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R8 tooling

amosfella

Plastic
Joined
Jul 4, 2016
I got a new to me mill (not a bridgeport unfortunately) that takes r8 tooling. I plan to use it to make small parts for some farm machinery we have. Previously I had a smaller machine taking MT3 collets. I'm glad I had that last year, or I would have been pooched to get my seed into the ground as parts were on a 21 day backorder.

So, my questions are about the collets for the new mill. Is a r8 collet that goes into the spindle better than a r8 to ERxx holder for chatter? How about regular end mill holders? I'm trying to get the least runout to prolong cutter life.

I was hoping to get Hardinge brand collets for the main sizes that I use.
 
Seems like one of those eternal questions. ER collets seem to be cheaper, plus you may be able to use them for work holding in some applications as well. If you don't have any limits on your Z space, then even the fact ER holders are quite long is less of a concern. Runout, rigidity... you've got a used machine to make tractor parts, not really the aerospace context :)
 
Crickets pretty much nailed it.

I would suggest a set of r8 collets as standard equipment. The Chinese ones are fine. I got a cheap set from ebay and have not had any issues with them.

The majority of my r8 holders are the ER style because I have a cnc and can store tool length offsets. The er (extended range) are also very helpful for drills and small end mills.

I get the ER stuff from toollots.com they have nice holders with minimal run out. They are also nickel plated so they don't rust.

I have never seen a solid holder that didn't run out some. They will be necessary for any tool over 1" diameter though.
 
No way anyone can produce a *quality* (material, heat-treatment, machining/grinding) collet and sell it for $10, even at chinese slave-labor rates.

Agreed. Hardinge and Lyndex are very nice, I buy them here and there when I find nos for a good price. For general milling and drilling though, the cheap ones are surprisingly ok.

Not so for ER collects though. The cheap ones run out a lot. I would suggest a quality name like parlec or techniks.
 
I'll have to see what my ER collets are. I have a set or 2 for my big mill that takes Nxxx40 tapers. Have to dig them out of my box and see what they are.
 
I got a new to me mill (not a bridgeport unfortunately) that takes r8 tooling. I plan to use it to make small parts for some farm machinery we have. Previously I had a smaller machine taking MT3 collets. I'm glad I had that last year, or I would have been pooched to get my seed into the ground as parts were on a 21 day backorder.

So, my questions are about the collets for the new mill. Is a r8 collet that goes into the spindle better than a r8 to ERxx holder for chatter? How about regular end mill holders? I'm trying to get the least runout to prolong cutter life.

I was hoping to get Hardinge brand collets for the main sizes that I use.

reality is that anything will work, end mill life in a manual mill is pretty short due to inconsistent feeding of the tool, and most old manual mills seem to have a ton of slop to them. so vibration kills carbide faster then anything. HSS you can run, but need to do it slower to prevent overheating it.
you can even put the tool right into the R8 collet for the best ridgidity as tooling stickout from the spindle is what you are trying to keep the shortest.
 








 
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