I just bought a ~1918 Wade 8A precision toolmakers lathe, and it uses
a Wade #8 collet, which is identical to a 5C collet except for a
slightly longer length and a different (stronger) buttress thread.
They are quite similar, but the Wade collets sell for 50+ dollars
each, whereas good 5C collets can be had for just a few dollars a
collet in complete sets. All I need is a new drawtube and handwheel
assembly, since the lathe already has a spindle nose with the
appropriate taper. Does anybody know a source for premade 5C
drawtubes that can be cut down to size and fitted with a handwheel?

On Jul 3, 2:43*am, woodworker88 wrote:
...Does anybody know a source for premade 5C
drawtubes that can be cut down to size and fitted with a handwheel?

A longer drawtube can be adapted without cutting it with a shaft
collar, roller thrust bearing and shop-made conical centering
adapter.

The one I adapted measures 1.365" OD but a split 1-3/8" collar fits
fine and has never slipped. The thrust bearing cost about $5.
Originally it had plain brass thrust washers and worked reasonably
well if I didn't take heavy cuts.

Here is another version:
http://www.kinzers.com/don/MachineTools/collet_closer/

If you do this to a used drawtube you can remachine either end if it
wears out or breaks.

On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 23:43:06 -0700 (PDT), woodworker88
wrote:

I just bought a ~1918 Wade 8A precision toolmakers lathe, and it uses
a Wade #8 collet, which is identical to a 5C collet except for a
slightly longer length and a different (stronger) buttress thread.
They are quite similar, but the Wade collets sell for 50+ dollars
each, whereas good 5C collets can be had for just a few dollars a
collet in complete sets. All I need is a new drawtube and handwheel
assembly, since the lathe already has a spindle nose with the
appropriate taper. Does anybody know a source for premade 5C
drawtubes that can be cut down to size and fitted with a handwheel?


Check with your local used machine tool dealers, they often have
broken collet closers and bits and pieces.

On Jul 3, 5:24 am, Gunner wrote:

Check with your local used machine tool dealers, they often have
broken collet closers and bits and pieces.

Alright, sounds good.

I don't have a problem with building the handwheel assembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.

On Jul 4, 12:42*pm, woodworker88 wrote:

I don't have a problem with building the handwheel assembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.

It's an easy thread to cut, 1-1/4" - 20. The opening is large enough
to see inside which helps a lot.

The actual size may be slightly under 1.250 but you can keep cutting
until all of your collets fit. Several of mine measured 1.235 to
1.243.

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:42:55 -0700 (PDT), woodworker88
wrote:

On Jul 3, 5:24 am, Gunner wrote:

Check with your local used machine tool dealers, they often have
broken collet closers and bits and pieces.

Alright, sounds good.

I don't have a problem with building the handwheel assembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.


single point threading of the draw tube oddly enough, doesnt seem to
give as good a fit as does a tap for draw tubes, which I always found
really odd, being thin wall tubing. Most draw tubes are tapped.

shrug

gunner, who has modified old draw tubes for many machines




"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but under the
name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program
until one day America will be a socialist nation without ever knowing how it
happened." -- Norman Thomas, American socialist

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:45:34 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:42:55 -0700 (PDT), woodworker88
wrote:

On Jul 3, 5:24 am, Gunner wrote:

Check with your local used machine tool dealers, they often have
broken collet closers and bits and pieces.

Alright, sounds good.

I don't have a problem with building the handwheel assembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.


single point threading of the draw tube oddly enough, doesnt seem to
give as good a fit as does a tap for draw tubes, which I always found
really odd, being thin wall tubing. Most draw tubes are tapped.

shrug

gunner, who has modified old draw tubes for many machines




"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but under the
name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program
until one day America will be a socialist nation without ever knowing how it
happened." -- Norman Thomas, American socialist

I single pointed mine, not knowing any better (first lathe project).
Anyway, it works. I did have a hard time getting a good finish on the
4140 tube, but eventually did by taking light cuts. You can still see
it at the following.
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/...oj-5CParts.JPG

I later replaced the adapter with one from Royal.

Pete Keillor

On 2008-07-04, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:42:55 -0700 (PDT), woodworker88
wrote:

On Jul 3, 5:24 am, Gunner wrote:

[ ... ]

I don't have a problem with building the handwheel assembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.

[ ... ]

single point threading of the draw tube oddly enough, doesnt seem to
give as good a fit as does a tap for draw tubes, which I always found
really odd, being thin wall tubing. Most draw tubes are tapped.

A 6-jaw chuck will give less distortion of the drawtube during
threading, and if you've got a large enough collet (unlikely, since you
are trying to make a drawtube to fit collets to your lathe, and the
drawtube is always larger then the maximum collet capacity. :-)

I've not cut threads in the drawtube itself, but I have cut both
male and female threads in an extension to a drawtube when I went from
2-1/4x8 spindle nose to L-00 (needed about a 1" extension for that. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Jul 5, 7:14 pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2008-07-04, Gunner Asch wrote:

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:42:55 -0700 (PDT), woodworker88
wrote:

On Jul 3, 5:24 am, Gunner wrote:

[ ... ]

I don't have a problem with building thehandwheelassembly, I just
don't want to do the ID threading on the collet drawtube itself.
Looks like I should be able to find a used or broken part that I can
adapt.

[ ... ]

single point threading of the draw tube oddly enough, doesnt seem to
give as good a fit as does a tap for draw tubes, which I always found
really odd, being thin wall tubing. Most draw tubes are tapped.

A 6-jaw chuck will give less distortion of the drawtube during
threading, and if you've got a large enough collet (unlikely, since you
are trying to make a drawtube to fit collets to your lathe, and the
drawtube is always larger then the maximum collet capacity. :-)

I've not cut threads in the drawtube itself, but I have cut both
male and female threads in an extension to a drawtube when I went from
2-1/4x8 spindle nose to L-00 (needed about a 1" extension for that. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.
Sounds good to me. It just so happens that there is a 8" 6-jaw chuck
on the Colchester 15" lathe at work. Our tooling cabinet has a good
selection of really large taps, so maybe there is a 1 1/4"-20. I
believe the spec for the thread is more complicated than that (I
always see it called out as some decimal diameter) but perhaps
something will work. I can compare the thread to a new Hardinge
collet.
Thanks for the advice