Reply To: Lathe collets…

[tmac1956]

@david pierce wrote:

Tmac,
I just pulled my LEVIN off of a shelf and brushed the dust off of it. It has a ball bearing spindle but I am sure that the ID is the same as your cone bearing model. The STARRET collets work perfectly so the good news is you will not have to buy LEVIN collets. If it was me I would only purchase #3, #4, #5 etc. up to #20 plus a #50 for jewling chucks. The larger sizes, #21 through #80 do not grip as well as other design collets such as the ER-16 and the ER-11 series. WW collets offer good precision and excel at holding small shafts that are subjected to light cutting loads. For larger work I purchased a TAIG with an ER-16 headstock. This lathe is much better suited for larger clock size parts and the collets will not slip under heavier cutting loads. WW collet sets typically come in a large size range by skipping many of the smaller in between sizes and I would rather spend my money for more completeness in the smaller sizes. I believe Starret collets cost about $15.00 dollars each but you do not have to buy all of them at once. For a chuck I would get a small (45mm diameter) four jaw chuck (from RG TOOLS). With this chuck your work can be indicated in to a better degree of precision than a three jaw chuck. I do not have a lot of use for a three jaw chuck unless I am doing something crude and am in a hurry.
david

David:
That’s more great information.

Two more questions…
1) What collet and tool do I need for the tail stock (just for learning purposes)?
2) Who sells the 45mm four jaw chuck by RG Tools?

Thanks so very much!
tmac