Are Stevenson’s ER Blocks Useful

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Colin LLoyd on 24/10/2017 11:36:19:

Does anyone have any thoughts on the new Arceurotrade Original Stevenson's ER collet blocks (square for 4-jaw and 6-sided for 3-jaw chucks. Seems to sort of turn my lathe into a horizontal milling machine – but I already have a vertical milling machine – so can't really see where I'd use these.

If used on the lathe they can be very handy for holding thin or delicate items that may be damaged by a 4 jaw chuck for example think how you would adjust a bit of thin wall tube in the 4 jaw without distorting it or faffing about with packing to save marking the surface with the jaws

Boring 3/8" eccentric hole 2" long which left 0.010" wall on the thin side

I have started this new thread to answer Colin's question about ER blocks hence no opening post by him, just the quoted part.

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 13:26:27

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Cross drilling holes in the mill, machining squares and hexagons in the mill. Holding screws to slot the heads in the mill. Basically holding round bar in the milling vice.

regards Martin

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 13:23:16

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Blocks like this for 5C collets have been around for a long time and I've got some home made ones for 2MT collets I made ten years ago. I was using them mostly for grinding and sharpening various tooling.

 

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 13:23:34

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I've not yet used my set in the lathe, but they certainly get used in the milling vise. Saves using a rotary table for simple squaring and making hexagonals or machining them afterwards cross drlling, slotting etc

 

They can be used in the lathe, so plenty of uses. Now I have them, I would not get rid of them, for definite certain sure!

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 13:23:49

[Colin LLoydParticipant @colinlloyd53450]

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Yes, useful for various purposes. I don't use mine very often, when I do it's usually to hold small work in the lathe as described by Jason. It's also sometimes useful for moving work between a lathe and the miliing machine, for example if you want to turn an axle and put a flat on it to seat a grub screw.

My mistake was to buy the Hex version. In practice I soon found the Square type would have suited me better. The reason I haven't bought a square one yet is because I'm dithering about getting a Collet Chuck instead.

As always the usefulness of a particular tool or accessory depends on what you're making. You can always manage without a Stevenson's ER Block, but there are times when owning one makes life easier.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 24/10/2017 13:46:16

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

I have both square and hexagonal ER25 blocks which I use mostly on the milling machine. BTW, are these attributable to the late JS?

Rik

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

My "Go To" blocks for putting hexagon or square on the mill. Also used for putting two flats on and screwdriver slots. A great compliment to the lathe collet chuck.

[Colin LLoydParticipant @colinlloyd53450]

Jason – sorry about not creating a new thread – just didn't know whether the query was worthy of a new thread.

[Colin LLoydParticipant @colinlloyd53450]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 24/10/2017 12:23:50:

Cross drilling holes in the mill, machining squares and hexagons in the mill. Holding screws to slot the heads in the mill. Basically holding round bar in the milling vice.

regards Martin

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 13:23:16

This technique was also mentioned by Chris Evans 6. Can someone enlighten me as to what is meant here?

[Colin LLoydParticipant @colinlloyd53450]

Sorry – I mean the first 3 items – "cross-drilling, machining squares and hexagons"

[Colin LLoydParticipant @colinlloyd53450]

OK – just worked it out. The square and hex blocks go into a milling vice and the workpiecee you want to have square and hexagonally faces is then rotated in the milling vice beneath the mill tool. If I'm wrong tell me.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Colin,you are right and no problem about the thread.

Though do be careful if working on the end of a long bar that the block is seated down well as the bar can cause the block to tilt and you get an irregular 4 or 6 sided shape. I find the Stevenson spin indexer quicker than the blocks.

Rik, both designed by the late JS along with metric 10-20-40 and 20-40-80 blocks also available via ARC.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Yes Colin – all that and a bit more with a little thought. Very handy things…

I'm in the process of making a holding block (that bolts on my boring table) to lift my ER32 blocks to the centre height of my small lathe – and then it will be possible to use them a bit more conveniently than if they were just in the vice (which doesn't hold them at c/h)…

And of course they can be handy for bench work too. I needed to make a new regulator rod for my Atlantic and my first attempt at filing a square on the end of the 1/8th stainless wasn't very pretty (or square either) – so I got some round scrap about the right height and used it with the ER collet to do it right. Pictures being worth a thousand words… it went something like this…

Regards, IanT

[IanTParticipant @iant]

PS – looking more closely – that is my 5C block and I only had a few sizes of 5C collet back then, so the 1/8th rod was held in a brass adaptor – but these days it would be held directly in an ER collet….

IanT

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Talking of 5C blocks, keep them away from your ER blocks as they can start to interbreed!

Actually I had machined one end of the brass rod and needed to machine the other so to keep things lined up I tightened the 5C before releasing the ER and with both faces on a flat plane all stayed true.

[Michael BriggsParticipant @michaelbriggs82422]

I find the blocks very useful. Quick to put a square or hex on a round bar and a simple way to hold a piece of round bar very securely without bruising the surface. Secure the bar in the block and then put the block in the vice or clamp to milling table.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

The thing I find awkward about them (on the mill) is that the nut is larger than the body so I'm always having to block them up (like Jason's pic) and or hang the nut outside the vice etc.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Yes indeed Michael,

Another use that comes to mind is when tapping into the end of a rod. Whilst tapping can be started in the lathe (which is good for getting them in straight) – if the work is held in a 3-Jaw – then sometimes the grip can be limited and the work will turn in the chuck instead of being tapped. Assuming any 'turning' work is finished, then taking the work piece out and griping it in a collet & block (held in the vice) will usually allow the tapping to proceed.

It's much better than just trying to grip the work in a vice alone….

Regards,

IanT

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

"The thing I find awkward about them (on the mill) is that the nut is larger than the body so I'm always having to block them up (like Jason's pic) and or hang the nut outside the vice etc."

 

That can be used to your advantage a the underside of the nut will act as a vice stop so you can mill a hex or square up to a face and end up with a level face.

Edited By JasonB on 24/10/2017 17:24:53

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Very useful for milling at an angle:

+1 for Ian T's comment. Very good at getting a good grip on circular stuff in the vice – will hold a 1/2" bar for screwing BSW with a die without turning the job.

Rod

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

For clarity, the 5C blocks aren't new, John's idea was to produce ER ones as so many people have ER collet sets already.

Neil

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Yes sorry Neil, I didn't mean to confuse anyone.

To a large extent my tools reflect the commercial availability of "stuff" over the years – which I think we've discussed before. So folk like myself who been going a while have probably 'evolved' their tooling over time.

My first collet blocks were 5C ones (all you could get back then) and I just purchased a few 5C collets to use with them. Then (I think) came a 5C Spin Indexer, to which I later added a 'Stevenson' ER32 adaptor – which resulted in my selling my 'Chinese' MT2 collet set – and purchasing a full set of ER32 collets. This was fairly rapidly followed by several ER32 collet chucks (for both lathes).

When Arc brought out their 'JS' ER32 collet blocks – they were an obvious thing to add to my ER32 collection. So I've still got both the 5C & ER32 collet blocks and it's sometimes useful to have them all (in truth I don't really like selling stuff either – nasty case of tool hoarding I'm afraid)..

However, if starting over now – I'd just buy the ER blocks (ER32 in my case but others prefer ER25)…

BTW – I also use ER16 collets/spindles for some work – and would probably buy ER16 blocks if they were available – although I could probably make some simple 'block' style accessories given that I've got the spindles….

Regards,

IanT

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

In my opinion the ER collet blocks are more useful than the 5C blocks. 5C collets have a useful range of stock size of about .005" from nominal. ER collets have a gripping range spanning 1mm. ER's are great for odd sized stock. On the other hand 5C's will hold very short work securely. ER collets need the work long enough to extend the full length of the collet.

[Michael BriggsParticipant @michaelbriggs82422]

I have had success holding short lengths in ER collets by putting a short slug of same sized material in the other end of the collet.

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