A collet chuck is an alternate work holding device that also uses mechanical forces to hold a workpiece. While a collet chuck does not work with the same wide range of workpiece sizes that a jaw chuck can accommodate, it offers advantages in speed, accuracy, and productivity that may be crucial for certain jobs.

Disadvantages of collets Collets are limited in the range of workpiece sizes they can accommodate and are ideally suited for repetitive jobs where the clamping requirements don't vary greatly. They are also better suited for clamping tooling with longer shanks and workpieces with consistent diameters.

Diameter range is the most notable difference between collets and chucks. Generally collets are used on smaller work pieces than typical three-jaw chucks. The general range for collets are 1/16in to 2.5in whereas chucks can be used on work pieces that are larger.

Some lathes are designed to use collets as the main method of work holding, and they are also made to be precise and quick, with no need to adjust for centering the work. Lathes which require an adapter or a separate chuck to hold the collet are not as precise, but may still be quick if the chuck has a lever closer.