Collet Chuck Issue

[txcwboy]

My CNC JOHNNY pen blank arrived and I ran out to try it. Started out ok and then there was some chatter. I Adjusted this and that and started up again. Same thing. So I changed mandrels. Ran it again..still chatter. Took Collet apart, used gun scrubber to clean it and blew it out. Back on and put a new mandrel on. With the chuck as tight as I can get it, I can put my finger on the cone end and I can feel it wiggle. NOT GOOD. It doesnt seem to go tight enough on any mandrel I have. Do those things wear out ? Any ideas ? Its carbatec lathe.
thanks !
Dave
Pen turned ok but had to sand A LOT to get it all smooth again.

 

[johnnycnc]

Dave,
I hope this isn't my fault somehow!
Try taking the collet chuck apart as in remove the
collet from the collet nut.Clean inside</u>the nut where
your collet seats with solvent and toothbrush.
this is a build-up prone area.
Also check the slits in your collet for dirt/chips.
The aluminum may have gotten in there when you adjusted or
changed mandrels,and if the slits are clogged,
the collet won't tighten right.It can't compress if
it is clogged.
You can clean out the collet slits with something thin,
like a utility knife blade,then solvent again.
Collets are very picky about being clean.
(I use them everyday at work).
I hope this helps.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Cav JUST posted about changing the bearings on his carbatec lathe. Made a HUGE difference, he said..

 

[Randy_]

Looks to me like Johnny has offered some good advice!!

Be sure to let us know how things work out for you.

 

[txcwboy]

no Johnny I dont think its yours .I cleaned and cleaned that collet.I even used a tooth brush and blasted it with Gun cleaner (degreaser) then blew it out. I love the blanks Well mine is 10 plus yrs old ! lol closer to 15plus . I ll search for it . Thanks !

Dave

 

[wdcav1952]

Dave, forgive me if this is too simple a possibility. Are you sure you have the right collet in the chuck?

I have noticed that with the 5/16 collet I have to tighten the Beall chuck much tighter than I do with the 1/4 collet.

As noted above, changing the bearings ($15 each, 2 needed) made my CarbaTec run far smoother, quieter and with no wobble. (That is the technical term for people who don't know how to measure runout. [8D])

I looked up my invoice and changed the price of the bearings to the correct price.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by txcwboy

.....Well mine is 10 plus yrs old ! lol closer to 15plus . I ll search for it.....

I don't quite understand what is being referred to here?

As to the collet problem, I guess we need some more details. What kind of a chuck do you have? What size collet are you using? What size mandrel are you using? How long have you been using your collet chuck? With some collet chucks, there is a specific method for fitting the collet to the chuck or the collet will not seat properly. Are you sure you are seating thre collet properly?

Collet chucks just don't go bad overnight. There has to be some relatively simple explanation for this problem although it may not be that simple to figure out what it is???

 

[txcwboy]

OK , I only have one size mandrel and its a 1/4 (7mm). It is a Beall Collet. Its been fine all this time. Collet is 1.5 yrs old maybe but the Carbatec is one of the first gen black ones I believe it to be 10 plus years old.

Dave

 

[Randy_]

I assume you know the "trick" about tipping the collet to get it to seat properly in the collar before before attaching it to the chuck.

I'm at a loss??

Why don't you give Beall a call and see what they have to say. I'm still thinking there is a speck of trash somewhere in the mechanism that has been overlooked; but who knows???

 

[its_virgil]

If your Beall collet and chuck have been working fine (for almost two years) then I would have to believe that it is still working fine and the culprit must be the lathe, wrong collet size, or incorrect attachment of the collet and chuck collar ring. I can't see the Beall collet and chuck going bad. But, hey, I've been wrong before.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by txcwboy

OK , I only have one size mandrel and its a 1/4 (7mm). It is a Beall Collet. Its been fine all this time. Collet is 1.5 yrs old maybe but the Carbatec is one of the first gen black ones I believe it to be 10 plus years old.

Dave

 

[Randy_]

An easy way to eliminate the lathe as the source of the problem is to totally remove the Beall chuck from the lathe. Then chuck up the mandrel and see if it is still loose. If so then the lathe is not the problem.

 

[Randy_]

Dave: Did you get your problem figured out??

 

[Randy_]

Where's Dave??????

 

[txcwboy]

I took off the chuck again. I dialed out the Run off at the chuck itself and the face of chuck both are nil.I cleaned the collect with WD40 and air. Tapped it in,put on collar nut and tightened. I can WACK the end of the mandrel and it will slide into the collet. Its not tightening up enough. I cant seen anything wrong with it. The mandrel and the hole was within a thous. of each other. Its not the bearings though.

Dave

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by txcwboy

I took off the chuck again. I dialed out the Run off at the chuck itself and the face of chuck both are nil.I cleaned the collect with WD40 and air. Tapped it in(1),put on collar nut and tightened(2). I can WACK(3) the end of the mandrel and it will slide into the collet. Its not tightening up enough. I cant seen anything wrong with it. The mandrel and the hole was within a thous. of each other. Its not the bearings though.

Dave: Stuff like this really pisses me off because it should be easy to resolve and usually, it never is. There are a couple of things in this post that scare me a little and then I have a suggestion. I'm going to keep working with you until you get it fixed or get tired of me one, whichever comes first.

First off, with respect to #1, what does "tapped it in mean??" I can't think of any tapping that should be going on when attaching a Beall chuck to a spindle and mounting a mandrel in the chuck??

Concerning tightening(2), do you do that by hand or do you use the levers(Tommy bars) that came with the chuck??This is pretty tough; but, do your best to describe "Wack." I've never done anything like that; but I think you should be able to tighten up the collet chuck enough that the mandrel would not move at all from any blow that I would be comfortable delivering with the intent of not damaging anything....that was a mouthful...I hope you understand what I'm getting at.

OK, now for the suggestion. There is a pretty good pen turner who lives within spitting distance of you. He posts under the name of RonMc and operates out of McKinney. He doesn't post much here anymore; but I know he is still around. I'll email you his details or you can email him thru his web site:

http://www.mckinneypens.com

I don't know if he is familiar with collet chucks; but you can chat with him and maybe set up a visit. Just having a fresh set of eyes to look at your problem may do the trick?? He travels a bit so be patient if you don't make contact right away and don't tell him I sent you or he will make you pay for the coffee!!

Good luck!!

 

[txcwboy]

The tapping I mentioned was to seat the collet. Just a tap with a piece of wood . The WACK is with the same piece of wood with my wrist swing. Not far at all and not any force I wouldnt say it should stand up too. I use the spanner wrench that came with it to tighten it. I ll price another collet, it doesnt seem to point to anything else.

thanks

Dave

 

[Randy_]

Dave: If you don't mind, email me your phone number and let me give you a call when it is convenent.

There is absolutely no need to "tap" the collet to make it seat. In fact, that might damage the collet or the chuck!!

I suspect that I know what the problem is; but it would be much easier to talk about it. If my suspicions are correct, we can solve your problem in 5 minutes or less.

 

[txcwboy]

I used it again today.I saw on some site the guy was taking a 5/8 drill rod and holding the chuck with the rod placed in the spanner hole then using the wrench on the tighening ring. I did it that way and it got it tight. Just never had to do all this before.
thanks

Dave

 

[Randy_]

Thought I would post a follow-up. After a short phone chat with Dave, we got his problem with the Beall Collet Chuck resolved. It turns out he was unfamiliar with the proper way to insert the collet in the chuck. He was putting the collet in the chuck body and then screwing on the collar. After explaining that the collet needed to be inserted in the collar before the collar was screwed onto the chuck body, the problem was corrected.

 

[jwoodwright]

Randy, I admire your knowledge and tenacity to get this issue resolved. Many folks like to help, you went over the top. You have great customer service skills.

This is what makes our site great, members helping members.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by jwoodwright
.....This is what makes our site great, members helping members.

John: I fully agree. I have learned so much from all of the great folks here at IAP. Even after several years of visiting IAP, almost daily, there is hardly a day goes by where I don't learn some new little piece of useful information about our craft. (Trivia Contest excepted ) Therre is no way I could ever properly pay back or thank everyone who has helped me so I try to help others in my own small way when I can.

Thank you for your kind words and thanks to all of my friends here at IAP for making me a little better pencrafter.