mandrel problem

[rdewinter]

What's the secret in pen turning to get the bearings and pen blanks, with the brass tube cemented in place, to get tight enough so the blank doesn't stop spinning when touched with a gouge? Although warned, I have bent my new penn state made for the ss mandrel by cranking the curled nut to much. How does one keep the mandrel stack tight?

Bob
San Diego

[kd6vpe]

So sorry to hear about the bending of the mandrel. The first thought that came to mind was did you rough up the brass tube with sandpaper before applying the glue. I used super glue on mine and I waited until the next day before doing the turning. I hope other will jump in here with more suggestions. Also if you did the glue up and waited the other thing is you tools are not sharp and you are having to put on too much pressure on the tool to cut. Only a suggestion I am in no way a pro I only did one pen so far and this exact setup worked for me.

[RobertTaylor]

the first thing i check before turning pens is the center alignment. i put the spur and dead center on and check point to point. my floor is uneven and the shopsmith will flex. the shopsmith is stored out of the way, then rolled out under the lights for use. i just snug the blank setup with my fingers. if the blank slips i snug a little more. no wrenches. i did destroy a shopsmith mandrel the same as you as it came with a hex nut that required a wrench. also make sure your blanks have been squared to the tube. easy to do with a pen mill. if using a disk sander you will need a squaring jig. do not square on the table to the outside of the blank as that will not produce the desired result.

[SDSSmith]

Penn State Industries offers a DVD for free that showed the whole pen making process. Here is the link:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DVD.html

I have never had a blank spin on a barrel/tube, but have had them spin on the mandrel. When mounting the blanks, I snug up the knurled nut before mounting the mandrel. Once the mandrel is mounted and supported by the live center, I tighten the assembly up. Sometimes I have had to tighten it a little more during the rounding process.

BTW, PSI used to include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase with the DVD. Don't know if they still do that.

[reible]

Thanks! I didn't know they offer that and yes it still says you get a $10 coupon!

Ed

Penn State Industries offers a DVD for free that showed the whole pen making process. Here is the link:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DVD.html

I have never had a blank spin on a barrel/tube, but have had them spin on the mandrel. When mounting the blanks, I snug up the knurled nut before mounting the mandrel. Once the mandrel is mounted and supported by the live center, I tighten the assembly up. Sometimes I have had to tighten it a little more during the rounding process.

BTW, PSI used to include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase with the DVD. Don't know if they still do that.

[curiousgeorge]

Bob,
Not having been there and seen first hand what your problem is, I would suggest this:

1. When gluing; be sure to sand the metal tubes lightly to give the glue something to hold on to.

2. I would suggest using Epoxy instead of Super Glue. Epoxy is a filler where Super Glue is not. So, you will get a better hold. Let the glue set up over night before turning.

3. Make certain the ends of the blanks are square to the tubes, not the sides of the blank. Only trim down to the metal. This will allow the bushings on the mandrel to snug up to the ends of the blanks. Here are some tools to do this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/barre ... ystem.html.

4.Don't over tighten the mandrel. Never use a wrench on it, only your fingers. It doesn't have to be that tight and you will bend the mandrel (you already know this). Also, when putting the mandrel between centers; Don't over do this either.

5. When you first start turning, be sure your chisel is sharp and use a very, very, light cut. The square edges on the blank will try to catch and there will be some slipping. This is normal and when it happens, back off and re-start your cut again. If it continues to slip just check to see if the mandrel has loosened and (with your fingers) tighten it just a little. As the piece becomes rounder you should not have any problem with slipping.

6. During turning, occasionally stop (turn the lathe off) and check the tightness of the mandrel nut with your fingers. It can become loose so just snug it back down ( I said snug, not clamp ).

7. Don't take it all the way down to the bushings with the chisel. Leave a tiny bit so you can sand the piece without it getting too thin.

Hope this helps.

[RobertTaylor]

"BTW, PSI used to include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase with the DVD. Don't know if they still do that."

they did indeed send the $10.00 coupon last year, the coupon i got said $10.00 off your first order of $50.00 or more. my order was slightly over $150.00. however when i used it they did not honor it. i used it online and all was fine through the checkout process. when i received the order it was not on the invoice and my credit card was charged $10.00 more than i authorized. i called the credit card company and they charged-back my $10.00 so i had a happy ending but i refuse to do any more bussines with a company like that. i mean they ask for a phone number but don't use it to contact me. they had my email and did not contact me. they just did what they wanted.on another forum the complaints against penn state are on the rise. mostly customer service issues. i'm thankful for shopsmith's great service, i just wish their quality had not started going downhill.

[SDSSmith]

Interesting.....my experience with Penn State was fine, but it has been over a year since I dealt with them.

"BTW, PSI used to include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase with the DVD. Don't know if they still do that."

they did indeed send the $10.00 coupon last year, the coupon i got said $10.00 off your first order of $50.00 or more. my order was slightly over $150.00. however when i used it they did not honor it. i used it online and all was fine through the checkout process. when i received the order it was not on the invoice and my credit card was charged $10.00 more than i authorized. i called the credit card company and they charged-back my $10.00 so i had a happy ending but i refuse to do any more bussines with a company like that. i mean they ask for a phone number but don't use it to contact me. they had my email and did not contact me. they just did what they wanted.on another forum the complaints against penn state are on the rise. mostly customer service issues. i'm thankful for shopsmith's great service, i just wish their quality had not started going downhill.

[fjimp]

A great deal of fine advise here. I would never use a wrench to tighten. After using fine emery cloth and thourly sanding the blanks I use a fast drying CA Glue that sets up almost immediatly. I gently hand square the tubes. In spite of the fast drying claims I let them sit over night, at room temperature prior to turning. I would strongly suggest watching a DVD on pen turning. Many of my problems didappeared after doing so. Good luck pen turning is fun. fjimp

[rdewinter]

I must not have clearly stated the problem. The pen blanks don't spin on the tube but on the mandrel. I rough up the tube, use CA glue and square the ends with a pen mill. I tighten the curled nut by hand. I get slippage on a square blank with too heavy chisel pressure. Once the blank is rounded I have no problem. Maybe the solution is to take lighter cuts. I might be a little too aggressive when first starting to turn.

Bob
San Diego

PS: I ordered the DVD from Penn State but I never got it. Bummer!