Collet closer for HF 12-36 lathe

Did you try Grizzly?

(Sorry about that. Couldn't resist.)

They *literally* threw you out?

Collet closers are pretty easy to make. There have been several construction articles. See

Randy

I built one for my HF 12 X 36 lathe, a fairly straightforward project. I used a Collis MT3-5 adaptor for the adaptor, machining it in place in the spindle. IIRC the closer angle is 20deg. I made the tube from a piece of 1 1/4IPS sch40 pipe, and welded a 1.5"OD piece of steel to the end to be threaded for the collet. Threaded the end while running in the steady. made the closer handwheel from a piece of 1/2" alum plate, with a hub from alum scrap about 1 3/4" dia with three 1/4" SHCS bolting the HW to the hub. I used a thrust bearing with 1 1/4" ID (a Torrington 305 IIRC) between the HW Hub and the left end adaptor to the spindle. The spindle adaptor was a piece of 2 1/4" OD stainless that was bored a slip fit over the spindle, with a 1 1/4" ID to suit the (reduced) dia of the pipe and the thrust bearing. Biggest problem was the HW was too small (5.5") diameter, have to use pipe wrench sometimes to tighten it enough. Not hard to do, try it. Steve

Pretty straight forward to make. Check out my collet closer assembly on my webiste/ Its listed on mthe Projects Page. The hardest if yur not all that familiar or experieinced may be making the collet adapter nose piece and perhaps internal threading of draw tube, but its really not hard to do.

Visit my website:

expressed are those of my wife, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

Long story; not yet resolved so I can't elaborate yet.

-jc-

Thanks. Looks like I have to "subscribe" before I can see the articles....

-jc-

Thanks for the ideas. I might try to make the hub adapter to thread into the spindle end so it can do "double duty" as a spider to center rifle barrels for threading & chambering. Might also eliminate the need for a thrust bearing. Gotta be less expensive than "store-bought". :-)

-jc-

Super!

I'll probably tackle the tool post grinder pretty soon, too.

-jc-

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 04:55:15 GMT, John Chase calmly ranted:

I see what you mean. I believe their idea of an online article index is that the -index- is online, not the actual -articles-.

I have Java disabled in Nutscrape so I opened MSIExploder and it gave the the same, useless, linkless pages.

Feh! That's as bad as ShopNotes (woodworking) mag -selling- their index, not making it available otherwise. When are these publishers going to realize that--by making some articles and indices available--it brings new customers' eyes to their site which spurs sales of subscriptions and increases daily banter about the magazine, which further sells mags, and it doesn't cost them a cent? (OK, worst case, it costs the an hour of their web designer's time to output a few text pages each month.)

With $28/yr scrip rates and single page ad rates at $1,215-2,340 each, that's a very small drop in the bucket.

---------------------------------------------------------- --== EAT RIGHT...KEEP FIT...DIE ANYWAY ==--

- Schnazzy Tees online

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Hopefully, I'm not hijacking this thread, but I thought I'd post my own related experience with Grizzly. I just got their 12x36 gear head lathe and G4026 collet closer. Its my understanding that all of these lathes are nearly exactly the same, so I assume the collet closer would work with your lathe whether grizzly says it would or not.

At $299.95, it didn't seem to be too expensive, given the work it would take to make my own, but now that I have it in hand and discover that there are absolutely no instructions for installing it and I really have no idea how it should operate, I am seriously considering returning it. All that was included was a parts list that only mostly matched the parts I recieved, and didn't even match the list the company had. I've called grizzly a couple of times for help, and in addition to the necessary hold time to speak to a machinist, they have been disinterested and largely unhelpful (I still don't know how it works).

Anyway, I wanted to ask here if anybody has had any success with this product at all? I think grizzly's inability to help me has more to do with the product than anything else, but perhaps someone else has suffered through its shortcomings and has some insights to share. For instance, the fact that the lever is supposed to point down surprised me, (it points up in all the pictures). I am considering buying or making parts to make it operate the way I think it should or simply returning it.

Besides making your own, are their any expensive commercial solutions? I notice Royal seems to have stopped making their handwheel operated type.

On 6 Sep 2004 06:51:42 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com (Seymour Glass) calmly ranted:

If they didn't include this in your box, it might help.

pages of warnings, 2 pages of exploded parts drawings, and 7 pages of instructions.

I always check online to see if a manual and parts list & diagrams are available before I buy any tool. They can be really handy in determining whether or not the machine warrants purchase. (Or if I could make one in a day for a tenth the cost. ;)

.-. Life is short. Eat dessert first! ---

Comprehensive Website Development

I didn't even think to check. They never mentioned it, and a google search only turned up this board. Many, many thanks. You have been a much greater help than grizzly.

Not at all; the more, the merrier. :-)

Actually, I believe the HF is superior in that it gives you 18 speeds vs the 9 for the Grizzly G4003. Beyond that, all the specs down to the machine weight are identical.

You should expect to be charged a 10% "restocking fee" if you go that route.

Does the closer you have look sort of like the picture upper left here: ? The instruction manual is available online: . You need the free Acrobat reader to read it.

Their e-mail "customer service reps" are quite expert at cobbling boilerplate text together. :-|

I haven't priced one locally (Chicago area) yet, but there is a company in Harvard, IL that makes them. If I think of it I'll call them tomorrow and ask for a quote. Their catalog shows the Royal brand as well (J&L Industrial, , but no prices.

I'm inclined to try to buy just the spindle nose adapter, and manufacture the rest of a collet closer myself.

-jc-

[ ... ]

Hmm ... I would expect pointing up to be easier to use than pointing down -- but mine (on an older Clausing, not a Griz or relative) points out at 90 degrees to the two orientations described, and I find that to be a very convenient orientation.

Now -- I am sure that it *could* be fitted in the out orientation, but that would require some extra work on the machine's headstock, as you would have to drill and tap a new mounting point for it behind the spindle, and drill an extra hole through the cover.

You *might* be able to mount it pointing up without modification to the headstock -- *if* the second nut which you remove from a stud to remove the gear access cover is close to as far below the spindle as the top one is above. (This is based on what little I can see in the referenced document pointed out by others. I would suggest that you see whether you can mount it with the handle pointing up without much trouble, as it would certainly be easier to use in that orientation than with it pointing down.

Check what is behind the gear cover at the point the same radial distance from the spindle as the top nut, and directly behind the spindle. If there are no moving parts (e.g. gears or belts) there, you may be able to mount it with the handle pointing out beside the headstock in front of the lathe. That will certainly be the easiest way to use it.

I think that the nosepiece from Royal may cost as much as your whole closer did -- just as a point of reference.

Good Luck, DoN.

I got a "ballpark" price on a Royal closer from J&L Industrial Supply in the Chicago area of around $900.00. I also asked about just the nosepiece, and was told that it's not available as a separate item.

-jc-

Give me your total drawbar length needed. I have a number of 5c closers kicking around.

Gunner

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke