BP Disaster Solved -- giganto pita....

Yup, absolutely classic! It gets cross-threaded, or maybe a chip wedges into the thread and binds it all up, the nut turns in the collet, and then pulls up into the spindle.

I doubt you can find anything but $50 apiece collets that don't have the 2-piece construction. Even the ones you THINK are all one part, may just have cleverly hidden joints. I don't know how they can have an open space behind the collet's gripping section without the separate nut piece.

The spacer is only to be removed after you have cut off an equivalent length of thread on the drawbar, so as to get two uses out of when the thread gets worn.

Still, iof he used a hand-operated wrench on the drawbar, didn't he FEEL something going wrong when he tightened it?

Jon

Good point. Hopefully "cleverly hidden" would translate additionally into "well made". :)

I don't know

Another good observation. This is a very very talented old-school machinist (if not a little odd), who often works behind various shleps in his employ. He proly should have noticed, but when you perenially exist in the line of financial gunfire, s*it happens in the heat of battle. This is one of them.

=========== You can have the same problems with a one piece collet if you strip the threads.

Draw bars and collets are not the place to try to save money. Also if something is not fitting right, like the drawbar without the washer, don't just put a cheater on the wrench and yank, check to see what's wrong.

A useful accessory is a combination drawbar wrench with reasonable length handle and a hammer to whack the drawbar to loosen the collet. for an example see

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------------------- He that will not apply new remedies, must expect new evils: for Time is the greatest innovator: and if Time, of course, alter things to the worse, and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better, what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman. Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).

I've had great success using masonry bits for drilling hard steel. It is noisy, but does work pretty enough. I don't bother to re-sharpen the bits for cutting metal, just lean into it. It's useful to use flood cooling, but not essential, so long as the bit doesn't get so hot that the braze lets go.

Hmm. I had one R8 accessory (a one-piece shell mill holder if I recall) that allowed the Millrite draw bar to bottom, so I shortened the drawbar.

I'm not sure if Millrite MVI vertical mills are supposed to have a thrust washer, but mine does not. The manual is equivocal. There may have been a needle-bearing thrust washer. Does anybody know?

Half of my R8 collets are two piece, but none bottom.

"Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in news:497c9195$0$20294$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:

Why not just split the threaded bit off of the end of the draw bar with a cold chisel and a hand sledge? Like on a car with a frozen lug nut and spinning stud.

This is a good opportunity to TIG the collet back together and then try to break the weld. If it holds or you find a way to anneal them you have a fix for the 2-piece ones.

jw

that's good advice that too often goes unheeded; should be in big letters across the walls in a shop

They are supposed to have that pin in the spindle, but it's often been sheared off. My mill is like that. Replacing the pin seems like a lot of work.

The pin on the 5C collet holder for my Clausing 5914 lathe was also sheared off, but was easily fixed, so I fixed it. Basically, machine a

Joe Gwinn

Perhaps not as bad as you think.

Now -- I've only read about this, never done it, so I'm trying to remember whether you have to turn out the big nut at the bottom of the quill first. If so -- mark it so you can screw it back in the same amount. It has its own set screw holding it in place.

Good Luck, DoN.

The index pin is replacable and please remember, it is sacrificial. Do not make one of hardened steel!. They are tricky to remove, but not difficult, not time consuming. They are VERY important because they will prevent a spinning R8 tool from trashing the quill. It is wise to make up spares and have them ready to change when the occasion arives. It does happen all too often. Steve

so, now that we are speaking of index pins - what about the index for C5 collets - the one on my holder is nearly worn out, and it isn't a simple pin - are these available (if so, where)?

Steve, I think that a friend of mine has an index pin that sheared off. So if you know how to replace one, I think that he will be delighted to know. I also think that they are great safety devices.

Might help if you give some information about your indexer.

For HAAS HA5C

P/N 22-4052 Collet Key HA5C

Tom

Th> Perhaps not as bad as you think.

And from Bridgeport

More often than not they are simply an "extended point set screw" also known as "dog point" and/or "pilot point" set screws (as stated earlier by another poster use soft Steel, NEVER stainless or hardened materials).

Yes BP come from the factory with a pin to hold the collet.

The first thing all the serious old time machinests I know and 2 guys my age who are working in machine shops in Salinas (Salad bowl of the world) do is remove the pin. They all say the first time you shear that pin and spin a collet ('cause it wasn't tight enough) wedging it tight with the debris and gall the s*it out of things you'll be happy you did. The problem is the pin fakes you out into thinking things are tight when they aren't...

The old coot who refurb and sold me my BP offered to put the pin BACK IN if I want him too... but said the same thing... keep it out and learn the feel of your draw bar..

My 2 buddies currently working the in the shops also think it's better to spin an end mill in the collet 'cause you took to heavy of a cut rather than bust the flutes off, so cheaters are a no no.

FYI my BP is a standard J head step pully machine but has a really long draw bar that sticks up about 3 inchs. That 3 inch portion was soft enough for me to knurl... I keep my collet threads pristine clean and I can run the palm of my hand across that knurrled portion and spin the draw bar hand tight in one flick.. Then it's about a half turn with the wrench and I'm 'good to go'.

Also as some one pointed out a draw bar wrench/ hammer is the way to go, but whats this buy one bullshit... Ya cut the end off a 3/4 combo wrench and silver solder on a chunk of brass.. it's handy for whacking other things besides the draw bar...

--.- Dave

Yes, you have to remove the nut on the end of the quill.

You mean "5C" collets?

I think that it depends on what you are mounting the collets in. The pins on the Adaptors from 5C to MT 4-1/2 in my lathe have what appears to be a press-fit one, though I have not needed to do anything with it yet.

The one in a Hardinge lathe spindle which takes 5C collets directly may be like the ones in the Bridgeport -- a dog-point setscrew plus a bodyless setscrew to allow locking it in position.

Have you removed it to see what it is like? It may well be simple enough to make in your lathe.

Who made the holder? If you insist on *buying* one, instead of making one, that would be a good place to start.

My adaptor for the Clausing lathe was made by Royal, FWIW.

Enjoy, DoN.