5C collet question

[Char-Gar]

well, I came a set of new Lyndex 5C collets for a very good price. When they got here I discovered they were square. So here is my question.s

Can you hold round work in the square collet?

What are some of the uses for square collets? I know I turn square work round.

How bad did I screw up?

[Cactus Farmer]

There are hex colets too. If you use square to hold round stock they will not hold well,just touching in 4 places instead of all around. Wear will occure on those spots. Sell the square to recoup your money and buy a set of round.....
What do you want for the collets? I'll buy/trade you for them. I don't have a lot of use for them but I would like to have them for those "special" projects that come around from time to time.

[Buckshot]

.............I've got a set of boring old round 5C's x 32nds, and a couple years back bought a set of hex collets. Over time when I'd send an order to Enco I'd order a square 5C and now have a set of those. I've used maybe 3 of the hex collets and per-zactly ONE of the square 5C's to date[smilie=l: I actually think the square ones would be more usefull in the milling machine in a spin indexer. However, if you ever did need a 'square to round' something or other a square 5C in the lathe would be the hot setup.

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

[scb]

I wouldn't turn round stock in a square collet. You'll only have four very small points of contact. With a round collet you have 3 very large (by comparison) contact surfaces. More surface area = less slippage. For some applications square collets are almost indispensable.
How bad did you screw-up? Depending what you paid, I suppose if you have absolutely no use for them - then pretty badly. However if you need them and have to buy them they generally cost allot more than round ones.

[lathesmith]

Charger, if you got those square Lyndex collets at a good deal, thinking they were round, you must have gotten one heckofa deal. Those Lynex collets are pretty pricey, and squares and hexes are quite a bit higher than round. If you don't want them, you can easily sell them and get round ones.

Like scb said, get round collets for turning round stock; the whole idea of using collets is for non-marring accuracy, so match your stock to your holding tools.

I know the feeling Buckshot, those hex and square collets look mighty tempting, but...like you, I would have only very (very)occasional use for them.

lathesmith

[Char-Gar]

Thanks guys... I am going to hold on to those square collets, just in case. I will look around for a cheap set of round collets. I will then replace the individual collets that I used the most with better grade collets one at a time.