Spindle nut & collet quality

[cnc_works]

When I bought my spindle, the mfr said I should always use the best quality, balanced nuts & collets.

If this is for spindle life, than it is a no-brainer. But if it is for quality of cut, I can hardly imagine almost any set purchased with common sense (no $10 sets) would be fine on a cnc router. On a machine tool I would suspect buying the best might be better advice.

I just bought a spindle for my smaller CNC and don't particularly want to share nuts and collets between them, not even the back and forth of collet wrenches. So I'm looking at several more nuts and collets as I'd like to keep each collet in its own nut.

I ask the question because I see pretty good deals on ebay, but they are really unspecced.

So, any feedback would be appreciated.

Donn

[elcruisr]

I tried bargain basement collets once. They do make a difference in cut quality and tool life. They can't be good for bearings either. Since then I only use high quality precision collets and cap nuts.

Remember the collets only have a limited life span as well. 300 to 400 hours and I can hear and see a difference. They are a consumable just like tools only with a longer life. High quality cap nuts usually last me several years. I also set with a torque wrench after learning a few hard lessons.

[dingwall]

Eric, I've always wondered about torque specs. Where do you find reliable information on that?

[rhfurniture]

I too am researching this subject. The only real info I can find is below - Rego-fix claim to have invented the er system.

5421
I can get either one easy in UK - do I need to go to the UP version? The standard cost about 2 x cheap off the internet, and the UP ones 4 x cheapo in price.

[elcruisr]

The collet maker gave me a torque spec of 85 ft lbs. for an ER 25.

Ralph, it's a juggling act. I've found that for me that the ultra precision collets just last much longer and my tools last much longer and my cuts are better. That said, things might be very different in your application. You will probably be running different tools in different materials. I'd pass on the cheapos and try a standard and a UP with the same tools for a while and track their life span.