What are the experienced/old timers doing in my situation?
My edge finder has a ¼ shank. Say for example I have a ¾ mill end in a r8 collet and I need to constantly switch between the edge finder and mill end. I have to switch r8 collets sizes every time.
Besides making different sized collet inserts with a ¼ shank size, is there a better and quicker way?
Is there 1 or 2 sized taper collets or straight collets for ¼ shank, ER or similar that I can use?
Seems like I usually have a drill chuck mounted when I need to whip out the edge finder - I just put it in the chuck. Very fast & handy, no need for it to be tight, just snug.
Maybe you could put a straight shank on one of your drill chucks so you could pop that into the collet, then quickly put in the edge finder? I don't believe chuck inaccuracy plays a part ..
Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.
John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).
Greetings Rod, If you are changing colltes that much then either get a quick change system or make adapters for your edge finder. Actually, you can probably get away with one adapter. Just put 6 different diameters on an aluminum or brass plug. Each diameter can be only 1/8" long. Start with a 1 inch diameter rod and turn the following diameters on it:
5/16, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8. Leave a 1/8 long 1 inch diameter on it so the overall length is 7/8". Drill a 1/4" hole through. Tap for 4-40 in the 1 inch dia step and use a screw to hold the edge finder in the adapter. Whenever you put the adapter in the collet butt the shoulder of the next bigger diamater against the collet face. This will make the edge finder run true enough. Since you will only be holding on a
1/8" long diameter don't tighten the collet too much. If you go with the quick change system do a web search on them first. There are many different ones with different prices and operating schemes. Cheers, Eric
Oh no you don't! A thread, once released into usenet, takes on a life of it's own, morphing into ever more unlikely OT variations, until someone invokes "Nazi" or "Hitler", at which time the threads ends.
What are the experienced/old timers doing in my situation?
My edge finder has a ¼ shank. Say for example I have a ¾ mill end in a r8 collet and I need to constantly switch between the edge finder and mill end. I have to switch r8 collets sizes every time.
Besides making different sized collet inserts with a ¼ shank size, is there a better and quicker way?
Is there 1 or 2 sized taper collets or straight collets for ¼ shank, ER or similar that I can use?
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Rod
I like Eric's idea but if you want to spend the cash, get a DRO! You won't need an edge finder much anymore.
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Nope! R8 are closer to the 5C ones frequently used in lathe spindles. The difference is that they have an insert for a solid drawbar, instead of external threads for a hollow drawbar that will also allow a workpiece to pass through it.
They are also a bit smaller in diameter than a 5C, though somewhat close to the same length.
To release them -- you have to loosen the drawbar and (usually) tap on it with a small hammer. To change them, you have to totally unscrew the drawbar, and withdraw the whole collet and replace it with another size.
BTW The original poster used extended ASCII characters, which don't display the same on all systems. I'm seeing:
\274 (edge finder shank size) (1/4) \240 (I think a quote mark, but I'm not sure -- it shows as a space when I play the same game which gave me the 1/4 above) \276 (end mill size) (3/4) \240 (again -- I think a close quote or a strange blank space).
If you (OP) want *everyone* to read what you wrote, you will avoid special characters and type it as "1/4" (three characters) which will be readable on *all* systems. I suspect that these show differently depending on which font you have selected, even on another Windows system or a Mac.
Where did you find an edge finder with a 1/4" shank? I've seen
3/8" and 1/2" shanks, but not 1/4". (Or do you mean that it has a 1/4" edge finding surface?)
Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.
John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).
My edge finder hooks to the top of the spindle in between the collet and the top of the machine... I don't even need to remove the mill bit... It just snaps on and snaps off...
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