Hi all. I just received my elite foreman with the 2.2 spindle. I’ve been watching some videos and two videos mention that a torque wrench for properly tightening the bits is a good idea. Any suggestions on what to get preferably from Amazon?
Thank you
You could use a crows foot open end wrench with a socket drive torque wrench. But, I’ve never seen anyone do anything more than “tight but not monkey tight” which isn’t highly specific but works.
I used to teach my students to get the two wrenches (collet nut and spindle flats) about 4 inches or so apart and then squeeze them together with one hand. That makes it doable to loosen them later without straining. If you find yourself grunting with effort to loosen the nut, you’ve gone to the monkey side and overtightened them. The collet design does not require massive force to hold securely and overtightened is more often an issue than under tightened.
Thanks for the link to this tool. I was looking specifically to tighten the collet on the spindle. Something like this Amana Tool ATW-20 Adjustable Torque Wrench for ER20 Collet 35mm Dia x 13-3/8 Inch Length - Amazon.com.
Thank you
If I want to go the torque wrench route, is this what I need? Thanks for your reply.
Whoa, that’s a tool. But no, I was thinking more a long these lines:
A standard ratchet head torque wrench fits into the square hole and operates like a socket.
Seriously though, industrial machines might need to be torqued but for our purposes at the speeds we’re pushing, it’s probably overkill to torque the collet nuts. In 20 years I’ve never seen anyone do that.
Why overthink it? Just tighten it up by hand. You’ll quickly learn how tight to make it. For machining tools the reason to use a torque wrench is to get consistent results. However, in this case the first thing you will do after tightening a bit into the collet is probe Z so that’s not an issue. There’s so many things to spend money on that will have a much bigger bag for your buck I would wait until you know for certain that you wat one.
This tool is for a different type of ER20 collet. If you need a torque wrench for this, then you’re probably also measuring the diameter of your spaghetti noodles with a micrometer before cooking to ensure consistent results.
The only people who need a torque wrench are those who need to boast about how much they spent on a torque wrench. There is a reason the provided wrenches are stubby length.
The torque wrench in that amazon link is used for the “castle” style collet nuts.
I used one for many years on an industrial machine. They have 2 torque settings depending on which direction you turn. (Not to be confused with a tightening torque being different than a loosening torque. You flip it over to tight at either torque setting.)
I used ER32 collets for years with the small wrench supplied with the machine. I would have argued the small wrenches were fine. Occasionally tools would creep in or out of the collet and parts would come off the machine with defects. The tool length would be recalibrated and I didn’t think much of it. After getting the torque wrench and using it, I realized the small wrenches were not applying nearly enough torque. ER32 calls for 100 ft.lbs with a 1/2" shank.
Sources vary a little, but our ER20 collets call for about 25 ft.lbs when using a 0.25" shank, and about 60 ft.lbs on a 0.5" shank.
For woodworking, the concern is more related to making sure the cutter doesn’t slip in or out of the collet. For metalworking, the concern is more about runout and accuracy.
I don’t think using a torque wrench for our applications is really needed, but I do recommend we all go out to the garage every once in a while with a torque wrench, and see what 25 and 60 ft.lbs. “feels” like. Choke up on the torque wrench so it’s the same length as the little wrenches.
Keep those threads clean! It’s good practice to blow the collet and threads out with compressed air each time. I’ve experienced sawdust and debris making a collet nut feel tight, but not actually clamp well.
While I’ve yet to do it - I’ve considered applying some lubricant to the threads so less of the torque is wasted on the thread engagement. This is a trick from the mountain bike industry to get better torque readings.
Fancy collet nuts on industrial machines have ball bearing in them for a similar reason.