Excelsior Mini Lathe

[rbaron]

Hi all,

I bought an Excelsior Mini Lathe from Rockler. I have a few questions.

1. The lathe came with a face plate installed. Do I need to keep it there to turn pens?

2. When I put my blanks on the mandrel and the bushings and start to turn, the blanks sometimes stop spinning. How do I get the blanks on the mandrel so they wont stop spinning?

I don't know why this photo is upside down???

 

[Fay Prozora]

I have the same lathe and I have turned pen with the face plate on it but it kept hitting my knuckle so I took it off. It was tight so I sprayed a little bit of WD 40 on it and then put a rag on it and then put a wrench that would fit the face plate and gave it a couple of taps with a hammer and it came off. It will unscrew off. It's better to turn the pens with out it on unless you like to get your knuckles hit.. I find it easier for me to put a few washers on the mandrel before putting on the fist bushing and the first half of the pen, then the next bushing and then the other half of the pen and then another bushing and then another washer or use a small piece of wood for a spacer and then put the nut on the and install it on the lathe and make sure the tail stock is on tight and then tighten the nut on the mandrel and I get a pretty nice pen. I keep all my washers and bushing on the mandrel when I'm done using them.. Good luck with your lathe and pens. It's a great little lathe.. Love mine... The only thing I don't like is that the lathe is so heavy that I can't turn it around to get to the back door to change the speed so I left it as it was when it came. I've had mine for about 2 weeks. Fay

 

[commercialbuilder]

You do not need the face plate to turn pens, it can be removed.
You need to tighten the nut on the mandrel until the blanks do not spin anymore and take light cuts to start with. Do not over tighten the nut you can bend the mandrel shaft.

 

[Edgar]

I have that same lathe & I really like it. I also took my faceplate off for pen & other mandrel turning.

As noted by Commercialbuilder, be sure to tighten the nut against your blanks & only use the tailstock to hold the mandrel steady. Better yet, get a mandrel saver - it goes in the tailstock & eliminates the knurled nut by sliding over the mandrel to apply pressure directly to your blanks.

FWIW, I keep mine set at 4th gear (2200 rpm) for almost everything - turning, sanding & finishing. I find it to be a good compromise to avoid the need for constant belt changing. It may be just a tad fast for some sanding, but I've gotten used to it and it works well for me. I do sometimes drop it down to the lowest speed for drilling or CA finish, but those times are rare. I almost never use the other 3 speeds, but that's just me. Experiment for yourself & see which speeds work best for you.

It's a very good beginner's lathe - have fun.

 

[turncrazy43]

I would recommend the purchase and use of a mandrel saver. They are not too expensive, less than $20, and you will not have to use the mandrel nut at all. The Saver applies pressure to the bushings and spacers and not onto the mandrel shaft, thus the name mandrel saver. Just my 2 cents.
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Everyday I'm vertical is a great day

 

[rbaron]

Thanks for the tips

First off, I tried to unscrew the face plate off but the only thing that came off was the wheel at the lathe's head. Someone mentioned that the face plate screws off. I will try that.

I think that I bought a mandrel with a mandrel saver. It fits into the tail end and when you butt it up to the mandrel the end of the mandrel kind of goes into the saver.

I'll try the washer tip and to turn the wheel to tighten it up a bit and see if that helps.

Again, thanks much for the help.

Rich

 

[Edgar]

Sounds like you do have a mandrel saver, in which case, you don't want to use the knurled nut for sure. Draw in the MS all the way, bring the tailstock up until the MS contacts your end bushing, lock down the tailstock, then turn the tailstock wheel to tighten the MS up against your bushing.

You want the MS to be tight enough to keep the blanks spinning with the mandrel, but not overly tight so as not to stress the bearings in the MS. Experiment a bit and you will soon be able to tell by the lathe whine when it's properly tightened, or close to it, then you can tweak it a bit more if necessary.

While tightening the MS, watch the base of the tailstock to be sure that it's not moving back. It might move just a little, but if it's moving too much, you might need to tighten that little nut underneath the tailstock.

 

[Gary Beasley]

First off, I tried to unscrew the face plate off but the only thing that came off was the wheel at the lathe's head. Someone mentioned that the face plate screws off. I will try that.

I think that I bought a mandrel with a mandrel saver. It fits into the tail end and when you butt it up to the mandrel the end of the mandrel kind of goes into the saver.

I'll try the washer tip and to turn the wheel to tighten it up a bit and see if that helps.

Again, thanks much for the help.

Rich

You have a rod with a ball handle on it and there's holes in the drive between the headstock and the threads to put it in to hold the drive while unscrewing the faceplate or chuck. Once the faceplate is off cut a washer out of some card stock and put it on. This will help keep the faceplate from seizing on the shaft when tightened.

 

[CabinetMaker]

If you are using a standard mandrel with a knurled nut, go ahead an tighten it up firmly. It is not possible to bend the mandrel shaft by over tightening this nut. The reason is simple, the nut puts the mandrel shaft under tension which tends to straighten the shaft. Where you need to be careful is when you tighten the tail stock. Over tightening the tail stock can damage a mandrel.

 

[Fay Prozora]

I think I will get a mandrel saver on payday. It might be of some help for me too. Yes. I did get my face plate off by putting a rag on the part of it that has is flat on 2 sides and the place a pair of pliars and give it a tap or 2 on that pliars and it will unscrew off. Now you can turn pens with out it and you can put a chuck on the threads where the face plate was. My new chuck got here yesterday and it fits my machine and I have yet to try turning with it. Good luck with your lathe and all. I love mine.. Fay

 

[rbaron]

Thanks

Thanks much to all that replied. I will take your suggestions to the shop and see what happens.

 

[Fay Prozora]

Well,,, did you ever get that pesky face plate Off??? Fay you will love that lathe...