Do 8mm Levin collets fit 8mm Peerless lathe?

[nic422]

Hi Guys, Does anyone here know if 8mm Levin collets will fit in an 8mm Peerless lathe?

Nick

[tmac1956]

Nick:

Here’s an older thread that addresses your question.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=917&p=5731&hilit=Peerless+Lathe+accept+WW+8mm+collets#p5731

I hope this helps…
Tom

[nic422]

Thanks for the link Tom, however that thread doesn’t address anything about the Levin Collets. Reason being, I have a Peerless Marshall lathe with all matching
serial numbered part. It uses the Peerless collets and I bought some 8mm step Collets (advertised for Levin) off of eBay, and they don’t fit. They are too loose, the pin won’t attach, and the tailstock pipe won’t screw over the entire threads which leaves it loose about an eighth inch in the tailstock. I am trying to figure out if Peerless Marshall normally fit Levin, and therefore if these are not really Levin, since no brand is listed on them.

[tmac1956]

It has to do with the WW 8mm versus the Peerless lathe. I would contact Uncle Larry about that. He knows all.

Thanks,
Tom

[david pierce]

Nio422,
A Levin collet will have the name LEVIN and the size of the collet engraved on its face. Unless some Ebay seller machined this off of the collet face for some unknown reason, the information should be there. If the engraving is not there the collets are probably not Levin collets. If the drawbar does not fit the thread, the thread may not be a standard .275-40 collet thread. You can check this with a thread gauge and micrometer. I own three Peerless lathes and one of them will take standard Starrett collets while the other two will not. Finding accessories to make the lathes useful can be a problem when buying these old machines.
If you go to PAGE 3, PRODUCT REVIEWS started by Chirs Mabbott on Sat January 17, 2015 you can see pictures of some of my lathes.
david

[nic422]

Thank you so much David!

After getting some information from Larry, I think I might be able to deduce that these were made for a certain Longer Marshall tailstock like the longer ones made by Marshall because they are a little longer than the standard Peerless collets I have and the unit is loose in the tailstock after screwing the drawbar on (maybe two mm). Am I to understand Levin never made a longer collet like that as well?

Does this sound right? The threads do fit the drawbar, but the screw turn is tight and not free like on the normal collets. There is also about a 1mm gap between the threads and the main collet body that is a groove. I should post a pic soon.

Excited to check out your lathes, going to do than now…
EDITED

I checked out that thread and Tom’s pics of your shop. Wow, like a kid in a candy store looking at the shelves with the european style lathes on them. My heart fluttered 😆 Am I to understand since these are in the product pages you sometimes sell a lathe or two, or if not, have a source? Please pm me if this is a private topic, or not if I’m being a bit too intrusive.

[nic422]

the guy who sold me these says they are for Levin. All I’ve heard so far from Larry is Levin did not make or take longer collets like these. After expressing this to the seller, the seller insists they work on his Levin and refuses to work with me on his “no return” policy and take them back. I paid about $75 for them and fear I have been taken. Thoughts?

• This reply was modified 3 years ago by Tamas Richard.

[willofiam]

Hey Nic422, A really good book on the subject here is ” The Watchmakers Lathe” by Ward Goodrich I see on ebay for around $10. glancing thru it today I read that there are different style cut threads. @Nic422 wrote:

The threads do fit the drawbar, but the screw turn is tight and not free like on the normal collets.

This could be from the difference in threads, European threads are rounded and American threads are more of a sharp V. If you take a close look at them let us know if there is a difference. You can tap out the drawbar for the American style threads and as the book suggests this should be done or the threads will be bruised or the drawbar will get stretched out.

I have had several styles of collets, yes some are a bit longer than others and the shoulders can also be different styles. I had a Wolf Jahn that took the longer collets and would not work properly in my Derbishire. Many styles of collets have been manufactured over the years along with Asian imports and would guess if you dont have any markings that they may be…but I am not certain.

I dont know if this would cause any issues but I suppose you could use a spacer for your drawbar, or try and find a shorter drawbar but I am a little confused (or need more coffee) is the length problem in the headstock or the tailstock?

Have a great day, William

[nic422]

Thanks for all your help. The threads weren’t the issue. They work. The issue was the seller not taking accountability for his listing and trying to intimidate me from a refund or escalating. With the input from all your information, and the generous time and advice from Larry at uncle Larry’s shop, I did escalated it to eBay, and they took care of it. Thanks guys.

David I want to know more about your lathes!!!! The thread only shows your workshop!

[david pierce]

Nic,
I have been collecting these machines since 1971. When I have a little time I pull one off the shelf and restore it. Last weekend I put a set of Wolf Jahn turns back into a restored condition. At the moment I don’t need the money so I have no incentive to sell any of them. This may change a few years down the road if I decide to retire. When I do decide to start selling them they will be offered in a wooden box along with a set of accessories. Last week I purchased two IME lathes off of Ebay but they haven’t come in yet. I currently have between 60 and 70 watchmaker size lathes along with several Turns and Jacot lathes. Once put back into proper working order these old machines are very nice. Unfortunately most of them are no long manufactured and finding the correct accessories can be a bit of a project. As you found out with your Peerless It isn’t always easy to match available accessories to a machine. In previous posts I recommended the Chinese made Sincere Lathe. It is the most affordable quality alternative for a watchmaker size (not clockmaker size) lathe. For around $2000.00 or so you can have a very complete setup. Compare this with the price of a Bergeon (made by DIXIE) which sells for around $44,000.00 for a similar setup. Either machine can produce beautifully made small precision parts. There is also an option called a VECTOR which is the same Chinese Lathe as the Sincere, repackaged in Germany, and sold in a beautifully made wooden box. I am not exactly sure what the Vector sells for but I am sure that the wooden box is very expensive.
david

[nic422]

wow ❗ Amazing story about your collecting! Thanks for that very detailed explanation. I have looked at Sincere and decided I wanted an American made lathe as well since Bergeon was so crazy expensive and I figure the Sincere will probably break down bit by bit with use. I’d be willing to guess the hammered finish is hammered finish paint and Bob recommended not buying the round pipe beds in his videos. I didn’t realize they are fine for just watch work though. As far as my lathe goes, just need a mill and index plate now and it will be pretty much complete. I converted a cross slide with a base originally meant for a different lathe to fit my PM since I didn’t have the Marshall triple compound, and was able to get other parts that fit.

Do you think the sincere mill will work okay off a vintage (single slot on top) cross slide?

[david pierce]

Nic,
Before jumping in and buying the accessory think about what you want to do with it. Even though the device looks like it will give you the capacity to do milling on a watchmaker lathe, it is really designed to allow a watchmaker a way to cut gear teeth. In other words it is really a gear tooth cutting accessory. If what you really want to do is have the capacity to do milling you should consider getting a milling machine instead of the lathe accessory. The milling machine in Tom McAlister’s shop pictures is a good, powerful precision machine that can cut steel, brass, aluminum, plastic etc. without the belt slipping, the motor stalling, or having the machine bend and move under a cutter load. The lathe accessory is intended for an extremely lite duty narrow application and allows a watchmaker with limited space a reasonable way to cut gear teeth. Other watch parts such as the gear spokes would normally be cut out with a jewelers saw and a file. Look at your budget and give it some thought before taking the plunge.
david

[nic422]

Thought about getting one of the Sherline Mills, but I think it would be so cool to have a fully functional all around purpose restored vintage american made jewelers lathe and know how to use it as well.

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