I really appreciate these videos on how to squeeze the most out of inexpensive tooling. Tons of great ideas for how to get more out of chucks and collets in this one! Thank you!
Thanks Stefan for all you do and say in your videos. Your approach and attitude is what makes your channel one of the best ,if not the best, machining channels on TH-cam. There's no BS, no begging for thumbs and subs, no sponsors and no annoying background music to put up with. You also have a great sense of humor! Thanks again and take care!
Thank you, Stefan, for thinking about those of use who don't have lots of disposable income to spend on our tooling. Your expertise is well appreciated.
‘Not for the faint of heart”. Thanks for the tip. I would never have thought of doing any of this for fear of destroying the collet. Great tip and demonstration!
One nice feature of McMaster that perhaps you *_can_* use is that they have CAD models of almost everything they sell, that you are able to download and import directly. If you are modeling a fixture or something this exponentially increases your library
Unspoken here is the way in which the quality of Chinese tooling has improved over the past decade or so. The refinishing ops Stefan demonsrates here are trivial compared to the cost savings involved, and often result in an entirely satisfactory piece. Particularly for home work, there has been a revolution in affordability in recent years and carping about 'poor finish' or whatever is beginning to feel irrelevant. Good video, as ever.
You mentioned McMaster-Carr. I'm a retired mechanical engineer near San Diego, and only an hour's drive from their main warehouse in Los Angeles. I've used them my entire career and even now as a machining hobbyist. I buy cheaper stuff also, but when you want something first quality, always in stock, and same day delivery if I order around breakfast time, Mc-Master's the place. The website is fantastic also. In my view it's the best-run company in the world. I've driven up there for will-call pickups, just for fun to visit "Mecca" or for something very expensive to ship, but it's just a big service counter at a giant warehouse, so not much of an event. My collets are a random collection of qualities and I have some that could use some work like you showed here. Thanks for the ideas.
Thanks for this. As a budget-minded home machinist, I buy relatively cheap import collets. As a machinist who has sliced his finger on one of these collets, I appreciate your tips on deburring.
Hello Stefan from Australia, there is NO YELLING from me mate. Every time I watch you and Robin I learn so much about high precision tool room machining. I have gained confidence, knowledge and experience and most of all trust in myself. I am completely self taught and value every bit of very knowledgeable information. Thank you for taking the time to make videos of this calibre, cheers. Wylie
Thanks Stefan for the great tips on upgrading the "Import" tooling. As a hobby machinist Import is the only level of tooling I can afford and who cares as long as it gets the job done? If the part meets spec, it meets spec and the part does not know or care how much the tooling cost or what manufacture's label was on it. Over the years your tips have saved me time, money, and my sanity at times so thanks again for sharing your knowledge that is a noble thing to do as not everyone for whatever reason is so generous as you and so many others in the TH-cam community that give us this level of free education.
Im always impressed by your technical and conversational English. Most Americans can barely speak English properly, and never learn another language. Great content and tips btw
I rarely ever do work that will fit in a collet so all my collets are cheap imports. They always serve the purpose when I need them. The tune up tips are invaluable.😊
One thing that I like about you Stefan is that you collet like you see it. As a hobbyist who just purchased a set of these but haven’t tried them yet this is a very timely video. However, the thought of doing this degree of fettling on a 72 piece set is a bit intimidating. It’s a good thing that I’m about to retire and will have a lot more time to fill. I may just go to this extreme on my most commonly used sizes. The thought has occurred to me that I may end up replacing those sizes with better quality ones since most of them will rarely if ever get used. Still, for the relatively low cost, it’s nice to have them just in case.
True machinist or a custom order parts loader ? Stefan is the real deal ,truly the old world type "CRAFTSMAN" down to earth person that shares knowledge for all to progress. Thanks. I have watched from the start this channel, gained much helpful insight
I guess that over the last years I watched all your videos and there are always very informative and entertaining. Thanks for your effort at popularizing high-end model engineering. I only own "old machines" (Schaublin, DIxi, Sixis, etc.) and I often search and rely on used equipment, but sometimes, new accessories is needed. There are a couple of dealers here in Switzerland where to get accessories without being bored with the procurement process you are describing. They even shipped me the supply before I paid for it while knowing I'm not a professional machine shop! I bought a few pieces of tooling to Hoffmann Group, and the process is heavy; BRW is smoother but so expensive! You did not mention The Little Machine Sop in the US who offer many item in metric, and I found this model engineering supplier a good place for stuff we find with pain in Europe such as Starrett products.
Love the work you do and the approach to tooling you choose to use and the attitude. It great to get to the point in life where you really don't care what others think.
Stefan- you are completely correct about people who question your thoughts, actions, or incentives. You are a highly skilled professional machinist who is sharing your knowledge and experience. When they get their own channel then preaching and criticizing will be allowed ( of course on their channel). You are one of the few people who I take MY precious time and spend quality learning with. Your videos are exceptional and those who know what you do I think are going to have the same opinion. I guess that you might get a tenth of a penny (don’t know what that is in Euros) for each rant or correction, but it’s the faceless troll who wouldn’t say that if they were standing in of you. Carry on with your outstanding craft and we who appreciate your generosity will continue to click and share your thoughts. 😊. Analytics my derrière! Passion!
Thanks, Stefan! Just did the "treatment on a set of collets I got from Colton through Amazon in the US. They are pretty nice collets, even compared to the Hardinge and other industrial quality ones that I've used in the past. They needed very little deburring; really just easing the sharp edges. Adding the pieces of O-ring is genius and makes changing tools or material so much easier.
Just picked up 50 5c collets from a machinr shop that closed dw a couple yrs back. Most are Hardinge but had some Bucks as well. after seeing how and why you faced off the collet for us in this video, found that 10 of small collets had been done in the same manor. Now that I own a set of B&S gauge pins, I will go through and check spring tension on them. Tx Stefan for sharing, Bear in Tx.
One of the things I like about both your and Robin Renz's channels is that you talk about accuracy achieved from first principles not accuracy from the wallet.
Надо признать, Стефан, твой канал один из лучших по мехобработке и точно самый лучший по чистоте и свободе от всякой чуши, в виде фоновой музыки. Спасибо! Здоровья, удачи, успехов!
Thanks for the great pointers on improving the quality of import tooling Stefan! Applause also for your attitude on critical posters. It's your shop, your channel, your advice, they can take it or go elsewhere 😉
This video exemplifies all of the reasons that I consider you to be the best hobby machinist Guru on the web. I have watched you transition from quality hobby-grade machines, that you upgraded yourself, to industrial dream machines, but you never lost your hobby roots like many successful youtubers. Thanks for the tips so we mere mortals can afford better-imported tooling and fixtures.
Extremely useful information, especially for us small home hobby shops that can't afford our justify the expensive name brands. Great alternative to make the cheaper imports more accurate and repeatable. 👍🏻
Excellent tips on making the most of accessible tooling for us mere mortals. While some might question your tooling choices, no one can argue with your results. So thanks for remembering your roots Stefan.
I always learn something watching your videos. In my view, the analysis and enhancements to the cheap collet provide good value by themselves, and contending if it is better to go for the higher quality collet or not is beside the point. Thanks and hope you keep these coming.
Thanks Stefan, I've watched a few of your offerings but probably not as many as I could. For that I apologize. Some useful ideas for the 5C collets. I tend more towards using ER collets but have a range of 5C's as well as the same style of Chinese chuck that you show. One thing I've done, especially with the ER collets, is to run a utility knife blade though the slits in the collet. It's amazing the crap you can remove that compressed air doesn't touch. I made the back plate for my 5C chuck and purposely cut the register about 0.015" undersized, mounted the chuck with a suitable collet and pin, loosly tightend the chuck mounting screws and tapped the chuck's orientation until I registered zero, or as near as possible to, run out. Other collets fell right in the acceptable range so I'm reasonably certain of good results . Thanks for an educational video. Regards from Canada's banana belt. 🤞🇨🇦🍌🥋🇺🇦🕊️🇩🇪👍
Great information 👍 thanks, we've bought a whole set, metric and standard of the cheap 5c collets, and now that have watched your video looks like we have some work to do, and as far as anyone yelling at you, they should stick to their own business and let you teach, learned alot thanks!
None of us care about the trolls Stefan - we just want to see your videos. Keep them coming, and thanks a lot for letting us in on your work and experience.
Thank you for showing that inexpensive tooling can still do a great job. I needed a 2mm 3 flute EM for a job and my preferred brand YG-1, they were £35 each!! I ordered a couple of 2mm DLC coated ones from an online store here in the U.K. for £3.40 each!! They worked perfectly and left a great finish.
Ich bin sehr dankbar, dass Du zeigst, wie man günstiges Werkzeug brauchbarer macht bzw. "richtig" verwendet. Im Hobby-Bereich kann ich mir keine teuren Werkzeuge leisten, daher ... weiter so. 👍😁
Great video. For several years I have been removing sharp edges and burrs from my "cheap" 5C collets but I'll have to try the o-ring trick since overly tight collets are the bane of my existence. Thanks for the great vid.
Thanks Stefan, I remember you saying that if you treat import machines and supplies as a kit of parts you won't be dissapointed (or something similar) Although I would like to have better quality machines and supplies, if it wasn't for imports I would not be doing any machining. I know machines need work and replacement of bearings etc but for general purpose can be used as delivered until various parts are 'in the budget' Your well known for doing high quality high precision machining, showing it can be done with cheaper equipment gives everyone a great example to follow.
Thanks Stefan. Great tutorial for those of us that cannot afford or justify high end tooling. I'm curious how you might remove the burrs from the inside bore where the slots break through?
Excellent, thank you! A few years ago you did a video about doing grinding, filing, stoning, ect on import machines and and accessories. I went thru my 9x20 lathe, pm25 mill, chucks, vices and everything else I could and it took my fun level to another planet. This video is equal and should be required watching for home gamers. Thanks again. All the best from Panama.
I use 5C collets a lot. When I need parts to be perfect, I use 5C emergency collets. This way I can machine the collet to be concentric with the spindle.
Yet another very useful set of techniques that can enable high quality work on a budget. Thanks for putting in a good word for the model engineering philosophy in general. Cheers.
very good video Stefan... Thank you for your time and above all for your sincerity that, just like I do on my channel, the truth and reality must always be ahead and if an inexpensive piece can be improved and thereby save many euros, then our duty as drivers is to show these improvements so that other people can feed on our experience and can also save money and do their projects
You speak such truth on sales people and companies. A real pain. I also agree with your budget conscious ideas. Cheap tooling has its place. I like how you take a sometimes inferior item and make it much better.
I absolutely agree with your approach on buying quality tooling when it is required and lesser quality when a little TLC can make it usable. Also, about McMaster Carr - they are excellent! I primarily use them for hardware items, and they deliver next day. Thanks for your content, I always learn something!
Thanks for your musings Stefan. I quite agree with your points about using the 'cheap' stuff: it just makes sense when your have a limited budget. And it can be improved - in many cases, though not all - with a bit of work and some magic ingredient: ingenuity! Overall, always something to learn and enjoy on your channel. Keep on, my friend, and may good fortune be yours!
Awesome video. As always! As a home machinist (ok, learning to be a machinist) I fully agree with the budget issue. As Covid started - all my items in the local mail just mysteriously vanished. I couldn't get any item too (not for lack of trying) So, I said to myself - let's buy local. It will be expensive but it's "only" a small reamer for godness sake.... On Aliexpress the 1/4" chinese solid carbide reamer was sold for 20$ - the local tool companies sell the same reamer (higher quality and all) for X8 the price - 155$ *before* adding 17% VAT tax.... That was the end of that project... Thank GOD the postal service is back to (relatively) normal mode... [Side note: Not that our postal services actually are good or reliable in any way - I get stuff stolen on a regular basis!]
I always enjoy your videos Stefan! Great points on budget tooling for the home shop. There are times when it's worth spending the money on a quality piece of equipment, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. If you're not afraid to tweak or modify a tool to meet your requirements, there are a lot of great deals to be had.
I'd love a segment on the Erowa-style system. Specifically explaining the zero-point concept, how the flexure plates work and how it can repeatably index in 90 degree increments.
Stefan, there's no need to apologise for your approach as somebody famous once stated "Perfect is the enemy of Progress". Thanks and may your home shop bring you the success you deserve.
Please DO continue buying "import" stuff, I love watching this kind of videos, because as a small hobby shop enthusiast I find those the most useful. Plus, you would run away screaming if you saw what some of us do behind closed doors of our home-shops - grinding inserts to squeeze a bit more life or non standard features out of them, for example ;-).
Great video Stefan. I too purchase cheap import 5C collets and deburr them, but I don't have a decent die-grinder so just use a small diamond encrusted hand file. I don't know weather you showed this before, or if you just mentioned it, but I totally credit you for the idea. I never thought of putting a wire wheel on those threads, though. Great tip. And I nearly had a heart attack when you rammed that screwdriver in! I never thought you could get away with opening them that much. I will be much braver in future. 👍
I've adopted ER collets in hex block holders for workholding and fixturing, since 5C collets are limited in the diametric capacity. By mounting a gang of hex blocks on a fixture plate with calibrated centers, you can vise a gang of parts and minimize the tool changes, when making repetitive multiple parts.
For any hobbyist or even small shop, cost is a major factor, knowing where to get 1/2 decent import tooling is a problem, and price is no guarantee of getting what you would like when your dealing with fleebay or the jungle site. So showing what you might be able to do to improve an items is a worthwhile video exercise. Thanks
Always the best fire extinguisher pre-comments. I watch a lot of channels I have no connection to (im not a machinist) and its always impressive how these guys persevere through the keyboard jockeys. People who clearly run work flawlessly and high precision still have to gag down the keyboard jockeys
The chains and purple straps on the wall in the final shot would hint toward a particular brand of evening playtime if I i weren't familiar with polyester webbing lifting straps and general rigging practices. It still took me a couple beats to make sense of it with just a little bit in view. 😂 Great tips as always! Thank you!
Every time I hear someone saying "Please don't comment that I should / should not do X", I consider that doing yourself a disservice. Comments make it better in the algorithms. So getting comments saying "you should've bought " or "why are you using a manual mill and not a CNC mill" - those sort of things, they bring your channel up. After all, TH-cam want people to watch channels that get much reactions.... :) Of course, it's great that you explain how to improve things, how you can use X or Y instead of Z, etc. I appreciate it a lot. But people seem to be afraid of comments saying "You're doing it wrong". As long as you dont get down-votes for it, it's not really an issue. I also hope you get commission on the Wera toolkit you demonstrated a few weeks back - I bought one for a friend who is moving a long way away, he's without his tools for the next 3-4 months, and he was very appreciative.
On McMaster Carr from a european perspective: I once needed adjustable handles with imperial threads. A friend of mine was visiting the US, so I ordered them from McMaster Carr and my friend brought them with him. Fantastic experience. Very well working onlineshop, from ordering to delivery in under 24h. No problem ordering as a private person either. I so much wish they would operate in the EU.
I can confirm that McMaster is excellent. I have ordered from them in the past, it was at my door the next morning. Their website gets easier to use the more you use it. I tend to buy used tooling locally when available and if not I order from importers. I can't afford some of the premium tooling.
This video is very useful. Thank you. I have been changing over to 5c and R8 collets do to the burrs on my ER collets causing slippage. Turns out 5c and R8 are a lot easier to de-burr. Seeing a professional do this really helps.
The o-ring trick is one of the best things Robin shared. I'm always nervous jamming a screw driver in the collet to open them up and don't get them open as far just pushing. I haven't tried hammering in the screwdriver, but I will now 😂
it really makes no sense for people to criticize you for being sloppy. if they’d seen your work in general they’d know you are extremely well aware of exactly what kinds of slop you can and can’t get away with, which is what engineering is all about: meeting the requirements as efficiently as possible.
The first part about modifying hard jaws makes me want to modify my cheap 3 jaw for indexable + reversible jaws now. Might try something with some reamed holes and short dowels as an experiment - dowels and reamed holes are way easier than making a step to fit in a slot, and most of my workholding isn't excessively tight anyway. Thanks Stefan!
Great insights, thanks Stefan. Especially appreciate your points about affordable tooling. Home machinists need these options to even consider owning many of the necessary tools. Tooling snobs can suck it and go elsewhere.
Really nice video. Cheap tooling works fine for me, too. I'm not afraid to put import collets on brand name machine. A lot of people use cheap import tooling in their's shop but they just thought it's good quality because they paid a lot for them. Industrial suppliers are too slow most of the time, and when you do jobshop type of work, time is money. The time you spent emailing or talking with a commercial, you won it during fine tuning on the workbench. You have a good compromise with brand and import tooling. Best regards
You got to start somewhere, I started with inexpensive tooling, improve and customize along the way (as you have), and the byproduct is improved skills and Wonderful parts!
Stefan, I'm enjoying your content more and more as you settle into your sabbatical,. It seems like you're returning to your roots with fresh eyes. I hope this time away from the big shop proves fruitful for you. As always, thanks for sharing.
always a pleasure spending time with you in your shop!
I usually have one of your videos on for background ambiance at my shop, Tony!
I really appreciate these videos on how to squeeze the most out of inexpensive tooling. Tons of great ideas for how to get more out of chucks and collets in this one! Thank you!
Thanks Stefan for all you do and say in your videos. Your approach and attitude is what makes your channel one of the best ,if not the best, machining channels on TH-cam. There's no BS, no begging for thumbs and subs, no sponsors and no annoying background music to put up with. You also have a great sense of humor! Thanks again and take care!
Well said, all of this. I learn something every time. One of my top 5 favourites. If only we could get Robin to do a monthly video.
100% agree. Well said
Thank you, Stefan, for thinking about those of use who don't have lots of disposable income to spend on our tooling. Your expertise is well appreciated.
‘Not for the faint of heart”. Thanks for the tip. I would never have thought of doing any of this for fear of destroying the collet. Great tip and demonstration!
I thought it'd be an exaggeration... nearly lost my lunch 😆
@@roseroserose588 yeah it was brutal
I don't flinch easy i do wierd stuf but damn
I thought he was just joking but then he hit the screw driver in the collet like stake through vampires chest
One nice feature of McMaster that perhaps you *_can_* use is that they have CAD models of almost everything they sell, that you are able to download and import directly.
If you are modeling a fixture or something this exponentially increases your library
Unspoken here is the way in which the quality of Chinese tooling has improved over the past decade or so. The refinishing ops Stefan demonsrates here are trivial compared to the cost savings involved, and often result in an entirely satisfactory piece. Particularly for home work, there has been a revolution in affordability in recent years and carping about 'poor finish' or whatever is beginning to feel irrelevant. Good video, as ever.
Alot of the better stuff is made in Taiwan.
@@davidforsdike4343aren't they the same place?
@@theuglynovember According to the political
leaders on the mainland,
yes they are.
In practice, no they emphatically are not.
Don’t feel bad buying something inexpensive, as long as you can make it preform the way that you want. Thanks for the video.
"Honestly I don't care." That's pretty honest. I wont complain about honesty.
As someone who can only afford the cheap stuff. I thank you for teaching how to make them better.
You mentioned McMaster-Carr. I'm a retired mechanical engineer near San Diego, and only an hour's drive from their main warehouse in Los Angeles. I've used them my entire career and even now as a machining hobbyist. I buy cheaper stuff also, but when you want something first quality, always in stock, and same day delivery if I order around breakfast time, Mc-Master's the place. The website is fantastic also. In my view it's the best-run company in the world. I've driven up there for will-call pickups, just for fun to visit "Mecca" or for something very expensive to ship, but it's just a big service counter at a giant warehouse, so not much of an event. My collets are a random collection of qualities and I have some that could use some work like you showed here. Thanks for the ideas.
Thanks for this. As a budget-minded home machinist, I buy relatively cheap import collets. As a machinist who has sliced his finger on one of these collets, I appreciate your tips on deburring.
Hello Stefan from Australia, there is NO YELLING from me mate. Every time I watch you and Robin I learn so much about high precision tool room machining. I have gained confidence, knowledge and experience and most of all trust in myself. I am completely self taught and value every bit of very knowledgeable information. Thank you for taking the time to make videos of this calibre, cheers. Wylie
Thanks Stefan for the great tips on upgrading the "Import" tooling. As a hobby machinist Import is the only level of tooling I can afford and who cares as long as it gets the job done? If the part meets spec, it meets spec and the part does not know or care how much the tooling cost or what manufacture's label was on it. Over the years your tips have saved me time, money, and my sanity at times so thanks again for sharing your knowledge that is a noble thing to do as not everyone for whatever reason is so generous as you and so many others in the TH-cam community that give us this level of free education.
Im always impressed by your technical and conversational English. Most Americans can barely speak English properly, and never learn another language. Great content and tips btw
I rarely ever do work that will fit in a collet so all my collets are cheap imports. They always serve the purpose when I need them. The tune up tips are invaluable.😊
One thing that I like about you Stefan is that you collet like you see it. As a hobbyist who just purchased a set of these but haven’t tried them yet this is a very timely video. However, the thought of doing this degree of fettling on a 72 piece set is a bit intimidating. It’s a good thing that I’m about to retire and will have a lot more time to fill. I may just go to this extreme on my most commonly used sizes. The thought has occurred to me that I may end up replacing those sizes with better quality ones since most of them will rarely if ever get used. Still, for the relatively low cost, it’s nice to have them just in case.
I see what you did there 😄
True machinist or a custom order parts loader ? Stefan is the real deal ,truly the old world type "CRAFTSMAN" down to earth person that shares knowledge for all to progress. Thanks.
I have watched from the start this channel, gained much helpful insight
Thanks to the Stefan’s and Robins of this world.
EXTREMELY valuable content.
AND, as a bonus…. no bullshit 👏👏👏
Regards
Robert
I guess that over the last years I watched all your videos and there are always very informative and entertaining. Thanks for your effort at popularizing high-end model engineering. I only own "old machines" (Schaublin, DIxi, Sixis, etc.) and I often search and rely on used equipment, but sometimes, new accessories is needed. There are a couple of dealers here in Switzerland where to get accessories without being bored with the procurement process you are describing. They even shipped me the supply before I paid for it while knowing I'm not a professional machine shop! I bought a few pieces of tooling to Hoffmann Group, and the process is heavy; BRW is smoother but so expensive! You did not mention The Little Machine Sop in the US who offer many item in metric, and I found this model engineering supplier a good place for stuff we find with pain in Europe such as Starrett products.
Love the work you do and the approach to tooling you choose to use and the attitude. It great to get to the point in life where you really don't care what others think.
Perfectly valid cost saving points, i only wish there were others, not just chinese.
Stefan- you are completely correct about people who question your thoughts, actions, or incentives. You are a highly skilled professional machinist who is sharing your knowledge and experience. When they get their own channel then preaching and criticizing will be allowed ( of course on their channel). You are one of the few people who I take MY precious time and spend quality learning with. Your videos are exceptional and those who know what you do I think are going to have the same opinion. I guess that you might get a tenth of a penny (don’t know what that is in Euros) for each rant or correction, but it’s the faceless troll who wouldn’t say that if they were standing in of you. Carry on with your outstanding craft and we who appreciate your generosity will continue to click and share your thoughts. 😊. Analytics my derrière! Passion!
Thanks, Stefan! Just did the "treatment on a set of collets I got from Colton through Amazon in the US. They are pretty nice collets, even compared to the Hardinge and other industrial quality ones that I've used in the past. They needed very little deburring; really just easing the sharp edges. Adding the pieces of O-ring is genius and makes changing tools or material so much easier.
Not in a million years would I ever imagine Stefan pounding a standard screwdriver into a 5c collet!!
A man after my own heart.
The "I Don't Care" t-shirt theme is yours! Keep up the great content!
Just picked up 50 5c collets from a machinr shop that closed dw a couple yrs back. Most are Hardinge but had some Bucks as well. after seeing how and why you faced off the collet for us in this video, found that 10 of small collets had been done in the same manor. Now that I own a set of B&S gauge pins, I will go through and check spring tension on them. Tx Stefan for sharing, Bear in Tx.
Stefan! Saved me from fighting with my collet with the O ring trick Thanks to you and Robrenz!
100% agree about your closing comments. I'm getting great tips on trying to maximise tooling purchased on a budget. Hope you keep doing these.
One of the things I like about both your and Robin Renz's channels is that you talk about accuracy achieved from first principles not accuracy from the wallet.
Надо признать, Стефан, твой канал один из лучших по мехобработке и точно самый лучший по чистоте и свободе от всякой чуши, в виде фоновой музыки. Спасибо! Здоровья, удачи, успехов!
Thanks for the great pointers on improving the quality of import tooling Stefan! Applause also for your attitude on critical posters. It's your shop, your channel, your advice, they can take it or go elsewhere 😉
This video exemplifies all of the reasons that I consider you to be the best hobby machinist Guru on the web. I have watched you transition from quality hobby-grade machines, that you upgraded yourself, to industrial dream machines, but you never lost your hobby roots like many successful youtubers. Thanks for the tips so we mere mortals can afford better-imported tooling and fixtures.
Extremely useful information, especially for us small home hobby shops that can't afford our justify the expensive name brands. Great alternative to make the cheaper imports more accurate and repeatable. 👍🏻
Excellent tips on making the most of accessible tooling for us mere mortals. While some might question your tooling choices, no one can argue with your results. So thanks for remembering your roots Stefan.
I always learn something watching your videos. In my view, the analysis and enhancements to the cheap collet provide good value by themselves, and contending if it is better to go for the higher quality collet or not is beside the point. Thanks and hope you keep these coming.
Thanks Stefan, I've watched a few of your offerings but probably not as many as I could. For that I apologize. Some useful ideas for the 5C collets. I tend more towards using ER collets but have a range of 5C's as well as the same style of Chinese chuck that you show. One thing I've done, especially with the ER collets, is to run a utility knife blade though the slits in the collet. It's amazing the crap you can remove that compressed air doesn't touch.
I made the back plate for my 5C chuck and purposely cut the register about 0.015" undersized, mounted the chuck with a suitable collet and pin, loosly tightend the chuck mounting screws and tapped the chuck's orientation until I registered zero, or as near as possible to, run out. Other collets fell right in the acceptable range so I'm reasonably certain of good results .
Thanks for an educational video. Regards from Canada's banana belt.
🤞🇨🇦🍌🥋🇺🇦🕊️🇩🇪👍
Always informative, but I need to yell about the desire for even more content. MORE, MORE. Cheers mate.
Enjoyed…great discussion/demonstration/craftsmanship….NO YELLING HERE….😳😂😂😂😂
You dont seem the person to ever yell ;)
Great information 👍 thanks, we've bought a whole set, metric and standard of the cheap 5c collets, and now that have watched your video looks like we have some work to do, and as far as anyone yelling at you, they should stick to their own business and let you teach, learned alot thanks!
None of us care about the trolls Stefan - we just want to see your videos. Keep them coming, and thanks a lot for letting us in on your work and experience.
Good stuff Stefan, Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Frugal it is. I am the same way.
Thank you for showing that inexpensive tooling can still do a great job. I needed a 2mm 3 flute EM for a job and my preferred brand YG-1, they were £35 each!! I ordered a couple of 2mm DLC coated ones from an online store here in the U.K. for £3.40 each!! They worked perfectly and left a great finish.
Great video Stefan. Thanks for the good advice on cleaning up the collets and making them work better. Cheers Nobby
Ich bin sehr dankbar, dass Du zeigst, wie man günstiges Werkzeug brauchbarer macht bzw. "richtig" verwendet. Im Hobby-Bereich kann ich mir keine teuren Werkzeuge leisten, daher ... weiter so. 👍😁
Great video. For several years I have been removing sharp edges and burrs from my "cheap" 5C collets but I'll have to try the o-ring trick since overly tight collets are the bane of my existence. Thanks for the great vid.
Thanks Stefan, I remember you saying that if you treat import machines and supplies as a kit of parts you won't be dissapointed (or something similar)
Although I would like to have better quality machines and supplies, if it wasn't for imports I would not be doing any machining.
I know machines need work and replacement of bearings etc but for general purpose can be used as delivered until various parts are 'in the budget'
Your well known for doing high quality high precision machining, showing it can be done with cheaper equipment gives everyone a great example to follow.
That's a great tip power feeding a spring pass out of the counterbore Stefan. Such a simple idea, but really effective.
Thanks Stefan. Great tutorial for those of us that cannot afford or justify high end tooling. I'm curious how you might remove the burrs from the inside bore where the slots break through?
Very nice work.
Great tips for improving performance.
Thanks for sharing.
Excellent, thank you! A few years ago you did a video about doing grinding, filing, stoning, ect on import machines and and accessories. I went thru my 9x20 lathe, pm25 mill, chucks, vices and everything else I could and it took my fun level to another planet. This video is equal and should be required watching for home gamers. Thanks again. All the best from Panama.
I use 5C collets a lot. When I need parts to be perfect, I use 5C emergency collets. This way I can machine the collet to be concentric with the spindle.
Yet another very useful set of techniques that can enable high quality work on a budget. Thanks for putting in a good word for the model engineering philosophy in general. Cheers.
very good video Stefan... Thank you for your time and above all for your sincerity that, just like I do on my channel, the truth and reality must always be ahead and if an inexpensive piece can be improved and thereby save many euros, then our duty as drivers is to show these improvements so that other people can feed on our experience and can also save money and do their projects
I like the way you work and explain what you you’re doing keep it up
"Don't damage the bore when you hammer the screw driver in." 😂 If I hadn't seen it, I would never guess those were Stefan's words.
Beginning to turn into a "This old Stefan" Well done.
Thank you for showing things like this. I will be doing this to my 5c collets. I use them more than I do the 3 jaw chuck.
Thanks for sharing! Watching you deburring stuff is ASMR-like relaxing :)
You speak such truth on sales people and companies. A real pain. I also agree with your budget conscious ideas. Cheap tooling has its place. I like how you take a sometimes inferior item and make it much better.
I absolutely agree with your approach on buying quality tooling when it is required and lesser quality when a little TLC can make it usable. Also, about McMaster Carr - they are excellent! I primarily use them for hardware items, and they deliver next day. Thanks for your content, I always learn something!
Thanks for your musings Stefan. I quite agree with your points about using the 'cheap' stuff: it just makes sense when your have a limited budget. And it can be improved - in many cases, though not all - with a bit of work and some magic ingredient: ingenuity!
Overall, always something to learn and enjoy on your channel. Keep on, my friend, and may good fortune be yours!
Awesome video. As always!
As a home machinist (ok, learning to be a machinist) I fully agree with the budget issue.
As Covid started - all my items in the local mail just mysteriously vanished. I couldn't get any item too (not for lack of trying)
So, I said to myself - let's buy local. It will be expensive but it's "only" a small reamer for godness sake....
On Aliexpress the 1/4" chinese solid carbide reamer was sold for 20$ - the local tool companies sell the same reamer (higher quality and all) for X8 the price - 155$ *before* adding 17% VAT tax....
That was the end of that project...
Thank GOD the postal service is back to (relatively) normal mode...
[Side note: Not that our postal services actually are good or reliable in any way - I get stuff stolen on a regular basis!]
I always enjoy your videos Stefan! Great points on budget tooling for the home shop. There are times when it's worth spending the money on a quality piece of equipment, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. If you're not afraid to tweak or modify a tool to meet your requirements, there are a lot of great deals to be had.
nice one Stefan, brilliant that you're home machinist aware👍
I'd love a segment on the Erowa-style system. Specifically explaining the zero-point concept, how the flexure plates work and how it can repeatably index in 90 degree increments.
I will do a video on it, once i have it mounted up :-)
@@StefanGotteswinter I'm looking forward to it! :)
Stefan, there's no need to apologise for your approach as somebody famous once stated "Perfect is the enemy of Progress". Thanks and may your home shop bring you the success you deserve.
Please DO continue buying "import" stuff, I love watching this kind of videos, because as a small hobby shop enthusiast I find those the most useful. Plus, you would run away screaming if you saw what some of us do behind closed doors of our home-shops - grinding inserts to squeeze a bit more life or non standard features out of them, for example ;-).
Great video Stefan. I too purchase cheap import 5C collets and deburr them, but I don't have a decent die-grinder so just use a small diamond encrusted hand file. I don't know weather you showed this before, or if you just mentioned it, but I totally credit you for the idea.
I never thought of putting a wire wheel on those threads, though. Great tip.
And I nearly had a heart attack when you rammed that screwdriver in! I never thought you could get away with opening them that much. I will be much braver in future.
👍
I've adopted ER collets in hex block holders for workholding and fixturing, since 5C collets are limited in the diametric capacity. By mounting a gang of hex blocks on a fixture plate with calibrated centers, you can vise a gang of parts and minimize the tool changes, when making repetitive multiple parts.
For any hobbyist or even small shop, cost is a major factor, knowing where to get 1/2 decent import tooling is a problem, and price is no guarantee of getting what you would like when your dealing with fleebay or the jungle site. So showing what you might be able to do to improve an items is a worthwhile video exercise.
Thanks
Not all of us hobbyists are rolling in money. The things you did were quick and inexpensive. Thanks
Wow, lotta nice lessons in this video. Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks for all the tips...always educational. Thanks Stefan...exit stage right!!! 🙂
Always the best fire extinguisher pre-comments. I watch a lot of channels I have no connection to (im not a machinist) and its always impressive how these guys persevere through the keyboard jockeys. People who clearly run work flawlessly and high precision still have to gag down the keyboard jockeys
The chains and purple straps on the wall in the final shot would hint toward a particular brand of evening playtime if I i weren't familiar with polyester webbing lifting straps and general rigging practices. It still took me a couple beats to make sense of it with just a little bit in view. 😂
Great tips as always! Thank you!
Every time I hear someone saying "Please don't comment that I should / should not do X", I consider that doing yourself a disservice. Comments make it better in the algorithms. So getting comments saying "you should've bought " or "why are you using a manual mill and not a CNC mill" - those sort of things, they bring your channel up.
After all, TH-cam want people to watch channels that get much reactions.... :)
Of course, it's great that you explain how to improve things, how you can use X or Y instead of Z, etc. I appreciate it a lot. But people seem to be afraid of comments saying "You're doing it wrong". As long as you dont get down-votes for it, it's not really an issue.
I also hope you get commission on the Wera toolkit you demonstrated a few weeks back - I bought one for a friend who is moving a long way away, he's without his tools for the next 3-4 months, and he was very appreciative.
On McMaster Carr from a european perspective: I once needed adjustable handles with imperial threads. A friend of mine was visiting the US, so I ordered them from McMaster Carr and my friend brought them with him.
Fantastic experience. Very well working onlineshop, from ordering to delivery in under 24h. No problem ordering as a private person either. I so much wish they would operate in the EU.
Very good info,Stefan.Thank you.
In the UK I use Associated Production Tools. Nice range of tooling at reasonable prices.
I can confirm that McMaster is excellent. I have ordered from them in the past, it was at my door the next morning. Their website gets easier to use the more you use it. I tend to buy used tooling locally when available and if not I order from importers. I can't afford some of the premium tooling.
This video is very useful. Thank you. I have been changing over to 5c and R8 collets do to the burrs on my ER collets causing slippage. Turns out 5c and R8 are a lot easier to de-burr. Seeing a professional do this really helps.
Great video, excellent philosophy.
The o-ring trick is one of the best things Robin shared. I'm always nervous jamming a screw driver in the collet to open them up and don't get them open as far just pushing. I haven't tried hammering in the screwdriver, but I will now 😂
Good one Stefan, great information and tips. 👍👍
For hobby machinists, making and modifying tools is half of the fun!
it really makes no sense for people to criticize you for being sloppy. if they’d seen your work in general they’d know you are extremely well aware of exactly what kinds of slop you can and can’t get away with, which is what engineering is all about: meeting the requirements as efficiently as possible.
I use McMaster Carr often. Very good, quick service, often get it next day or 2. Lincoln, NE, USA
The first part about modifying hard jaws makes me want to modify my cheap 3 jaw for indexable + reversible jaws now. Might try something with some reamed holes and short dowels as an experiment - dowels and reamed holes are way easier than making a step to fit in a slot, and most of my workholding isn't excessively tight anyway.
Thanks Stefan!
Super helpful - I sliced my finger on the inside of one of those cheap collets recently, and will definitely be applying some of these tips. Thanks!
Great insights, thanks Stefan. Especially appreciate your points about affordable tooling. Home machinists need these options to even consider owning many of the necessary tools. Tooling snobs can suck it and go elsewhere.
Really nice video. Cheap tooling works fine for me, too. I'm not afraid to put import collets on brand name machine.
A lot of people use cheap import tooling in their's shop but they just thought it's good quality because they paid a lot for them. Industrial suppliers are too slow most of the time, and when you do jobshop type of work, time is money.
The time you spent emailing or talking with a commercial, you won it during fine tuning on the workbench.
You have a good compromise with brand and import tooling. Best regards
You got to start somewhere, I started with inexpensive tooling, improve and customize along the way (as you have), and the byproduct is improved skills and Wonderful parts!
I always clean any swarf from collets before I even put them to a test. It’s amazing how little swarf it takes to cause measurable runout.
thank you for passing along the tips
Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.
Hi, I use a adjustable 5-C collet chuck. Usually solves run out problem. Great video !!
Thank you Stefan for all the videos you post, I've learned a lot from you, and I am passing the knowledge I aquired also thanks to you to my nephew.
Stefan, I'm enjoying your content more and more as you settle into your sabbatical,. It seems like you're returning to your roots with fresh eyes. I hope this time away from the big shop proves fruitful for you. As always, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for ideas.
I have not bought those small deburring wheels
I will look for them.