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Collet or Not ?

Brian Rutter

Apprentice Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Posts
42
Location
North Yorkshire
First Name
Brian
I am a little confused, it's easily done and I am a complete beginner please forgive me.

I am looking to get some basic tools and equipment ready for the big day.

Looking at a mandrel, there are many adverts selling mandrells with a variety of collets , MT1 MT2 and "straight" for people like me who will only have a chuck and no facility to fit a MT.

So I need to put a "straight" into the chuck and then put the mandrel into the collet. Why cannot I put the mandrel directly into the chuck and not use the collet saving myself 10 or 12 pounds in the process?

If the answer is obvious then please tell me.:whistling:
 

Phil Dart

Moderator
Executive Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Posts
5,455
Location
Colebrooke, Devon
First Name
Phil
If your chuck jaws will close down to about 6mm, there's no reason why you can't do that. Brace yourself for a slew of answers telling you to turn between centres and not bother with a mandrel at all, but if you do want to use one and you have the right jaws to handle it, then your solution is perfectly sound in my opinion. I think you'll find that the reason you're being enticed to put a straight arbor collet in a lathe chuck is because it would be unusual to find wood lathe jaws that close down narrow enough. You would need engineering jaws for that I think.
 

flexi

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
6,160
Location
Maidstone
First Name
mark
Surely [MENTION=735]Phil Dart[/MENTION] you mean a "Skew" of answers:funny::funny::funny: we are all turners
 

alpha1

Fellow
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Posts
1,177
Location
middlesbrough
First Name
Dave
What size is your tailstock if its M2 just buy a mandrel holder and a straight mandrel? Stick the mandrel in your chuck and the mandrel holder in your tailstock buy a set of bushings the whole thing should be about £30 after that you just need to buy bushings for the kits.
I have two lathes an Engineer's lathe and a wood lathe. The only thing I use the wood lathe for is drilling my blanks using a set of pen jaws. Everything else is done on the Engineer's lathe. I only turn pens I have no idea how to turn anything else. Most of my lathe work is in metal.
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
I had a big lathe that had a countershaft that had a solid shaft. Identical to a lathe Richard Raffan used for many years professionally,so everything had to be screwed onto the main head stock shaft. From here on you can easil visualise the possibilities. I do recommend collets, grip in so many jaws,are usually quite accurate, they come in so many configurations. Price concious you will only get what you pay for .I use a so called Mandrel Saver I may be able in a day or so post a pic of how to make one,not rocket science and cheap to make,they hold a mandrel if you so go this way and enable shortening of the mandrel by slipping it in or out for length.Have fun I did and do still D I Yourself is a golden rule I live by.

Peter.:goesred:
 

Brian Rutter

Apprentice Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Posts
42
Location
North Yorkshire
First Name
Brian
My chuck arrived last night, I am really pleased with it.:winking:

It's a 50mm Bluefox variety from India (£42), I thought I was ordering one from China but I must have clicked the wrong link.:rolling:

I am pleased that I did, it only took 4 days to arrive, I ordered three items from the UK on the same day and the chuck from India arrived first. Delivered by FedEx I still do not know how "free" delivery works.

I am convince that this little beauty will do all that I need, it will easily grip a 1.5mm drill bit so a mandrel should be well in its scope.:banana:

I will not be ordereing a collet in the near future time will tell.

Thanks for the responses
 
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