5-c Collet Closer Installation To A G0709

Santa brought me an early present this year, a 5-C lever style collet closer for my Grizzly G0709 lathe! Grizzly does not sell a collet closer specifically for the G0709, but they do sell one for a 14 x 40 lathe (model H5948). The price is right at $270. The regular price is $450 so these are likely priced for close out.

Ted, a fellow HM member, took the leap and bought the H5948 model and found that the hub adapter fits perfectly on the spindle of the G0709 lathe. The draw bar tube is too long by about 4” as received, but that’s what our shops are made for!

Ted came up with an overall length of 21 ¼” for the draw bar tube. I cut mine to 21 ½” figuring it’s easier to remove length than to put it back on. The photos tell the story, install the adapter to the spindle, set the adjusting hub in place, set the locking yoke and collars on the end of the draw bar tube. I measured the distance between the 5MT to 5-C adapter w/collet threaded in place and the spindle to determine how much shorter to make the draw bar tube.

A couple of other mods were reinforcing the headstock back cover with a couple of ½” thick aluminum straps. The cover is about ¼” aluminum, I was a little nervous about cracking the cover over time and went the over-engineered route. The pivot brackets had to be shallowed up to fit as the locking yoke ended up an inch or so closer to the cover. Pretty simple mill/band saw mods. I used a drum sander on the drill press to open up the spindle hole in the cover by about 0.060” to get more clearance to the hub adapter.

Ted took an easier, more robust approach by attaching the pivot bracket to the headstock cover bracket boss. He turned a new boss to get the correct thread for the pivot bracket. The biggest difference to our installs is his collet lever points down, mine points up. Both work great, just a matter of preference.

The closer is pretty simple to remove when not in use, just pull one M8 cap screw on the pivot bracket and slide the attachment off the lathe. I made a spanner wrench of sorts for tightening/loosening the hub adapter to the back of the spindle. That and the cover need to be removed to access the ball oilers on the banjo bracket. Sure wish Grizzly would have made a door in the cover so it doesn’t have to be removed to access those ball oilers; maybe a future shop project . . .

Nice job, BG. Did you test your Grizzly spindle adapter for runout? Mine measures .0006", more than I would have liked, but I do have a tool post grinder. Others have had various results with those adapters.

I measured my spindle adapter at 0.0002", pretty happy with that! My collets are from CDCO which around around 0.0005". Pretty happy with the whole package.

Bruce

I ordered this collet closer for my 0709 lathe after reading this thread. Maybe a goofy question but being new to this, rather than cutting up the closer by 4", would there be a problem to make a 4" bracket for the headstock case? Do you see any issues that I don't see? Thanks in advance for your assistance!

You could turn an extension on the head stock end and use the draw tube as designed. You could make it from a D1-5 chuck mount and cut the internal taper while mounted to the spindle which would minimize your inaccuracy. Your taper would likely not be hardened like the spindle but that shouldn't be big problem since it's just being used to hold the 5C/5MT adapter. Would get side loaded as you turn, but it could always be trued again on the lathe if need be.

If I was going to use the stock draw tube, I'd probably go with a sleeve on the back side of the spindle instead. In function, the draw tube is really just between a rock and a hard place. You're drawing the collet into the 5C adapter and bearing on the back side on the adapter that screws to the back of the spindle. You could thread a tube that screws onto the back of the spindle and thread the outside to match the spindle. Then the stock tube would work fine.

Bruce

Could you tell me what the diameter of the draw bar is. I might order that same one for my g4003g if I can modify it to work.

Sorry, was out of town this past weekend. Diameter at the head stock end is 1.334". Our lathes are advertised with the same spindle bores so it should work for you.

Bruce