ER40?
Up to this point my approach to the Tormach has been prejudiced a bit by turning the handles on regular milling machines over a 30 year period.
As such, I was just going to buy a big set of R8 collets and use them like I always have. But seeing a friends setup first hand got me to thinking about the ER40 possibilities.
Of course the plus is that a tool's height is set once, entered into the tool table, and that is it. Of course it is a must for those with an ATC, but that is not in my future for a long long time. It seems like the down side is that one doesn't just need a full set of collet sizes, but lots of duplicates too.
So I'm asking what the common wisdom here is. Does one start off with a full set of ER40's collets and then add several duplicates in common end mill shank sizes? Or put another way, how does one have enough ER40 collets on hand in the right size without just dumping lots of money into duplicates that may never be needed? Or, how many duplicates to you have on hand that have never been needed? Or what sizes do y'all use on a weekly basis?
Or is an ER40, setup even the way to go for a guy on a strict budget? Should I just do R8 collets for a couple of years until the fun-fund recovers a bit, then invest in ER40?
I'd appreciate your thoughts very much,
kr
http://www.parmarng.org/freeidaho/default.html
http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=999415