Made ma'sef a R8 collet tightener thingie

[Buckshot]

.............Don't like the idea of tightening the nut on my ER collet chucks while in the milling machine's spindle. The idea of the key breaking off gives me hives, so I banged this together in somewhat over an hour the other day.

http://www.fototime.com/FA17A4D1B4C781E/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/53A9E9CA898FFC2/standard.jpg

As you can see it was made from some scabby ole 1/2" x 2" structural low carbon. Nothing was actually measured except to find a reasonable center on and upright for drilling & boring. The base had one side given a quick skim with a flycutter. The bases of the 2 uprights were treated the same, flipped over and done again. Most of the time was taken up by swapping out the flycutter, for the drill chuck, and then for the boring head.

http://www.fototime.com/3FA299A7BF3689F/standard.jpg

In use. The uprights are each attached via three 1/4-20 sockethead screws. The keys are hand filed 1/4" OD low carbon and simply retained in their holes via setscrews. Now I can lay on the wrench without breaking out in a cold sweat[smilie=l:

.............Buckshot

[dragonrider]

Nice job, a handy tool for sure.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Buckshot: neither of my mills still have the key. It is actually much easier to use them without as you don't have to line them up every time you stick something into the hole.

I do like your fixture however and have a similar one for installing tools into my Rapidapter QC unit.

As far as the key preventing any kind of rotation of the R8 device in the spindle, It doesn't really work out that way, and in fact that's why neither one of mine have the key. They both got sheared off by using big flycutters!

If you put some oil on your R8 tool's taper when you put it into the spindle and tighten it up with a 12" Box wrench it will pretty much eliminate any unwanted rotation.

Also Hardinge Collets are a good thing.

Randy