Reply with Quotewd40 not working
Collet won't open :(
I just got my kx3 cnc a couple days ago and was machining some wood to test out some stuff and the 4mm endmill locked up and started coming out of the collet. I am now trying to open the collet and almost broke my wrist trying to turn it open (yes I am pulling in the right direction). Weirdly enough, I was able to push the end mill back up the collet by tapping the bottom softly with a wrench (it was lose enough). But I still can't open the collet. Sprayed some WD40 on it, going to try again in 20 minutes or so. Hoping there are some other suggestions. I am bending the rod that I stick in the spindle for leverage.
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wd40 not working
what type of Collet
Got it from Sieg with my machine.
I might be calling it the wrong thing. Its the thing that holds the collets? Collet holder? Chuck?
Picture?
I guess you could be referring to the drawbar mechanism.
You'll need to unscrew the drawbar from the top of the head, and tap it down with a mallet to release the collet.
Or you could be talking about something else.
Also sounds like you are not using the correct size collet for your end mill.
Its not the drawbar, already figured out the tap thing. Its the thing that goes into the drawbar and holds the collet which holds the tool. The collet was the right size since the tool wouldn't fit in the smaller one. I think it just jammed because it was milling the wood too deep and must have got stuck and then the collet holder moved clockwise with the drill bit for a second or so at full power locking it in place perhaps.
So its an ER collet?
ER Collets & Collet Chucks - Arc Euro Trade
If so, you just got to hold the spindle and unscrew the end of the collet chuck. Sorry, I can offer anything better than what you are already doing.
Yes its an ER collet. Yah I tried doing that, theres a metal rod used to help get leverage on the spindle but that bent as I was trying to take it off
Does the spindle ever lock? Or is it always free flow. If it locked it would allow me to use both hands to try to get this off.
Call me an idiot.
Take the collet holder out of the spindle.
Put the collet holder in a vise connected to a sturdy work bench.
Wrench/hammer/cut the collet nut off. Whatever it takes. As long as the collet nut is attached to the collet holder, it does you absolutely no good. If you damage the collet holder or nut during disassembly, buy a new one. Buy a good one. Assuming you bought this one because it was cheap. You get what you pay for. Pay for cheap, get cheap.
So, your collet holder malfunctioned while cutting wood. What do you think it would have done if you tried to cut metal with it?
Good idea, already took it off the spindle. Will have to buy a vise, probably not a good idea to use the one for the T slot. Yah this was a cheapo chinese one, actually came with the machine
I suppose I can't use the normal drill chuck style collet thing instead eh? Finally had enough guts to experiment on aluminum and then this happenedMight not be able to get another collet until the weekend.
Well, with your experience with the collet holder in your head, I am guessing the vise came from the same source. So, yeah, maybe not a good idea. That said, I put collets and tool holders into Kurt vises quite often when others over-tighten them or get them jammed up some way and I need to get them apart.Originally Posted by trialanderror
How much extra does buying cheap really cost a person, not only in money, but in time?
So you have the collet out but the tool is stuck in the collet? Do you have a socket? or a piece of wood with a hole in it? Set the collet on the wood with the tool in the hole, punch the tool out. I cant imagine how it got stuck that tight. You shouldnt need to tighten it that much.
The tool will probably come out of the collet with pliers, the problem is that I cannot open the collet holder. Heres a pic of the thing I can't open. New ER32 R8 M12 COLLET CHUCK CNC MILLING LATHE -US | eBay
I already got it off the machine.
you need to put some pressure on it with the wrench then tap on it
My bet is that since it is new and since it is cheap, the nut had a burr on the thread. Once you tightened it up, now the thread is galled because of the burr. There is probably no way to save this tool holder other than brute force. And if brute force won't get it apart, then it is worthless to you. At least you can grind the nut off and save the tool holder and the collet, and then buy a new nut. Once you do get it apart, check the threads. I bet you find that is the problem of causing it to be "locked up". I had this happen many times early in my career when making threaded parts and not deburring the threads properly before test assembling them. I learned to deburr my work.
Ok I will do my best to get this fixed, I ordered that other on eBay, may as well be used as a cheap spare. Going to find a higher quality one as well. What is deburring exactly?
Sometimes in cutting metals and plastics, extra sharp "knife edges" are extruded by the cutting tool. I don't want to get into the physics behind it right now. Deburring is the process where these "knife edges" are removed. The equivalent in wood working is sanding off splintered edges. This deburring is critical when cutting most thread forms, because the threading operation almost always leaves a burr at the start thread and at the end thread. Sometimes the crests of the threads will have sharp edges also. Deburring can be accomplished several ways: Recutting with cutting tools while in the machine, using abrasives by hand while in the machine, using abrasives by hand out of the machine, or by using special hand held deburring tools in or out of the machine.
Most of the better machinists have spent hours deburring parts and have learned the better machining methods to reduce burrs on their parts, thus reducing deburring time.
