Lathe collets hold cylindrical stock in a lathe chuck and are made from various materials, including spring steel. They offer greater accuracy and reduce damage to the workpiece. Collet size is determined by the hole size, and different sizes are used for different stock. Soft metal and nylon collets are available for use with softer materials.
Lathe collets are used to hold cylindrical stock in a lathe chuck. Made from a wide variety of materials, typical lathe collets are made from a type of spring steel. Lathe collets are conical in shape on the outside, with a straight hole in the center of the collet. The entire collet is divided into several sections which are compressed when the conical collet is inserted into a matching collet in the lathe’s feed head. As the caliper is drawn into the collar, the sections compress around the round stock, locking it in place by static friction or force.
Many machinists prefer lathe collets over other types of lathe chucks due to the easy setup of the collet and the ability to properly center the work piece. Unlike a self-centering chuck, lathe collets offer a greater degree of accuracy and generally provide higher accuracy than an independent jaw chuck. In a manufacturing environment, this equates to increased production by decreasing downtime while a worker attempts to center the part in an adjustable lathe chuck. The collet’s many contact points also reduce damage to the workpiece by spreading contact pressure over a larger area of the workpiece than a typical three-jaw or four-jaw chuck.
The size of lathe collets is determined by the size of the hole in the collet. This translates into the size of material that can be adequately clamped in the gripper. It is common for a lathe to have several different size collets to allow the operator to work with multiple sizes of stock. Each of the collets will have the same outside dimensions and be able to work in a common collar, however, the inside bore size will be different to accommodate various sizes of stock. While some collets are threaded at the base to screw into the collar, thereby pulling the cone into the collet and tightening the grip on the stock, other designs are pushed in and held in place through the use of a tailstock and center point.
There are lathe collets made from aluminum, brass, and nylon intended for use with soft holders. Soft metal and nylon pliers typically do not damage or mar the surface of softer materials as harder spring steel versions can. These softer pliers are often called short time pliers due to limited tool life.
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