Problem- R8 collet and TTS system

[FandZ]

Hello all, a few months ago I ordered an x2 mill head and an R8 collet to use with my TTS system. I've finally got it mounted on my machine and checked the run out. With the R8 collet in, any of the TTS tooling I mount gives me .002 or more runout. Useing an R8 facemill, I get .0009 or less run out. That leads me to believe my R8 collet is bad.

Being that I've never used the TTS system, or any mill components for that matter, is there anything special to do when tightening the draw bar? Should it just be past snug or do you have to really to put some force into it? I've been probably torquing it to about 20lbs or so. Nothing too extreme.

I'm pretty sure I just got a bad R8 collet but I thought I best check with people that may know before I ordered a replacement.

[FandZ]

Yep, I'm sure it's the R8 collet and not the mill head. I just doubled checked. It has .008 or so run out and not the .002 that I originally posted. That's just way too much. I guess I'll order another collet and see what happens.

[zephyr9900]

Originally Posted by FandZ Being that I've never used the TTS system,

Two things to verify before you get too far, since the TTS depends on the ring on the tool holder registering on the end of the spindle when the holder is clamped in the collet:

1. Make sure that the nose of the R8 collet doesn't touch the inside flat face of the TTS holder (the Tormach collet is specifically ground down just short of flush with the spindle face--it is flat on the end, and not domed like regular collets).

2. The spindle face itself needs to be square with the spindle axis--ideally ground under its own power, but you can verify the squareness with a test indicator.

Randy

[FandZ]

Originally Posted by zephyr9900 Two things to verify before you get too far, since the TTS depends on the ring on the tool holder registering on the end of the spindle when the holder is clamped in the collet: 1. Make sure that the nose of the R8 collet doesn't touch the inside flat face of the TTS holder (the Tormach collet is specifically ground down just short of flush with the spindle face--it is flat on the end, and not domed like regular collets). 2. The spindle face itself needs to be square with the spindle axis--ideally ground under its own power, but you can verify the squareness with a test indicator. Randy

Randy, you hit the bull right on the nose. I just checked and the squareness on the bottom face of the spindle is about .004 off. I guess that is the source of my run-out since the TTS mounts against it??? How would you recommend I go about correcting it?

Thanks for the heads up, I ordered a second R8 collet from the TTS website. I guess I'll send off an email to cancel the order since it's not what I really need now.

[FandZ]

Looks like I found an answer on the TTS online documenst.

"Correcting the face is just as easy. Clamp a lathe tool in the milling machine vise. A new carbide tool is recommended. With the spindle turning at a few hundred RPM, take a very light surface cut. There is no need to remove much more than a few thousandths of an inch."

End of page 2. http://littlemachineshop.com/Instruc...anualRev-A.pdf

Guess I'll be ordering a lathe tool.