Help with collet storage in Monarch Cabinet

AlfaGTA · Aug 30, 2016

I have a monarch EE lathe cabinet.
Its the one that has the "Lazy Susan" 5-C collet rack that is accessed through a flip up door at the front top of the box....
The rack i have appears to have been changed or modified....Some of the collet holes appear to have been squeezed in between existing holes.
Further, can't seem to come up with any real system for organizing the sizes....
Is this just how these racks are made , or does someone have a rack that works and allows a logical placement of the collets so that you can find a
size easily?

If so any chance you could post a sketch or photo?
Thanks in advance...
Cheers Ross

AlfaGTA · Aug 31, 2016

Crickets chirping.................................
Cheers Ross

rklopp · Aug 31, 2016

I just use one of these plastic rectangular racks in a rollaway drawer. I keep the collets in size order. Alas I have more collets than holes, so some collets are in additional sheetmetal racks in a Lista cabinet. It's a pain to add a size, because all the larger collets have to be shuffled over by a hole, and one falls off the end, but that difficulty applies whether the rack is round or rectangular.

daryl bane · Aug 31, 2016

I thought I had a vintage photo of that cabinet as supplied by Monarch showing the collet layout, but I can't find it. I remember it being for 2Js and the wheel had size tags or engraving next to each collet hole. And it was pretty crowded. Still looking. Update: , I found a pic in the 1958 Sales Catalog. It shows the collet holes spaced evenly around the periphery of the "lazy susan" wheel with each subsequent row spaced in between the holes of the row in front of it. Pretty straightforward.

AlfaGTA · Sep 1, 2016

Thanks Daryl...

Guess i will work out my own arrangement. Pretty sure what i have is not a factory done part..spacing is too random is spots.
Cheers Ross

220swift · Sep 1, 2016

Alfa

I just went and looked at my Monarch cabinet. It holds 50 5-C collets.
The holder is made of a piece of plywood sandwiched between 2 pieces of Masonite. Total thickness is 1/2" and 16 1/2" in dia.

The 2J rack hold 45 collets.

The hole spacing is a little odd and the holes on mine are unmarked.

Hal

AlfaGTA · Sep 2, 2016

Thanks Hal...
Cheers Ross

rke[pler · Sep 2, 2016

I have 2 non-standard racks in Monarch cabinets, on holding a complete set of 5C and the other incomplete set of 215 (I'd like to see the lazy susan to hold the complete set). I can get pics if you think they'd be useful.

220swift · Sep 2, 2016

I would like to see pictures of your collet holding system if it's not to much trouble.

Thanks
Hal

AlfaGTA · Sep 2, 2016

Yes Please....if not too much bother..
Thanks!
Cheers Ross

rke[pler · Sep 3, 2016

220swift said:
I would like to see pictures of your collet holding system if it's not to much trouble.

Sorry, out in the shop most of the day.

Here's the 5C rack and (I think original) stand. Note that the inside collet hold in the rack are at an angle, and the rack touches the front of the cabinet at times. It's ugly unfinished plywood but it works.

The rack & stand for the 215 are both shop made and not original. I don't have any collets in this guy as it's limited in range and I've got a lot more 215 collets than would fit.

AlfaGTA · Sep 7, 2016

Thanks....
Cheers Ross

rimcanyon · Sep 29, 2016

Ross, I took a sheet of 1/2" brown FRP and made the rack for my Monarch cabinet. It had the original 5C rack, but I use 2J collets. I was able to fit a full set of 2J 1/32" collets from 1/32" to 1 3/8" (44 collets), with 5-6 extra holes. I keep the 1/64" sizes in a Vidmar drawer. I still have some sheets of FRP if you need it, it looks nice. The FRP cutouts proved useful for making bushings to hold 3C collets when I still had my Hardinge mill. Nothing goes to waste in my shop, but that's why it's hard to turn around at times.

I fit three rows of collets. The third (inner) row was the tricky one, it is at a diameter where the collets can still be removed, but just barely. The organization scheme I use is simple: smallest sizes are in the outer ring, then spiral up to the second ring and third ring. Smaller sizes are to the right.

My 5c collets don't get a lot of use, but they are in the original Monarch rack in the base of the lathe.

rke[pler · Sep 30, 2016

rimcanyon said:
I fit three rows of collets. The third (inner) row was the tricky one, it is at a diameter where the collets can still be removed, but just barely. The organization scheme I use is simple: smallest sizes are in the outer ring, then spiral up to the second ring and third ring. Smaller sizes are to the right.

In my 5C rack (not original) the inner 2 rows (of 4) are angled with the top out to facilitate collet removal.

rimcanyon · Apr 7, 2020

I am fixing up a Monarch tool cabinet for the 59 10EE. This cabinet was acquired in parts - the lazy susan mechanism was not attached and I never noticed that is is incorrect for the cabinet. Here are some pictures of it:

The lazy susan:

The 2J collet rack in the other tool cabinet, which is the later style cabinet and uses a lazy susan made from two of the small tripods shown above:

Does anybody recognize the top lazy susan support tripod?

If not, this may jog your memory, from a 1947 10EE sales brochure:

This is the same picture, enlarged:

The early tool cabinet is more shallow, and the lazy susan projects out from the front of the cabinet. That explains the use of the large tripod with unequal legs that were supported by the sides of the cabinet.

I suppose I could make it work in the more recent Monarch tool cabinet, but it is higher: 4 ½" vs. the 3 ¾" of the correct part, and it is already difficult to remove collets from the inner circle of collets. However, it would be useful for someone using collets that are longer than 2J. I think I will make a new tripod that has the right height.

rimcanyon · Apr 7, 2020

Here's the solution I came up with:

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