What is the affordable alternative to this?

[Uglydog]

Check Ebay.
Search on "5c draw bar".
Lots of options.

How long do you need the draw bar?
I've got one I'm not using, as she's to short for my Colchester. I've been thinking I might build an extension of some sort. But I have other alternatives.
But if it fit yours as is, then we could work something out.

Daryl
MN

 

[wlburton]

Check Ebay.
Search on "5c draw bar".
Lots of options.

How long do you need the draw bar?
I've got one I'm not using, as she's to short for my Colchester. I've been thinking I might build an extension of some sort. But I have other alternatives.
But if it fit yours as is, then we could work something out.

Daryl
MN

Daryl--
It seems to be about twelve inches from the threaded end to where it emerges from the spindle, maybe a little more when the collet is loose.
Bill

 

[ch2co]

I got may used lathe with a lot of extras, on of which is a 5C collet chuck and a nice box of 5C collets. The chuck screws onto the spindle and the
collets are inserted and a standard chuck key turns the chuck innards to screw the chuck closed. It takes quite a few turns of the chuck key which is kind of a
nuisance. The 5C collets don't hold even slightly off sized material. My set of collets is runs from 1/16 to 1-1/8" in 1/16 in intervals but if you are trying
to hole something that is 1/32 bigger or smaller it won't hold worth a darn. I really would like to get a nice set of ER45 or 50? collets and and chuck.
For free the the 5C setup is OK but I wouldn't want to pay for one. Just my thoughts.

 

[darkzero]

The 5C collets don't hold even slightly off sized material. My set of collets is runs from 1/16 to 1-1/8" in 1/16 in intervals but if you are trying
to hole something that is 1/32 bigger or smaller it won't hold worth a darn. I really would like to get a nice set of ER45 or 50? collets and and chuck.
For free the the 5C setup is OK but I wouldn't want to pay for one. Just my thoughts.

That was exactly my thoughts as well. 5C collets seemed to be the norm for work holding & I thought about getting a 5C collet closer. But I didn't want to start a set from scratch. I use ER40 for tool holding on my mill so it made more sense for me to just stick with ER40 for work holding in the lathe.

Although ER collets weren't designed for workholding, it seemed to become popular in the hobbyist world. So I went with a ER40 chuck for my lathe & I'm happy. But one advantage that 5C has is they can hold very short pieces. But you can work around that for ER.

There's no ER45 that I'm aware of but there is ER50. However they don't seem to be as popular & not all the sizes are readily available. ER40 maxs out at 1". ER50 max is just over 1.25".

If I had to start over, I would go with TG150 collets. Very similar to ER collets but they go up to 1.5". Again designed for tool holding and not as popular for work holding so you'd have to make your own chucks & accessories from scratch.

 

[mikey]

I suppose I can fabricate some kind of a draw bar. Fabricating things . . . . that's what we do, right? I haven't had any experience with ER collets and will learn what they are. They sound more applicable than 5C if they hold the workpiece along more of its length.
The commercial draw bar accessories are too expensive for me at this time. I'm breaking the bank to buy the lathe. (sold my Bridgeport mill, will sell my 12 x 36 lathe, and some other stuff).

A lot of these chucks and things are relatively expensive. If you have 5c collets already, you can make an MT adapter to fit the spindle and take 5c collets. You can also make the drawbar for not too much money - its just a thin-walled pipe with internal threads to fit the external threads of a 5c collet on one end and a round handle on the other.

If you don't already have 5c collets then look into and consider an ER-chuck. As Will said, an ER-50 goes to larger sizes but the collets are dear. An ER-40 chuck would be the most practical; beyond 1" OD, go with your 3 or 4 jaw chuck.

I don't know anyone who makes a D1-5 direct mount ER-40 chuck. One of the guys, DDickey, is adapting a D1-5 back plate to a reasonably priced ER-40 chuck but I'm not sure where he is with it. Hopefully, he'll give us an update on it here. A direct mount ER chuck would be ideal as it allows stock to pass through the spindle. There are ER chucks with a MT mount but they don't allow you to pass stock through them.

Take your time and so some homework. You can get along quite well with a 3 jaw scroll chuck and a 4 jaw independent chuck. You do not NEED a collet system on the lathe.

 

[darkzero]

A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.



I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.



Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544

 

[mikey]

Between my 2 Set-Tru chucks & my 4-jaw indy, accuracy is not a problem for me, or should I say runout.

Glad you cleared that up, Will ... I was going to call UlmaDoctor and ask him to bring his Uber-micron-O-meter DTI to your house to check up on you!

 

[darkzero]

A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.



I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.



Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544

 

[mikey]

Will, I know it is not right to covet but you make it really, really hard not to do that!

 

[Uglydog]

Daryl--
It seems to be about twelve inches from the threaded end to where it emerges from the spindle, maybe a little more when the collet is loose.
Bill

This one is maybe 18inches long. About 6inches to short for my use as is.
Any interest in cutting it off? Would come with the handle.
Do you need the spindle nose?
I think this is MT6.

Daryl
MN