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Are all collet adapters created equal ?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=22262		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Link Van Cleave [ Tue May 05, 2009 12:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Are all collet adapters created equal ?
I need to get a few adapters. Stew Mac has a brass one, Lee Valley has some for quite cheap $ 4.50. There are no specs. on tolerences. Has anyone checked out how accurate any of the various vendors offerings are. I have heard that runout can be a problem with tiny bits. I have never used a 1/32" bit but I am about to.
Link
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Tue May 05, 2009 2:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Howdy Link,

The answer to your question is no! I would expect to pay a minimum of $10 and on average $12-$14 for a good quality collet that accommodates a 1/8" shaft. I've made the mistake of buying "bargain" priced collets and bits in the past and it ended up costing me far more in the long run. That said, I know nothing about the quality or lack thereof of LV's tools since I've never bought from them. Considering that Stew Mac tends to be rather pricey on their tools, they do sell high quality precision products based upon my experience with them. The price they have on their collet looks very reasonable to me but ultimately, it's your call. :) Hope this is helpful.
Author:  Barry Daniels [ Tue May 05, 2009 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Check out Precise Bits. They are making some nice collets that are claimed to be very accurate.

http://www.precisebits.com/products/equ ... s_nuts.asp
Author:  Link Van Cleave [ Tue May 05, 2009 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Thanks,
I called precise bits and talked with the guy. I didn't realize that they for only $3 a bit will press a adapter bushing right to the tooling. Very accurate.
I would buy from them but they have a $50 minimum.
Link
Author:  Bob Garrish [ Tue May 05, 2009 4:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
I'd recommend Precisebits as tops, as well, since they really do serve a lot of high-end shops now due to their quality. Lee Valley pretty much only carries quality stuff, I'd trust anything I bought there to be high grade.
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Tue May 05, 2009 6:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Bob Garrish wrote:
I'd recommend Precisebits as tops, as well, since they really do serve a lot of high-end shops now due to their quality. Lee Valley pretty much only carries quality stuff, I'd trust anything I bought there to be high grade.

Bob,

Thanks for the input on Lee Valley's quality. I've been wondering because they have great pricing on some things. Looks like I'll be able to start using them as a goto on certain items with that assurance. :D
Author:  TonyKarol [ Tue May 05, 2009 8:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
I have the LV adapter, its fine .. and for the record, they dont sell junk .. Leonard (Lee - founder) wouldnt have it. They stand behind everything they sell.
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Tue May 05, 2009 8:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
OK, I'm totally convinced on LV now. They've just been bookmarked in my favorite tool supplier folder. [:Y:]
Author:  muthrs [ Tue May 05, 2009 10:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
I stand by Lee Valley as well.
Author:  Link Van Cleave [ Tue May 05, 2009 11:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Lee Valley is one of my favorite if not most favorite companies. I have shoped there for years. They are awesome to deal with. They keep everything in house as well which these days is really rare. I don't think I have ever heard a bad thing about them.

Back to the collets. Is collett one t or tt. ?

Anyway these kinds of colletts are notorious for inducing run out. For a micro bit that means breakage.
A bit is at risk of breaking if the run out is more than a 1/10 th it's dia. So a 1/32" bit is .03125. So any run out more than .003 could cause it to break prematurely. Because of the price and the fact that the brass collets have the worst rep I am really interested in the Lee Valley one. The collett may be fine for most stuff but maybe not precise enough for the tiny micro bits. But maybe it is and at $4.50 is a heck of a deal. So has anyone used them with micro carbide bits in a trim router ? And did you have any bit failure that might be related to run out ? Did anyone check the run out on them ?

Link
Author:  Rod True [ Tue May 05, 2009 11:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Link,

I have and use the LV collet with a micro bit (end mill) of 1/8 shaft w/ 1/32" cutter. I also use it in my Bosch Colt ;) and I've had no issues what so ever. No broken bits to date. I've cut out only a small number of rosettes with this set up, both hardwood as well as softwoods. To my knowledge, everything seems to be very precise. I've had the LV collet now for 3.5 years. It gets used on the 1/32" bits as well as a 1/8" router bit too.
Author:  Link Van Cleave [ Tue May 05, 2009 11:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are all collet adapters created equal ?
Thanks Rod,
That is a good recomendation. I think I will give them a try. They also have a 3/8 to 1/2 " one which is very handy for being able to use end mills in a router mortiser.
Link
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