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Drawbar for Collet Chuck? Rookie needs advice!

A

Al Stramiello

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May 1, 2006
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I'm interested in purchasing a set of Turner's Collet Chucks from Woodcraft. It's very similar to the Beall's except much cheaper and it comes with a #2 Morse taper. I want to use it to turn finials, ends caps for pens, etc.
I'm wondering if the MT2 is going to stay in the spindle when I start turning. I read somewhere about using/making a drawbar. Can somebody please set me straight here?
What is a drawbar?
Can I purchase one somewhere?
Thanks for your advice!
 
DocStram said:
I'm interested in purchasing a set of Turner's Collet Chucks from Woodcraft. It's very similar to the Beall's except much cheaper and it comes with a #2 Morse taper. I want to use it to turn finials, ends caps for pens, etc.
I'm wondering if the MT2 is going to stay in the spindle when I start turning. I read somewhere about using/making a drawbar. Can somebody please set me straight here?
What is a drawbar?
Can I purchase one somewhere?
Thanks for your advice!
Click to expand...
Whether the Morse taper insert stays in the spindle socket will depend upon what you are turning and how much vibration is being produced. If you are starting off with something that has square corners, the vibration may cause the taper insert to loosen or even slip in the socket. You don't want that to happen because it can gall the socket and the tapered insert and require reaming and honing to remove the burrs. A properly seated Morse taper connection should stay together under moderate to heavy vibration -- most drill presses (except for the cheaper new ones) use tapered connections (usually both Morse and Jacobs) from the spindle to the chuck and they very rarely fall apart or slip. If your Morse taper insert can accommodate a drawbar, then it will have a threaded hole at the small end to which a threaded rod is attached. The threaded rod screws into the tapered insert and the other end is then secured at the handwheel end of the headstock with a large washer and wing nut (not necessarily a wing nut). You can get it at a hardware store -- it doesn't need to be precision rod -- all-thread will work fine.

Bill
 
Bill is dead on. My morse taper collets are threaded either 1/4 x 20 or 5/16x 16. You can buy allthread rod to make the draw bar. I use T nuts to make a woodend tensioning nut or handwheel.
 
You may wish to use a small amount of blue loctite thread locking compound in your Tee Nut to secure it so that when you disassembel the draw bar your odds are better that the threaded rod will back out of the collet and not the handle side at the tailstock.
 
Collets are cool

If you're looking for a simple way to get into collet chucking, look at what the machine shops of the world do. Collet chucks come in all sizes and al are tapped for drawbar. If you're into turning bottle stoppers with a 3/8" dowel, then a collet which cost about $50 for a set of 7 is for you. Little Machine Shop.com (see link below) has a set for dowels from 1/8" to 1/2"
I use them for bottle stoppers, birdhouses, ornaments, rechucking for small jars and bowls. Check these out at 1752 at this website.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/
 
I can't find the correct size of thread for the Woodcraft collet chuck. I picked
up a 3/8 16 and it just doesn't work. I was told it was 18 and not 16 can't find the 18 anywhere.
 
Hamonrye said:
I can't find the correct size of thread for the Woodcraft collet chuck. I picked
up a 3/8 16 and it just doesn't work. I was told it was 18 and not 16 can't find the 18 anywhere.
Click to expand...
It sounds like the thread may be metric with a 1.25 pitch. Carry your collet to your favorite hardware store and see if a metric thread will fit. My recollection is that a 3/8 Fine is 24 TPI.

Bill
 
The comparison of Morse Tapers used in a Drill Press and that used in the Lathe discuused by Bill requires some qualification.

Firstly the Tapers are exactly the same in both instances.

With the Drill Press the major force is in the direction of the Taper i.e. you will Force the Taper into it,s Holder and therefore there is very little opportunity for it to Fall Out.

Also the Drill Bit is, or should be, Balanced and therefore will not create any adverse Vibration, however if the Drill Bit Jams into any item being Drilled that is not Adequately Clamped may cause the Tapers to part.

On a Lathe without Tailstock Support the Taper is now having Pressure exerted in various Directions.

Side Ways, Cuts from the non Secure End towards the Chuck/Taper or Cuts away from the Chuck/Taper the first and last of these could easily loosen the Taper and allow the Set Up to be ejected from the Spindle.

And of course any piece of Wood has the potential to be out of Balance, this alone could cause seperation of the Tapers.

A Morse Taper into any Lathe Headstock SHOULD always be used with a Draw Bar or at least with Tailstock Support at all times.

Any other option is an Accident waiting to happen.

Richard
http://www.laymar-crafts.co.uk
 
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