The Vortex 5C Imperial Lathe Collet — Square, 1/2" is a versatile emergency collet designed for machinists who need quick, precise workholding in 5C lathe setups. Its soft construction can be bored to size, depth, taper, or shape to fit a specific component, with pins that keep the bore open during boring operations.

• Size & profile: 1/2" bore with a square outer profile designed to integrate smoothly with standard 5C lathe chucks.
• Material behavior: Soft construction that accommodates precise re-boring to your exact size, depth, taper, or shape.
• Runout precision: Delivers 13–15 micron runout for dependable concentricity in delicate workholding.
• Re-boreable design: Can be bored multiple times to hold larger or differently shaped parts, maximizing reuse.
• Open-bore feature: Pins are fitted to keep the collet open during boring operations, simplifying setup in a 5C lathe collet chuck.
• Ideal use cases: Emergency collet for quick adaptation in prototyping, small-batch production, repair work, or custom components where standard sizes don’t fit.

The 13–15 micron runout translates to tight, repeatable performance in precision drilling, turning, and milling tasks, helping you achieve true-running components with minimal adjustment. Because the collet is designed to be bored to your exact requirements and then re-used, you gain real flexibility and cost efficiency on jobs that demand a bespoke fit. The square outer form provides stable seating in the chuck, reducing wobble and enhancing accuracy across a range of custom or irregular parts. This makes the Vortex 5C Imperial Lathe Collet a practical choice for hobbyists progressing to precision work and professional shops handling diverse, on-demand projects.