2mt Myford Collet

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

I my more impecunious days I made my own ‘Myford’ collets in the lathe that they were to be used on. They were only of mild steel but not being in a ‘production’ environment this proved perfectly adequate. I can’t recall that I bought any reamers especially, it’s over forty-years ago now, so I must have merely drilled the collets in the headstock taper. I simply turned two 2 Morse tapers back-to-back, leaving a parallel length between them with the extraction groove, then cut them in half. I put each taper into the headstock faced it off and drilled the various size holes. I then removed the collet and inserted a piece of appropriately sized rod into the hole and made two cuts at 90deg’s, probably with a junior hacksaw. On the sizes where the ‘fingers’ became thin I think I must have put a jubilee clip around the taper to stop the any bending under the force of the second saw cut and progressively moved it down the taper as the cut progressed. These homemade collets proved to be remarkably accurate, and I still have them, although I did acquire a full set of the genuine article over the intervening years.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

There was a good article in MEW about making Myford pattern collets.

[John Hall 7]

On John Hall 7 Said:

Myford didn’t supply a 3/64”.. after the 1/16” was the 5/64”

so the range from 1/16” to 1/2” consists of a total of 29 collets.

and 23 metric collets..2 to 13mm in o.5mm increments

John, yes they did I have a full set from 3/64″ to 1/2″  x 1/64″ steps look at the table in the photo

 

[John Hall 7Participant @johnhall7]

Thanks John..

I have a set ranging from 1/16”-1/2”, which I thought was complete.

now I’ll have to find a 3/64”.

would it be possible for you to send me a picture of the list of collet sizes you show?

I’ve tried to screen shot it but it’s not very clear at one end.

cheers John Hall

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[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I did a bit of buying and selling of part sets of “Myford Patent Collets” to buy the particular ones I wanted (mostly metric).  The pictures below show a parcel I sold and, as can be seen, not all are Myford branded.  This suggests that other manufacturers designed equipment to use this style of collet.  My Town Bent mill and the “Fobco Universal” drill being two I know of.  So, not all “Myford Patent Collets” are Myford.  So, is the 3/64″ collet branded?

It is perhaps worth noting that Myford’s advertising stated that other sizes than those shown were available and the the collets were made by Crawford, who, presumably, would make any size you requested.

Rod

 

 

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

“It is perhaps worth noting that Myford’s advertising stated that other sizes than those shown were available and the the collets were made by Crawford, who, presumably, would make any size you requested”

As an aside, an uncle of mine, Dad’s brother, worked for Crawford Collets after retiring from managing a large pig farm near Burford, Oxfordshire.

I think he was a capstan operator.

I have his old M&W  0″-1″micrometer.

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Rod said ” So is the 3/64″ collet branded?”

Never looked to see Rod but I purchased the 64ths sizes from Myford Nottingham many years ago and I understood that “Myford” collets were made for them by Crawfords but stand corrected if others know otherwise.

As an aside Crawfords made one of the best quality collets available IMO I used them in many industrial units, lathes milling attachments/tooling.

John

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