Quote Originally Posted by MichaelHenry View Post
I'd thought that the grip range for 5C collets was more like a few thousandths of an inch. Compressing them more than that can damage the collets.
Yes that's true, there is a reason that they make so many sizes and types of 5C collets as Steve mentioned. http://www.shophardinge.com/productGrid.aspx?catID=6896 there is much more to machining than the typical hobbyist experiences at home.5C is for precision.