Milling Hexagons

[Ken I]

This is a hexagonal mount ER32 collet chuck I use for milling hexagons :-

I just open the vice rotate the hex shank and continue - accurate enough for spanner flats and hexagons. An a lot easier than mounting the dividing head or rotary table.

See also my thread on using such a cheap and nasty vice - with a bit of finessing.:
Cheap & Nasty Vice Made Good

Initially I wasn't very happy with the accuracy but there was nothing wrong with the chuck - it was my vice(s) soft jaws and lifting during clamping - once I had that sorted no further problems.
However if I am milling an accurate hexagon I will still clock each face for accuracy rather than relying on something that has been "moved" but for this sort of job is fine.

You can of course mount the hexagonal shaft in a 3-Jaw as a quick conversion to an ER-32 - but kinda negates any accuracy you might be hoping to achieve with a collet.

(I have a different collet chuck for my lathe so I've actually never tried to do this.)

See also my post from way-back on grinding small hexagonal thingummbobs :-

Grinding Hexagon Thingumybobs


Regards, Ken I

 

[Ken I]

Just a further update :-

My "el-cheapo" vice does not hold it very well horizontally - so I added machined grooves to secure it by the corners.
The grooves are slightly down to pull it into the vice.
The qualifying spacer prevents the jaws from going out of alignment,
Works a charm

Regards, Ken I

 

[minh-thanh]

Hi !
Thanks for sharing !
You make everything simple and useful, I "saved" .

 

[Sprocket]

I use a 5C collet block the same way.
The set came with hex and square, and I already had the collets.
Very handy!
Doug

 

[Gary C]

I know these as Stevenson's collets. I use a depth stop on the vice to allow "same position" rotation. So far, they have worked well. As you say, quicker than a dividing head for basic jobs.

 

[peterl95124]

I've always wondered why they don't make twelve sided collet blocks for use in a milling vise, will probably make one and see how it works, one block handles both square and hex, and you don't have to try to clamp it on the points.

 

[mcostello]

With a DRO it would be easy to make a collet block with any number the DRO could figure.

 

[Sprocket]

Peter,
If you give me more choices, I can make more mistakes…
Doug

 

[Richard Hed]

I've always wondered why they don't make twelve sided collet blocks for use in a milling vise, will probably make one and see how it works, one block handles both square and hex, and you don't have to try to clamp it on the points.

Six sided one will work as a twelve if you use the sides agains the vice walls on six of the cuts but use the six sides placed against the bottom of the vice for the other six cuts. Joe Pie taught me that.

 

[priceyk]

They do manufacture 12 sided ER32 Collet Blocks ( Refer eBay item number:164033474721)
But I made my own.

 

[mcostello]

Level across 2 holes will work.

 

[Steamchick]

Richard's set-up uses natural 90 degree machined surfaces of the vice to develop the new machined surfaces at the points of the hexagon. As accurate as the ground surfaces of the vice.
Aligning holes is less repeatable, unless perhaps with the use of screwed dowels? (a pair of dowels will form a datum at the tangent that touches both).
Clever! Thanks Richard.
Incidentally, to transfer the bottom surface of the vice to a higher position, I often use ground square carbide tools as spacers... They make excellent parallels that usually fit within the vice aperture.
K2

 

[ChazzC]

They do manufacture 12 sided ER32 Collet Blocks ( Refer eBay item number:164033474721)
But I made my own.

Item number no longer on eBay: could you post a link? Thank

 

[vk7krj]

Try this one=-

Unique Joe 12 Side Collet Block for ER32 collets- Patent Pending2017 | eBay

The blocks can be used vertically or horizontally for both setting up and machining. There are no protrusions on the rear face and all workpiece clamping and replacing operations are done at the collet end.

www.ebay.com.au

 

[ChazzC]

Try this one=-

Unique Joe 12 Side Collet Block for ER32 collets- Patent Pending2017 | eBay

The blocks can be used vertically or horizontally for both setting up and machining. There are no protrusions on the rear face and all workpiece clamping and replacing operations are done at the collet end.

www.ebay.com.au

Land of OZ - that explains why I couldn't find by searching on eBay. Thanks, but at $100AU I'll get a spare hex collet block and mill the corners off.

 

[ChazzC]

Well, I got my "extra" hex block back in July, and finally got around to putting it in the mill:

Now we'll see if I can keep track of what I'm doing when using it, or if I end up with a 10-sided hex!

 

[Jasonb]

I find a spin indexer a lot quicker as you don't have to keep repositioning the block in a vice, will also do 4, 8 & 12 sides. You can also leave the mill running as your hands don't come close to the cutter as they do when repositioning a block.

 

[ChazzC]

Yes, I have a SpinDexer, but the vise lives on the table and is already trammed and for putting a hex on just one part collet black are quicker. I never had issues with holding a hex block with the flats against the vise jaws and the point down, so this was mostly an exercise if calculating stock removal.

 

[Scott_M]

I also find the spin indexer quicker on a lot of jobs. Even having CNC available. So I milled the sides of mine to fit in my vise so I would not have to change my setup. see pics, best of both worlds


Scott

 

[oldengineguy]

Great idea on milling the sides of the spin indexer!
Colin