R8 collet brands - seeking just a little advice

cazclocker

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Just wondering, is Lyndex considered a good brand of R8 collets? I need a 5/16" to insert my tramming fixture (for my LMS MiniMill), and I'd like a collet with as good runout specs as I can afford, at least for that one collet. My mill came with 7 R8's, from 1/8" to 3/4" in even 1/8" steps, so there's no 5/16" in my set. Also, I'm assuming the collets that came with my mill are probably Chinese or Taiwanese imports - for tramming I'd like to get a good quality 5/16" R8 collet.
Is there some other brand that you experienced guys know about, besides Lyndex?
Thank you in advance,
...Doug
 
Lyndex is offshore but probably acceptable for your application. Put a 5/16 drill or precision pin in it and check the run out first before installing the tool. Tim
 
Lyndex is offshore but probably acceptable for your application. Put a 5/16 drill or precision pin in it and check the run out first before installing the tool. Tim

Thank you, Tim. I wonder where Lyndex is made? Are there any USA-made R8 collets that are known to be of good quality?
 
Just wondering, is Lyndex considered a good brand of R8 collets? I need a 5/16" to insert my tramming fixture (for my LMS MiniMill), and I'd like a collet with as good runout specs as I can afford, at least for that one collet. My mill came with 7 R8's, from 1/8" to 3/4" in even 1/8" steps, so there's no 5/16" in my set. Also, I'm assuming the collets that came with my mill are probably Chinese or Taiwanese imports - for tramming I'd like to get a good quality 5/16" R8 collet.
Is there some other brand that you experienced guys know about, besides Lyndex?
Thank you in advance,
...Doug

A Hardinge R 8 collet in this size is $41.00, or about $10.00 more than MSC's price for a Lyndex collet. See: http://www.shophardinge.com/search.aspx?str=R8 collet

To my way of thinking, while Hardinge collets aren't cheap. sometimes they are not all that much more than some of the alternatives. And they are easy to buy online from Hardinge (they take credit cards). David
 
Lyndex is offshore but probably acceptable for your application.

Interesting. I always assumed they were a USA company because in my Enco catalog it gives a choice between import and Lyndex. I went to their website and it appears they have a factory in Japan, and warehouse in the US. From the website I really can't tell where their stuff comes from.

I should do more research before spending dollars.
 
My personal preference are the old school Bridgeport collets with the name/ size stamped vs etched into the face. One pc construction. Newer ones have the threaded end pressed and staked in.
They are hard to come by but sometimes you get lucky on ebay or CL or industrial auction.
If you don't want to mess around looking for antiques, I think the Hardinge or Crawfords are your best bet.
 
Lyndex is offshore but probably acceptable for your application.

I was always under the impression that Lyndex is one of the higher quality brands. This is the first time I heard of Lyndex being considered anything less.

As the others said, Lyndex is Japan & they aren't cheap. I don't have any collets from them but I do have 2 ball bearing ER collet nuts & they are very nice.
 
Well, I just bought a Lyndex 5/16" R8 on eBay for about $20.00. At .0007" TIR, I figure that will be good enough for my purposes. But, I've made a note about Crawford collets. Thanks everyone!
...Doug
 
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