I want an ER40 collet chuck for my Atlas 618.

[darkzero]

I just purchased this from them last night along with a spanner wrench. Next Wednesday I can tell you what I think of it. Hopefully I don't have the same problem DarkZero had with the spanner not fitting.

Please do share, doesn't make a difference to me anymore but I am curious. They have both types of wrenches, the E type that has multipe notches & the hook type that just has 1 notch. I'm assuming if you get the E type you may be ok. I do have E types & they work fine but I need a hook type for one specific application. They kept sending me a ER32 wrench instead of for ER40. The fact that they told me they were in fact sending me the correct wrench & telling me my machines are the issue is aggravating. The ER collet nuts have nothing to do with my machines.

 

[aametalmaster]

So what in the world should I look for?!

Some blocks of steel, tool bits, time and a neighbor to show you how to build one. I made the first ER-40 chuck for my SB 8 years ago and still love using it. I would make more of them for people but i want a good fit on their spindle...Bob

 

[kd4gij]

Same here for my craftsman 12"

 

[SG51Buss]

I know this is an old thread, but it was the inspiration for me to pursue this long-desired attachment, an ER-32 collet chuck for my Atlas/Craftsman 6" lathe.

I would hate to lose the through spindle option even for that small of a bore. A half inch is better than nothing. I bought a screw on ER32 collet holder for my wood lathe (1"x8tpi ) from Penn State Industries (the pen turning people) through Amazon and also J.R. Beall sells them. I suspect Mr. Beall's will be be better made as he makes them and the one from Penn State was Chinese origin if I remember correctly.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCDOWEL.html?prodpage=1LC
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I liked this Penn State collet kit suggestion by David Kirtley because of the included collets, and the price. It's difficult to justify remachining and possibly ruining an expensive attachment. But, as cheap as it was, and expecting it to be of poor quality, the guilt level is lower and it's easier to justify hacking on it. In other words, why pay for an accurately machined taper bore when you've got to recut it anyway to match your machine?

I also liked the large knurled base ring, drilled for a tommybar. Convenient for me as I already have a tommybar chuck, and my tommybar fits this Penn State chuck perfectly. So, here's my thread on fitting this ER-32 collet chuck onto my Atlas/Craftsman 6":

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=25476