Did you Spring clean your shop this year? If not, then fall is a great time to get organized. If you'll spend the winter working in the shop, then Fall is the time to get your R8 tools and collets together and get them organized in an R8 tool holder.
R8 Tools
Bridgeport, a milling machine manufacturer, invented the R8 taper for their equipment. A drawbar through the spindle prevents loosening. Insert tools with an R8 taper directly into the machine’s spindle. Collets are the tool holders. So, you place your collets directly into the spindle and the tighten the collet with the drawbar. The R8 system uses collets
1⁄
8″ to
3⁄
4″ diameter. This isn't new info. If you machine you know this stuff. What you need to know is a way to keep R8 tools and collets organized and protected. That’s the job of the R8 collet trays.
courtesy Exact Tooling
Collets Need Protection
Those collets that see regular use probably stay rust-free and in pretty good shape. The collets that don't see much use can get rusty. Humidity control is the best rust preventative. Use fans in the shop to circulate the air. Fans also reduce humidity and moisture. Run shop fans constantly to keep air moving. Heating and air conditioning affect temperature and humidity. Avoid wild temperature swings. Large temperature changes cause metal to sweat. So, any time the shop closes for a week or a few days, keep the fans and climate control turned on. If you don't, changes in temperature when you reopen will cause metal to sweat. Protect rarely used collets with a light coating of oil. Heavy-duty oil is too hard to clean off. That's just a waste of time. Use a product like
Breakthrough CLP to protecting your metal. Store your collets and tools in a R8 tool holder tray. Our
R8 tool holder is made of high-impact plastic. It will not rust. In addition, it won't rust expensive tooling.
R8 Tool Holder Tray
R8 t0ol holder trays or collet racks protect collets and keep them organized at the same time. The 52 holes in the R8 tool holder gives you enough room for a full set of collets and places for emergency extras too. Steel stamped collet trays damage tooling. High-impact plastic won't. Use a tool holder tray that is American built and strong. Our
R8-52 tray is the tray for you. Need a 5C tray? We got you covered. Our R8 tool holder is simply the best. Because your collets deserve the best, order your R8 tray today.
