well it was exactly what i thought. I haven't heard back from Mike and he hasn't returned my pm.
the tubes measured .309 - .311
i ended up taking a 5/16 drill bit and tightened the shank end in the vice. then i took a paper towel over the fluted end and twisted it. After repeating 10 times, it smoothed out the rolled burr in the picture and now it hold tubes.
poor customer service. i won't be posting any more reviews on this machine.
i ordered an edge x. i'll post a review after getting to know it.