ER32, ER25 or Direct R8 collets ?

I started with a couple of MT3 finger collets as I was on a tight budget. I rarely use them though since I bought an ER32 collet chuck. If you’re buying an ER32 chuck buy yourself a “bearing nut” for it as it makes tightening easier.
ER32 is a good choice as there seem to be lots of other fixtures and fittings in that size. You can also get over size collets for the ER32 up to 1”.

For what they cost, not buying the whole set of ER collets is daft. Having to delay a job you could finish now if you had a collet that is part of a set is a very poor use of resources.

If your intended use is on the mill, then getting the Stevensons collet blocks will make a lot of operations easier: cross-drilling, machining flats, hexes etc.

SillyOldDuffer

Thats an impressive list of things to put in an ER collet. I have a brace of nice Albretch drill chucks to deal (more) quickly and easily with most of those. Tramming device (Burk Co-Ax knock off) goes in a direct spindle collet. Slitting saw arbor and fly-cutter are direct to spindle shanks. The idea of futzing about with a collet to hold drills almost makes my ears bleed. I have done it with oversize straight shank drills for one off "why did I agree to do this" types of job and hopefully won't be revisiting the experience.

The Stevenson blocks, spindexer and work holding in a lathe possibilities are the best arguments in favour of a comprehensive ER system. But my main lathe is native 5C spindle taper and I have full sets of 5C by 1/64" and 0.5 mm so ER has no attraction there. Obviously my spindexer, hex block and square block are 5C. All get regular use. Great thing about 5C is being able to get hex and square collets when needed.

To my mind, except a lever action closer on the lathe, popping a native arbor out of a spindle is always going to be faster and less hassle than mucking about with collets for everything. Been mimbling whether or not to fit my lever closer for ages!

One great thing about this hobby is that there are many ways of doing things with considerable overlap between methods. What you do is always constrained by what you have. Given most folks budgetary limitations the art is to get what you need now and for the foreseeable future without exhausting todays funding. No point in overspending on tool holding and tooling in early days leaving no money to get materials and actually use the stuff.

In retrospect I spent far too much far too early in anticipation of what I might need! When an absolute "must have now 'cos I shall surely need it" sits in a cupboard for 30 years before triumphantly emerging to save the day its possible the need was overstated! Hope is fading for some 40 year and counting cupboard queens. I shall use my Edgwick (Cincinnati copy) dividing head one day. I will, I will! Got the wide range plate set too, how cool is that!

Bargain prices tend to have undue influence on me too.

If I were to do it again starting now I would go with several end mill holders, a good keyless chuck, direct to spindle arbours for slitting saws and flycutter, possibly a direct to spindle collet for the tramming device and wiggler / edge-finder too. Actually I'd ditch the edge finder and buy a Huffam type wiggler, more spendy but they work properly, always. I'm unconvinced about collet blocks unless your mill is small. 5C spindexer and 5C mount chuck could cover all collet block duties for me. The blocks only tend to come out when I can't be bothered to fit the spindexer or when I have vice set ups going on at the same time. Clearly if you eventually do decide that an ER or whatever collet set is your future way forward then starting out with a collet set will probably be cheaper.

One place I would spend out on is a good machine vice. If the size is appropriate for your machine the Vertex VJ400 is a decent vice with much larger opening capacity than the normal 4" jaw vice. Spendy at £250 (ish) from Rotagrip but I'd find an ordinary vice limiting.

Clive

It's what our machines are used for and how that makes the difference. Most of what I do can be done by changing collets, which is quicker on an MT machine than undoing the drawbar and swapping the whole tool. Not everything is suitable for collets though: boring heads go in the spindle, and it's well worth changing to a drill chuck when a job requires a lot of different sized holes to be drilled. But most of my drilling is done with collets. Other examples too.

I'm in two minds about sets and buying in anticipation. Sets have two advantages: they solve the "I don't know what size I need yet" beginner dilemma, and - provided most of the set is eventually used - they're cheaper than buying one at a time. Also, owning sets saves time if they avoid jobs stopping dead while a tool is ordered. On the other hand, I've wasted money on a few tools that have never been used. It always hurts.

Dave

I don't think anyone has mentioned that using R8 collet the tool tip to bearing overhang is less giving greater rigidity. When I had my Naerok I used R8 collet most of the time for holding milling cutters, and if given the choice of MT or R8 on a machine I'd always plump for R8.

If I were a superhero Like Nils Abdegard (hope I've spelled that right) I'd make a new spindle for my Centec, but I'm not!

Like you Dave I’ve found ER32 invaluable and use it on the lathe, Mill, woodwork lathe and collet blocks and spindexer. Unlike many on here it seems, I couldn’t afford a complete set of collets so bought the most needed first and filled in the gaps later. Obviously we all have different “resources” so what works for one doesn’t apply to everyone. I too use them for all sorts of odd size drill bits etc on my mill for which a finger collet simply wouldn’t do. As others have mentioned before, whilst you do loose some Z height, you also gain some space around the cutter to see what’s going on when using small milling cutters. Also as said using a collet chuck reduces wear and tear on the Morse Taper and bearings etc in the quill. Considering how cheaply the chucks are it seemed silly not to get one. I just wish the over size collets were a bit cheaper as the single 1” version I bought has come in very handy on the lathe.