Side question. I have (thanks to a generous member) the bulk of the parts to a jewelers lathe as a project when things settle down. I will be making the spindle for it. My question is, what is the most common (and hence probably the easiest to find and pay for style of collet to design around? Is there an approximate cost for a set, or should I be looking at piece-mealing a set sort of as I go, perhaps starting when I begin to build the missing parts of this machine?
Hi Tony,
It depends on a few things such as will you be purchasing want second hand or new collets? The most common thread is 40 tpi x 0.275 however every manufacturer almost had a different collet diameter, length, angle or keyway size.
Second hand collets are usually older and well made, but the condition is really unknown.
If you want new collets, Levin make them in a full set, but be prepared to spend a couple thousand at leas on a full set of collets. However, these would be the best.
Sherline make ww collets, these are the ones I use on my lathe. They are reasonably priced, their website will have price and dimensions, however these collets are not hardened and ground like you may find Levin and the older made collets. So they may lose their accuracy if not treated with care.
The Chinese also make collets, the thread is m7 x 0.75 and you can buy via Ebay. These are well priced and roughly around same price as Sherline ones. Again these are not hardened and ground, but are just as accurate as the Sherline ones.
In terms of other accessories that you can purchase, such as 3 jaw chucks, step collets, face plates etc the chinese manufactured ones have more available. Under the seller name Sincere Clocks. You can also buy taps and dies for the thread form, although cutting the thread would most likely be more accurate.
If you go the Sherline route, then you would have to scour the web and places for accessories that fit the 40 tpi x 0.275. It's hard for me to say how easy that is, because I'm in Australia and we had no watchmaking industry unlike yourselves. So you guys should have much more used tools readily available.
I hope this helps,
Dean