Has anyone tried this

[Jed Baxter]

well i have just bought this so i will tell you how it goes

So are you able to turn both barrels together when using these?

 

[Pete B]

Yes Jed,

but the wobble was much more pronounced farthest away from the headstock.
But i turn the bushings as described and they turn out fine. The one shown below was turned withthis, quickly as well which is why i bought it really.
I have a psi one that looks a little different to the one shown at turners workshop.
I know its very pink by the way but it was for my Cousins Wife and is what she asked for.
Hope this helps.
Pete

 

[Walter]

Reviewed one a while ago. Worked quite well, I liked it. Here's a link to my review:

Penn State Industries Maxi Mandrel, Keyless Pen Mandrel System and Mandrel Saver - The Woodworkers Institute

 

[bellringer]

Well I will tell everyone how good the turners workshop when it arives

 

[Alan Moore]

The pink pen is very nice

 

[Jim]

Reviewed one a while ago. Worked quite well, I liked it. Here's a link to my review:

Penn State Industries Maxi Mandrel, Keyless Pen Mandrel System and Mandrel Saver - The Woodworkers Institute

That is a good review Walter, did you find the same issue that Pete had? Does the image show you using both the Keyless Pen Mandrel System and the Mandrel saver in the tailstock?

 

[Jimjam66]

Nice review Walter. I got a keyless mandrel identical to the one you show in the article from Tony at Penkits UK. Didn't cost more than about £14, if memory serves ...

 

[Jimjam66]

Nice review Walter. I got a keyless mandrel identical to the one you show in the article from Tony at Penkits UK. Didn't cost more than about £14, if memory serves ...

Ah, my mistake. It was the Maxi Mandrel, NOT the keyless ... :doh:

 

[clumsysod]

I have looked at this thread with interest and much amusement, I have convinced myself that you boys must have more money than sense.
I know I am new and inexperienced but I must be missing the point here at what exactly you are trying to achieve.
I find it absolutely staggering that you have the time and patience to measure, cut even laminate, drill, square. glue insert and god only knows hat else you may do to this fiddly little piece of timber that took so long to grow for you.
It's to much effort to take two seconds to tighten a nut at the end of a bar.
Why oh why do you insist on buying what is essentially a live center with a hole drilled through the middle, You may as well shove a roller bearing in your tailstock and push it up your mandrel.
It's only any use on a Slimline pen anyway where the bushes wont go inside the brass tube, otherwise turning between centers is far more accurate, easier and neater.
For heavens sake wake up lads!!!

 

[ataylor]

I have looked at this thread with interest and much amusement, I have convinced myself that you boys must have more money than sense.
I know I am new and inexperienced but I must be missing the point here at what exactly you are trying to achieve.
I find it absolutely staggering that you have the time and patience to measure, cut even laminate, drill, square. glue insert and god only knows hat else you may do to this fiddly little piece of timber that took so long to grow for you.
It's to much effort to take two seconds to tighten a nut at the end of a bar.
Why oh why do you insist on buying what is essentially a live center with a hole drilled through the middle, You may as well shove a roller bearing in your tailstock and push it up your mandrel.
It's only any use on a Slimline pen anyway where the bushes wont go inside the brass tube, otherwise turning between centers is far more accurate, easier and neater.
For heavens sake wake up lads!!!

You may be right, for you, but what you say does not suit me, and btw it serves more than a slimline.

Pete, that pink blank looks nice mate.

 

[Walter]

That is a good review Walter, did you find the same issue that Pete had? Does the image show you using both the Keyless Pen Mandrel System and the Mandrel saver in the tailstock?

Thanks Jim

I didn't have the problem that Pete had although I can see how it could potentially occur and yes, the photo shows me using both.

 

[trapper]

I totally agree Terry
My home brew is exactly that even my mini revolving centre is nothing other than a drilled out rod with a small machine bearing mounted onto a rod that goes in side the drilled rod and is held in a mt2 taper mandrel hub. I use this to turn square blanks round prior to drilling them on my metalworking lathe, well if its plastics of whatever variety or wood metal obviously goes straight to the metalworker. The main benefit is far less waste....... no blow outs whilst drilling and a true end face on each blank face off on the metal worker. I do not use it when turning the actual pen to shape........ i normally do that bewteen centres rather than on a mandrel anyway. My homebrew allows me to load up even forstner bits (with a turned down shank) mounted in the hub centre........ Voila a milling head for use when truing the blanks and no need for multiple tube size centre rods for the commercial pen mills

 

[bellringer]

Well u have tried it and it works a treat it even brings a bent mandrel straight again so it is well worth the cost

 

[Neil]

Word of warning. I use the variable length mandrels, I've got about three or four and a couple are set up with the bushings for the most popular pens I turn. I couldn't work out why I was experiencing problems with Junior Gent pens (not exclusive to this pen, just the one I happened to be turning at the time). It was turning off centre, Couldn't work it out. That was until the bloody mandrel bent due to me overtightening it in my endeavours to find out what was causing the problem. Anyway, took the bushings off and hurled the mandrel across the workshop and put the bushings onto the next mandrel that came to hand which was a record. Hmm, bushings wouldn't fit. There was a very slight difference in the dimensions of the mandrel. Closer examination showed that the problem would probably not have occured or wouldn't have been significant enough to notice if I had wound the knurled nut on to the mandrel far enough so that the bushing was clear of the thread on the mandrel. The thread was again a tad thinner than the mandrel rod and the bushing was rattling even more.

Moral of this story, make sure the bushings are seated off the thread on the andrel. Second point, if the mandrel that you have is of the thinner variety, and the mandrel saver is slightly larger then the shaft can wobble and you may get an off centre turning. I've learnt that finger tight on the knurled nut is tight enough and I dont wind the tailstock in more than about an eighth of a turn max.

As with many woodturning devices, great idea to solve a problem that many people either didn't know they didn't have or solves a problem that they could resolve by being a little less hamfisted.

 

[Terry]

Word of warning. I use the variable length mandrels, I've got about three or four and a couple are set up with the bushings for the most popular pens I turn. I couldn't work out why I was experiencing problems with Junior Gent pens (not exclusive to this pen, just the one I happened to be turning at the time). It was turning off centre, Couldn't work it out. That was until the bloody mandrel bent due to me overtightening it in my endeavours to find out what was causing the problem. Anyway, took the bushings off and hurled the mandrel across the workshop and put the bushings onto the next mandrel that came to hand which was a record. Hmm, bushings wouldn't fit. There was a very slight difference in the dimensions of the mandrel. Closer examination showed that the problem would probably not have occured or wouldn't have been significant enough to notice if I had wound the knurled nut on to the mandrel far enough so that the bushing was clear of the thread on the mandrel. The thread was again a tad thinner than the mandrel rod and the bushing was rattling even more.

Moral of this story, make sure the bushings are seated off the thread on the andrel. Second point, if the mandrel that you have is of the thinner variety, and the mandrel saver is slightly larger then the shaft can wobble and you may get an off centre turning. I've learnt that finger tight on the knurled nut is tight enough and I dont wind the tailstock in more than about an eighth of a turn max.

As with many woodturning devices, great idea to solve a problem that many people either didn't know they didn't have or solves a problem that they could resolve by being a little less hamfisted.

Nice bit of info Neil. Thanks for posting!!!!!

 

[ataylor]

Word of warning. I use the variable length mandrels, I've got about three or four and a couple are set up with the bushings for the most popular pens I turn. I couldn't work out why I was experiencing problems with Junior Gent pens (not exclusive to this pen, just the one I happened to be turning at the time). It was turning off centre, Couldn't work it out. That was until the bloody mandrel bent due to me overtightening it in my endeavours to find out what was causing the problem. Anyway, took the bushings off and hurled the mandrel across the workshop and put the bushings onto the next mandrel that came to hand which was a record. Hmm, bushings wouldn't fit. There was a very slight difference in the dimensions of the mandrel. Closer examination showed that the problem would probably not have occured or wouldn't have been significant enough to notice if I had wound the knurled nut on to the mandrel far enough so that the bushing was clear of the thread on the mandrel. The thread was again a tad thinner than the mandrel rod and the bushing was rattling even more.

Moral of this story, make sure the bushings are seated off the thread on the andrel. Second point, if the mandrel that you have is of the thinner variety, and the mandrel saver is slightly larger then the shaft can wobble and you may get an off centre turning. I've learnt that finger tight on the knurled nut is tight enough and I dont wind the tailstock in more than about an eighth of a turn max.

As with many woodturning devices, great idea to solve a problem that many people either didn't know they didn't have or solves a problem that they could resolve by being a little less hamfisted.

Thats good advice, i have had trouble in the past with bent rods, not sure if it was the same problem but now i have something to look for.

 

[Penpal]

My own version of a Mandrel Saver fromever years ago incorporated in 5 different ways having probs dumbing down my old pics.
I use the removable centre to replace the insert with a brass sleeve carefully made a neat slip fit recessed 3/8 of an inch and I cut the threaded end off the mandrel. I make brass ends for other size pens having abandoned the point contact in the mandrel end almost when I started penmaking as it appeared to me an engineering mistake.

I have other pics but cant use my other mandrel saving ones look up yourself the one that Craft Supplies make it is a boomer as well.

Kind regards Peter.