Collet chuck

[kentonjm]

I was about to pull the trigger on a collet chuck and thought I would get some thoughts here before I do.

The PSI collet chuck is the one that I am considering. It seems to have nearly all 5star reviews.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCDOWEL.html

The Beall system is nearly twice as much not sure what you get different.

 

[KenV]

Jon, look a Craft Supply USA as the ER32 chuck they sell works for both 1 by 8 as well as the larger lathes with 1 1/4 by 8 headstock threads. About the same cost and you are set for a larger lathe.

Get the collets from Ebay. The metric series avoids the occasional gaps in the imperial sets.

 

[liljohn1368]

I just got one from PSI yesterday. Looks like it will do anything I'll ever want to do with one. But also like Ken said if you ever plan to use a bigger lathe its better to plan ahead.

 

[kentonjm]

Jon, look a Craft Supply USA as the ER32 chuck they sell works for both 1 by 8 as well as the larger lathes with 1 1/4 by 8 headstock threads. About the same cost and you are set for a larger lathe.

Get the collets from Ebay. The metric series avoids the occasional gaps in the imperial sets.

Looks to be the same chuck as the PSI one, does it just have a different adaptor?

Good tip on getting extra collets on eBay

 

[KenV]

Jon, look a Craft Supply USA as the ER32 chuck they sell works for both 1 by 8 as well as the larger lathes with 1 1/4 by 8 headstock threads. About the same cost and you are set for a larger lathe.

Get the collets from Ebay. The metric series avoids the occasional gaps in the imperial sets.

Looks to be the same chuck as the PSI one, does it just have a different adaptor?

Good tip on getting extra collets on eBay

They look similar but are likely to different specs. I have both Beall and CUSA and the runout is almost the same and low. Sample of one PSI I checked for a friend had more runout.

Be careful with the knurling as it bites if you touch it while it is rotating. Beall does not bite.

 

[kentonjm]

They look similar but are likely to different specs. I have both Beall and CUSA and the runout is almost the same and low. Sample of one PSI I checked for a friend had more runout.

Be careful with the knurling as it bites if you touch it while it is rotating. Beall does not bite.

good to know

 

[Dan Masshardt]

I've had both and like the beall better enough to spend the extra $.

I seem to always be making cuts up close to the chuck and appreciate the lower profile and no knurling.

 

[SteveG]

The knurling is nominally for the purpose of tool-free use. I have the PSI variety for my wood lathe, and find that I always use the bars to tighten up the chuck. I would be quite happy with the non-knurl, lower profile a-la-Beal, but the PSI is what I have. Someone posted here (a while back) showing that he had used his metal lathe to turn away the knurl on his PSI chuck. I think that I would go for the Beal if I were in the market, and did not already have a collet chuck. Another thought is that the collets that come with the PSI (6 assorted size in 1/8" increments), may become the launch point for buying the full set, in 1 mm increments. Then you can mount any size round stock, without having to first turn it to match the limited size options. If you do that, you end up with the set that came with the chuck that you bought, but no longer need.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

I bought two. The first one had a morse taper and I used an allthread to help hold it in place when turning. It didn't hold well when I was turning duck calls, which is the main reason I bought it, or anytime I couldn't use the tail stock. I returned it and bought a Beall and never looked back. It screws on the headstock which is probably the main thing but better built as well.

 

[magpens]

Little Machine Shop may have what you want

 

[Charlie_W]

Also, with the screw on collet Chuck, you can extend smaller stock back through the chuck into the headstock and advance as needed. With the morse taper chuck, that is not possible.

I have the Beall.....Quality! Also bought the metric set of collets/Amazon.

 

[southernclay]

I had the PSI and liked it, bigger lathe, got the Beall and like it too! The eBay collet set is a great addition that will fit either set. The resale is good on turning equipment too so you can change your mind fairly easily and not get hurt too bad.

 

[TattooedTurner]

I have the PSI one and while it's sufficient and a good deal for the money, I wish it had a smaller profile since it gets in the way sometimes - more often than not really. One with a smaller profile would be worth the extra cost in my not so professional opinion.

 

[jsolie]

I have the Beall chuck and have been very happy with it. Still need to get the metric collets for it. It made a huge difference for me turning cap finials, bottle stoppers and scoop handles.

 

[thebillofwrites]

Someone posted here (a while back) showing that he had used his metal lathe to turn away the knurl on his PSI chuck.

You have a good memory Steve!
That was me, and here is the "After" picture of it. Still works great.

If I had to do over again, I would not have bought the large PSI one to begin with, but now I am quite happy with it and I don't grind my knuckles any more.

 

[cwolfs69]

psi good chuck

i have that chuck and it has been great for the last 4 years. i even bought an adaptor for my HF mini metal lathe to use the came collets and one for my R8 mill spindle.

 

[leehljp]

I bought mine in two parts:
1. Beale screw-on chuck
2. 20 piece mm set of ER 32 chucks from ebay.

I bought my 20 piece mm set about 8 years ago and the prices are not much different today as then. The MM set gives a little wider range of overlap than the inch set. However I grew up going between mm and inch and it never bothers me with fractions, inches or MM, not easy if you are used to just one. I also keep a big print out chart handy for quick comparison when looking for sizes.

 

[Sappheiros]

I've never worked with a collet chuck before. A while back there was a sale at CSUSA and I sprung for the Easy Wood Chuck. Is that type of chuck just more versatile than a collet chuck or are they typically used for different purposes?

 

[Sataro]

I've got the PSI version. Picked it up used off someone a good while back. Mostly it is used to drill out the back of my Rifle casings when making my bullet pens. Works great for that. Knurling is no issue. I can hand tighten it to hold well enough for my purposes. I'm satisfied with it. If I used it for other purposes, then I might wish for a different set.

 

[kentonjm]

Thanks for all the input, this group is awesome!

I did end up going for the PSI version. Out of the box it looks identical in every way to the CS-USA one.

Ken, thanks for the headsup on runout. I will get this one the late and check it out this weekend. If it has issues its going back.

I know we would like all our rotating tools to have zero runout but what would you see as acceptable on a small lathe?

 

[KenV]

I remember the numbers for Beall and CUSA at the same at 0.002

PSI at 0.006

My scroll chucks jaws closed run 0.005 to 0.009 most around the lower number and one outlier at the larger number.

 

[kentonjm]

Well it seems to depend when you measure and how.

The flat external parts of the chuck seem to come in at a pretty consistent .002"

I tried mounting a couple of different sized transfer punches in their respective collets and got readings from .004 to .006. These are harbor freight punches so I am sure they are not made to zero tolerance so its hard to be sure what exactly makes up the variance in runout.

We are talking woodworking and not building parts for the space shuttle so as 1/128 is nearly 8 thou I think anything less than that is just fine

 

[KenV]

Best of all worlds

Got what you wanted and know what you got.

ER 32 chucks are handy for lots of things.