FYI: #2 Morse taper collet chucks are on sale

[David Walser]

This is just FYI: LittleMachineShop.com's weekly special this week is a set of #2 Morse taper collet chucks in sizes from 1/8" to 1/2" in 1/16" increments. That's a total of 7 collets for $75, a $10 savings. Each is threaded to accept a draw bar.

The handsome and talented John K. Jordan has eloquently explained how he uses such collets in his woodturning. You might be able to find them for less elsewhere, but I have had a set from LittleMachineShop for several years and find them to be a good value and very useful. Other than that, I have no relationship with the company.

Here's a link: https://www.littlemachineshop.com/pr...ly_special.php

[tom lucas]

I have the Woodcraft set and it's pretty nice too. A bit more costly that LittleMachineShop's though.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/w...UaAl1WEALw_wcB

[David Walser]

The Woodcraft collets are not only more expensive, they are a different kind of collet. The ones from LittleMachineShop fit inside the spindle’s Morse taper, they do not fit inside a chuck body. The ones from Woodcraft fit inside a chuck body, which mounts in the Morse taper.

Here is a picture of the the collets from LittleMachineShop:

3B6B4B68-9922-408C-91FF-FCAC28C73DC7.jpeg
There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of collet. The advantage of these is they are so small. They give you complete access to the work.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

OK. Thanks you for the tip. BUT before this Forum cost me more money again, what are you guys turning that uses these chucks? I've seen them and wondered what could it be used for. I know, obviously very small items, but what do you guys turn? And I have turned actual round beads for a necklace. Not easy......
TIA

[David Walser]

Kyle -- I use these for a number of things. First, I frequently use the 3/8" collet in my tailstock quill to mount Forstner bits. All my Forstner bits have a 3/8" shank, which makes switching between bits quick and simple. I also have a Jacobs chuck that could be used, but the collets are more accurate. Second, I use them in making Christmas ornaments. For example, for a finial I turn a small tenon between centers and then mount the blank in the collet, which is mounted in the headstock. This allows me to get very close to my work -- it's almost as if the wood is spinning in mid-air. Also, if need be, I can easily remove the work from the collet and remount it without worrying about it running true. I find the 1/8" collet to be good for turning perches for birdhouse ornaments. I just slide a 1/8" dowel through the collet and through the hollow spindle out the back of the headstock. (No, I cannot use a drawbar this way. However, the collet rarely comes loose. If it does, I simply tap it back in with the handle of my turning tool and I'm back up and running.) This arrangement allows me to turn several perches in a row, just pulling out another inch of dowel for each perch as I go.

However, I don't just use these collets for very small things. If I'm turning something that I otherwise might hold in a chuck with my pin jaws, I'm apt to use one of these collets instead. For example, I might turn a 1/2" diameter tenon that is 1" long on a candlestick blank. Rather than grip that tenon in my pin jaws, I'll use the 1/2" collet. In fact, more often than not, when I do use my pin jaws its because I overshot the cut of the tenon. The tenon, being slightly under 1/2", cannot be held in the 1/2" collet, so I use the pin jaws.

HTH

[John K Jordan]

OK. Thanks you for the tip. BUT before this Forum cost me more money again, what are you guys turning that uses these chucks? I've seen them and wondered what could it be used for. I know, obviously very small items, but what do you guys turn? And I have turned actual round beads for a necklace. Not easy......
TIA

The sets usually have sizes to hold tenons from 1/8" to 1/2" diameter. Unlike the far more expensive collet chucks the 2MT chucks are more limited but take up far less space on the lathe, important for turning longer spindles on a small lathe. I use the 1/2" size for woodturning (bought a couple of extra singles). The MT collets also have less clamping range than the ER collets in a collet chuck so the tenon turned has to be fairly precise, pretty close to 1/2".

They grip exceeding well, as do The smaller sizes are more useful for holding metal for machining. I paid about $10 for the single 1/2" 2MT collets. Amazon has a much better price and the quality seems to be the same from what I got from LMS. I paid as little as $43 per set from Amazon. A closer photo of one:

collet_2MT.jpg

A big advantage of any collet is the work can be removed then remounted to maintain exact registration. (As long as the wood doesn't move between mountings!)
Another advantage of collets is they still hold the work tightly when the tailstock is removed.

This is an example what I've turned with these, some finials, holly and ebony:

collet_finials_larger.jpg

That said, I personally find it easier to do many spindles by turning a short #2 Morse Taper on the end which I mount directly into the MT taper on the lathe headstock. With some practice it's quick to make the taper. It has the same advantage of remounting with registration. It requires far less diameter precision than turning a tenon to fit the collet although the taper precision is important, but if I don't get it right the first try I can easily adjust the taper at the expense of using a tiny bit more of the length of the blank.

I use the MT method for most thin spindles, some wand blanks and some turnings with the taper not yet removed.

morse_taper.jpg morse_taper_IMG_5054 - Copy.jpg A01_wands_IMG_5046.jpg

The disadvantage of the MT compared to the collet is the work needs to be held with tailstock pressure or it will come out of the headstock. I typically do all of the turning while still supported lightly by the tailstock then cut the ends away and finish by hand. For one a long thin walnut spindle that was quite thin on the end (diameter of 1/2" to about 1/16" over 2'+) there wasn't enough strength in the wood to keep the taper tight in the headstock so I drilled a hole in the end of the wood and held it tight with a 1/4" drawbar.

pointers_IMG_20140311_11390.jpg drawbar_long_spindle.jpg

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

I see David mentioned holding drill bits with collets. I've tried that also but I found something I like better, an end mill holder: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXSP25W
It holds the bit with a set screw.

end_mill_holder.jpg

I like this better since it is easier for me to hold with pliers or something to keep a large Forstner bit from twisting. This does make it extend a bit further from the tailstock but I found the precision good. The one I bought is very well made.

But on the subject of drilling on the lathe, for those who don't know you can get twist drill bits with Morse Taper shanks. The larger bits have #2MT but the smaller are #1 so I use an inexpensive adapter.

taper_1_IMG_20160919_094408.jpg

The advantage over using a Jacob's chuck - they have less length sticking out from the tailstock, better precision, and quicker to change.

taper_2_IMG_20160919_094945.jpg

JKJ

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Ok. Once again. Thank you very much Sawmill Creek Forum for making me spend money... I am now 92 bucks poorer, and the collet set should be on it's way....
Than you!