Collet Chuck
Previously when milling in the lathe I’ve just put the milling cutter in the jaws of the 3 jaw chuck. This is not idea as it may slip and could damage the chuck jaws if it does so. A better solution would be a collet chuck which are designed to hold round items more securely as they are effectively a close fitting multijaw chuck.
My little Saupe MD200 (Prazimat) lathe has a M14 x 1.0mm spindle with no taper and also has 3 M5 bolts arranged in a circle. Luckily that spindle size is the same as the Sieg C0 lathe, EMCOs Unimat 3, and Cowells 90ME lathes so there are plenty of components availble for it.
Collet chucks come in different series which determine the shape of the collets needed and the range of sizes of material that the collet can take. The ER16 (also known as ESX16) range can take 1mm to 10 mm in increments of 1mm which is ideal for this size of lathe.
I’ll be looking at this weekends model engineer exhibition to see if I can pickup a cheap ER16 collet chuck, £22.95 is the price to beat. The collets are sold individually or in sets of 10 for around £70. I’ll probably just get a couple with suitable sizes to match my end mills. I’ve seen individual ones for around a £5 each so it should not be too costly.
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
I had a similar problem and just ended using 5c hex collet blocks that I could clamp with the lathe chuck.
Can you buy those or did you make them?
I’ve made a simple holder for holding threaded items in the lathe but I’ve never tried making my own collet before. It should not be too difficult though.
A piece of hex bar would be a lot cheaper than a chuck!!
I bought mine. I never tried to make one myself but it should be doable if you can cut tapers accurately. Since its basically just a hex bar turned into a collet chuck.
Though I dont think they are usually used to hold threaded rod.
I appreciate your insights into using an ER16 collet chuck for milling on the lathe. Another alternative you might consider is a milling vise attachment for the lathe. It provides a stable platform for milling operations, ensuring both safety and precision. While it might depend on your specific needs and preferences, exploring this option at the model engineer exhibition could offer an additional solution for your milling setup. Good luck with your search!
Thanks Alice, since then I’ve invested in a milling machine.