others who bought subsequent batches from the same company did not experience such accuracy so it's a gamble. But hey, you might get lucky, right?

Personally, I like and use my ER-40 chuck a fair amount and I wouldn't want to be without it.

The one chuck that got my attention initially is from LMS,it is supposedly a direct mount,"This collet chuck for ER-32 collets mounts on the lathe spindle in place of the lathe chuck" but the other ones one ebay all need a back plate to mount on,found one on Amazon sold by HHIP that also needs a back plate.
I searched the web quite a lot just to find some unbiased reviews but so far most reviews complain about the unacceptable runout that mainly come from the cheaply made er32 collets, if I ever want a good setup , I must first find a good set of ER32 collet from a reputable vendor.

 

[BROCKWOOD]

ER this & ER that. I honestly don't know what all I have. 1 set is for an R8 shank drive but I use MT3 & finally went to direct mount collets in my little mill. Grizzly does not state what ER version any of them are. I have been watching & see that ER collet holders mounted in a lathe spindle are superb. When I do get to the point of needing collets in my lathe spindle: I'll be using 5C. Might be a fun project!

 

[mikey]

The one chuck that got my attention initially is from LMS,it is supposedly a direct mount,"This collet chuck for ER-32 collets mounts on the lathe spindle in place of the lathe chuck" but the other ones one ebay all need a back plate to mount on,found one on Amazon sold by HHIP that also needs a back plate.
I searched the web quite a lot just to find some unbiased reviews but so far most reviews complain about the unacceptable runout that mainly come from the cheaply made er32 collets, if I ever want a good setup , I must first find a good set of ER32 collet from a reputable vendor.

There are two reasons why I went for a direct mount chuck vs a backplate mount. First, a direct-mount chuck minimizes overhang beyond the spindle. Second, the internal collet taper is ground while the chuck is held in a DIN standard fixture so the chances of a concentric chuck is supposedly better.

It is theoretically possible to get a backplate mounted chuck to run with zero runout. How often that happens, I cannot say as it depends greatly on the skill of the guy machining it (and, I would imagine, a bit of luck). I actually have a Tormach ER-40 chuck sitting in my shop and a back plate that was going to go on it. I never mounted it because I found that HHIP chuck and I know I probably couldn't match its accuracy. That Tormach chuck will go on my rotary table.

For top tier collets, look for Lyndex, ETM, Techniks or Rego-fix. All are expensive but are accurate. If I had to choose the cheapest among them, I would choose Techniks. They are VERY good collets and sell in sets.

With that said, if you're only going to use them on the lathe and are not turning high-precision parts then I think you can get away with Chinese collets. You'll have some run out with them but with a good collet nut and sharp tools, I think they will work fine in a hobby shop.

By the way, whatever chuck you end up with, buy a good nut for it. I have ETM and Rego-fix nuts and they are really, really good for not very high prices.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Thank you Mike, as always for sharing your thoughts and your help.
I already ordered the chuck from Amazon USA. now the search continues for a reasonably priced collet set.
Thank you all for your comments.