Thread: Any interest in new Van Norman C collets or arbors?

Hello All,

Iam thinking about ordering a production run of new VN C collets and maybe arbors for the VN 12. Does anyone need collets or arbors? If so,please let me know what sizes are the most important. You could reply here or via PM. These will be aerospace precision and likely made with 4140, so as to have a reasonable degree of hardness.

Working on minimum production numbers and cost now. Should have some idea of costs and delivery time by next week.

Thanks
Glenn

Let us know if you stretch into the larger VN "2" (aka Hardinge 50V) collets. I've finally accumulated a used set from various sources, but there are a couple that could use replacement.

As to VN "C" (aka Hardinge 5V), not personally in the market, but there's a steady, if slow, stream of inquiries here on PM forums. The previous commercial source stopped carrying new ones, so the market is probably marginal given the (varying) availability of used collets. It's a worthy thing to do, though.

I too would be interested in the larger "2" or Hardinge 50V size. Some of mine are quite worn. Would be great if we could get them up to 1 inch or more.

Originally Posted by gi_984

I too would be interested in the larger "2" or Hardinge 50V size. Some of mine are quite worn. Would be great if we could get them up to 1 inch or more.

The factory only offered them up to 7/8". A quick mic check on one I had nearby shows a 0.936" ID and a 1.120" major diameter at the threaded end, which does not leave a whole lot of meat when bored out for 1". On the other hand, you could probably counterbore 1" for a depth of 1.25" easily or 2.5" if you were aggressive. The front end is only 1.2865" OD (uncompressed on my sample), so you certainly shouldn't attempt 1.25"!

Thanks all, I’ll look into the possibility of having some VN “2” collets made up.

What VN machine sizes are these suitable for? Also do they cross over to any other machines, or were they proprietary to VN?

Thanks
Glenn

I'm sure both the VN 2 and VN C collets are proprietary, although they are/were second-sourced from Hardinge as the 50V and 5V, respectively.

As far as I know, the VN 2 is used mostly in accessories for the larger 2X and 3X series mills (e.g., #28). Things like the universal subhead, highspeed subhead, the dividing heads, etc. It's possible they were also used in some of VN's grinders, but I don't have any catalogs for those machines. The larger 2X and 3X machines usually had an NMTB 50 spindle taper, which is massively larger than the VN 2 collet, and also common as white gym socks. The accessory spindles were much smaller, and not real common.

BTW, in addition to the ordinary VN 2 collets for holding straight shank tools (1/16 to 7/8, by 1/32 increments), there were also VN 2 taper collets for B&S 5 and 7 and Morse 1 and 2 taper shank tools, shell mill arbors (1/2 to 1-1/2, standard sizes) and even some almost-standard (odd pilot diameter) type A milling arbors (7/8 by 7, 1 by 3.5, 8 and 12).

VN also made taper adapters from NMTB50 and B&S13 to VN 2, although I don't really see the point. NMTB50 and even B&S13 (in its day) tooling had to have been more common than VN2 tooling.

I was just reading about the VN-MT#2 collet adapters. Noticed them listed in a couple of old VN accessory catalogs.

It wouldn’t be hard to turn out a few MT adopters if there is a need. Seems like they could be useful for mounting MT drill bits??

Anybody know What else would have been a common usage?

Thanks
Glenn

That's one way to mount a drill chuck on a Van Norman, using a chuck with a MT to JT arbor. 'C'-shank, Jacobs taper arbors would also be very cool to have.

Cal

If there were a way to make a fitting with the back end matching the VN "C" collet pattern, and the front end having the nose of an ER collet chuck, of as large a size as is practicable in relation to the scale of an ER collet (ER32 would be great, ER25 would be OK) that would be the bee's knees as far as I am concerned.

Lacking that, I'd be interested in a VN-C (smaller) to MT2 as long as the price is somewhere lower than the stratosphere.

Thanks for doing/ offering this

A 5V collet in 3/4" would be of interest. Even if produced such that it protruded from the nose a little.
5V facemill holders too!
1" and 1-1/4 5V arbors as well.

I got a van norman No.6 how much would it cost for a basic set?

Originally Posted by Glenn Brooks

Iam thinking about ordering a production run of new VN C collets and maybe arbors for the VN 12. Does anyone need collets or arbors? If so,please let me know what sizes are the most important. You could reply here or via PM. These will be aerospace precision and likely made with 4140, so as to have a reasonable degree of hardness.

Working on minimum production numbers and cost now. Should have some idea of costs and delivery time by next week.

Thanks
Glenn

I am definitely interested in a 1" arbor. I believe that is as big as a 12 will handle. Larger if available. Length to 12"
hope you did get a run done
RP

Originally Posted by BludingoFX

I am definitely interested in a 1" arbor. I believe that is as big as a 12 will handle. Larger if available. Length to 12"
hope you did get a run done
RP

Thread necro- I don't think this ever flew-

VN C tooling is not too difficult to make if you have a lathe, and a VN 12 or the like. While making an actual C collet could be tough, making an ER collet holder to fit the VN C spindle is much simpler, as it is not a thin walled construction that has to be slotted and hardened. Make it just like a end mill holder, turn the shank and VN taper and threads on the lathe, and bore the ER taper on the mill with the mill head set at 8 degrees and with a fixed tool in the vise, feeding on the Y axis.