# ER40 Collet Block



## JPMacG (Mar 11, 2020)

I purchased one of the inexpensive import square ER40 collet blocks on eBay - I think it was $30.   The good news - the taper and threads were nice looking and seem to properly clamp my collets, and the collet nut that came with the block looks good and works well.  The bad news - the faces of the block are not parallel / perpendicular and not equal-distant from the taper.  I estimate that they are out by around 0.010 inch.   Also, the block is not hardened.

Even so, I probably did get my money's worth.  Some day I may fixture it referencing the taper and take light cuts on the sides.


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## ericc (Mar 12, 2020)

Very interesting.  So the block will work for holding a round part for a single cut, like making a D-bit, but not work for making a square head bolt?  This would be annoying, even at $30.


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## RJSakowski (Mar 12, 2020)

Given that the collet block isn't hardened, why not just true it up?  I would insert a collet for the largest pin that would pass through and use the pin as an axle. With a pair of standoff blocks t rest the pin on in your machinists vice, you can face the first side parallel to the pin axis.  *If your vise jaws are square, you can the rotate the cpllet block 90º so the previously faced surface is against the fixed jaw. The second face shoulde now be parallel to the pin axis and perpendicular to the first face and the two faces should be equidistant from the pin axis.  Repeat for the remaining two faces.  You will need to machine two standoff blocks which are narrower than the collet block and tall enough so the collet block will be above the vise jaws but that should be a simple task.


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## Joe in Oz (Mar 13, 2020)

Have a look at http://www.mag-pro.com.au/goods.php?id=252
and http://www.mag-pro.com.au/goods.php?id=469
These are excellent quality made from tool steel and very accurate.
They are bigger than the collet nut across all flats and allow 1,2,3,4,6,and 12-sided fixturing - and always sit on a flat and are clamped across two flats in every position. Being bigger across the flats than the outside nut diameter allows these to be used on a magnetic chuck directly!
Much more useful then the set of 4 and 6-sided Stevenson Blocks.
They are bored through to the maximum available oversize collet diameter (from AliExpress). They are 26mm for the ER32 and 30mm for the ER40 blocks.
Postage may be an issue due to their weight.... but postage from Australia is still significantly cheaper than from the USA.....


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## hman (Mar 13, 2020)

VERY nice!  12-sided, and the body is larger than the nut.  I'll have to ask them what shipping to the US would cost.


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## hman (Mar 13, 2020)

Not too terrible ... $60 for the collet block, $6 for GST, $15 shipping.  Total of $81.  I assume they're talking about US dollars, but should probably check before I order.  If the prices are in AU$, that would be about $49.50 US.


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## darkzero (Mar 13, 2020)

hman said:


> Not too terrible ... $60 for the collet block, $6 for GST, $15 shipping.  Total of $81.  I assume they're talking about US dollars, but should probably check before I order.



Thanks for the info. That's not too bad. And if that's not USD then even better! I'm thinking about ordering one too even though I already have collet blocks.


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## hman (Mar 13, 2020)

I've sent them an email.  Will post whatever info I get.


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## ddickey (Mar 13, 2020)

And GST is only for Australian citizens.


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## hman (Mar 15, 2020)

OK.  I got a reply from Felix at mag-pro.  A bit difficult to understand ... appears to be an ESL issue.  Good news, though - the GST is NOT applied to foreign orders, and the prices are AU$.  

I just don't know how to delete the GST from the online order form, and as the shipping quoted is for probably for domestic shipments only, I don't yet know how to get a handle on how much the "bottom line" would be.

Here's the full text of the email:

== == == == == == == == == == == == == ==
Dear John,

Thank you very much for your interesting in our products . I want to tell you story on the Unique Joe Collet Block for ER 32. The designer is a member of Hobby Machinist Forum too. His name is Joe Hovel . Maybe you knew him and he even is my client and now become the best friend in Australia . He even bought our products and talked about his design. I thought that it is a good products . Then I help him to produce his design as the products .

Now I answer your question .

1) For foreign order --- We will have no GST .
2) The amount is AUD (Australia Dollar ) --- Because our company M&G Products Australia Pty Ltd face the Australia Market only now .
Hope I have explain them clear. Final , I only want to say that we have 2 kinds of Unique Joe Collet Block --- ER32 and ER40 . And I gave Joe design advise . We used Ball bear Collet Nut as the Collet block Nut . It make the produce having better function .

You can confirm the order on our website . www.mag-pro.com.au

Regards & Have a nice weekend !

Felix

M&G Productions Australia Pty Ltd

myh@mager-int.com

mag-pro@tpg.com.au

Cell Phone :0426649889

www.mag-pro.com.au


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## ddickey (Mar 15, 2020)

And shipping is $79 AUS to the US


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## hman (Mar 15, 2020)




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## darkzero (Mar 15, 2020)

$79 shipping! No thank you. I couldn't even see the shipping cost, said $25 but I'm sure that is not right as their checkout has no field to entire in city or country. Cool idea but I'll pass.


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## JPMacG (Mar 26, 2022)

I tried to square up the errant collet block but was not satisfied with the results.  I could not work out a sufficiently accurate method of locating it relative to the collet hole.  And I discovered that the fixed jaw of my economy vise was not exactly perpendicular to the vise base.

I recently purchased a collet block from Little Machine Shop.  It is much more accurate -  and hardened.  I think I paid about $40.  I'm pleased with it.


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## ddickey (Mar 26, 2022)

Put a gage pin in the collet. Place on surface plate and measure the top of the pin, then rotate the block and check again. Take pin out rotate and try it again to see if it repeats.


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## ericc (Mar 27, 2022)

ddickey said:


> Put a gage pin in the collet. Place on surface plate and measure the top of the pin, then rotate the block and check again. Take pin out rotate and try it again to see if it repeats.


This is a good idea.  Just by goofing around with a file, you can make a huge improvement over the 0.010" that you were experiencing.


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## T Bredehoft (Mar 28, 2022)

I have a set of the cheap "soft" hex and square ER40 blocks, Curiosity led me to check them out. The worst I could find was .0015 out-of-concentricity. Not outside my standards.  (I don't attempt projects that need ±.000 concentricity.)


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## JPMacG (Mar 29, 2022)

I attempted to repair the original collet block as follows:

I installed a 3/4" collet and put an 8" length of 3/4" precision shaft through the collet.  I set up the collet block suspended by the shaft on two V-blocks on a surface plate.   I placed a vise under the block and with the block still suspended by the shaft I clamped the block in the vise.   Then transferred the vise/block assembly to the milling machine table and faced the top block surface.  Then repeated this procedure 3 more times for the other three surfaces.

The results were an improvement but still not satisfactory.  I believe the issue was a lack of perpendicularity on the fixed jaw of my economy vise.  I could have repeated the procedure with a precision screwless vise, but at that point I chose not to waste more time on the block.

Anyway, the message that I was trying to convey in my previous post is that Little Machine Shop has good ER40 square collet blocks for a good price.


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## Alcap (Mar 29, 2022)

Most will laugh at how I use my square collet block for but here goes lol . I keep the 4 jaw chuck on my lathe most of the time so if I’m doing things that might want to use a collet chuck for ( which I don’t have ) I just stick a ground rod in the collet , use soft aluminum strips on the chuck jaws , indicate the pin , then I’ll use whichever size collet I need . Comes in very handy for the stuff I do . I have used it in the milling machine but not nearly as much . Since your not happy with that block it would work fine for that purpose


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## ericc (Mar 29, 2022)

JPMacG said:


> ...
> 
> The results were an improvement but still not satisfactory.  I believe the issue was a lack of perpendicularity on the fixed jaw of my economy vise.
> ...


How much is the vise off?  This sounds like a more pressing (  ) issue.


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## JPMacG (Mar 29, 2022)

I'm not equipped to make good perpendicularity measurements.  I did check the vise against a machinist's Tee (inexpensive import) and could see some light with a flashlight. 

Since then I have acquired a 3" screwless vise, which seems to be near perfect in parallelism and perpendicularity.  I now use the screwless exclusively except when I need to set up an angle.


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