Emergency Collets: You can find “emergency collets” in a variety of materials including steel, brass, aluminum, and plastic.You’ll find lathe chucks/adapters, milling fixtures, and other devices that use 5C collets- so your collet investment can provide value at the lathe, at the mill, and other scenarios as well! This makes them very versatile for bar work. Capacity: 5C collets typically cover 1/32nd” all the way up to about 1 1/16″.There’s a 5C collet for most any job, and most any budget. You can find US-made, and imported 5C collets in a variety of different price brackets, quality levels, configurations (round, hex, square, and more). Here are some reasons 5C collets are great: There are MANY different types of collets designed for use with metal lathes- 3C, 2J, ER-series, Jacobs Rubberflex, 16C and many more. But there’s one collet system that’s most popular with lathe owners, and it’s no wonder why! 5C Collet System: King of the Metal Shop

With these workholding devices, almost any metal turning scenario can be conquered.

Faceplate: Ideal for holding irregularly shaped work with clamps, also used with lathe dogs to turn between centers.5C collet chuck: 5C Collets themselves have about 0.0006″ runout, so net runout can be less than 0.001″ for the work being held.4-Jaw independent chuck: Awesome capacity, can dial in concentricity to 0.0001″ or less, slow to use.3-Jaw chuck: high capacity and fast, but doesn’t have the best concentricity (work could show 0.002″ – 0.006″ of runout depending on the chuck and setup).Here are my “engine lathe workholding essentials”: If you want maximum versatility from your metal lathe, there are some workholding devices you must have in your collection! Each has their purpose, and some will be used rarely, but every job requires different tooling, so it’s great to have what you need in the shop.

Atlas lathe spindle speeds