Hope I made a good purchase!

[flyfisher117]

Ive ordered my own mandrel tonight so i can stop turning pens at school.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKM-FLC.html

Thats the one i got... did i make a good decision as far as a first mandrel?


And while im at it i have a couple of more questions

#1 What are the bushings for that come with it? are they too keep enough of a distance from the mandrel and your wood so that you have ample room to move the tool?

#2 Is there any way to make my own center drilling vise? i figured that i can use my drill press to put my pens together. so all i need now is the tool that holds my blanks so that i can drill the hole in the middle?

either a cheap one i can buy or anyway to make my own?

 

[jttheclockman]

That mandrel will serve you well.

Yes those are spacer bushings to keep your tools from hitting the nut on both ends.

If you type in drilling vise you will get some hits in the search box. There may even be a tutorial in the library here.

 

[hdtran]

It's a fine mandrel. The bushings that come with it can be used as spacers, and also for a slimline. Because it's adjustable, you should be able to shorten up the shaft when making single tubes, and have a stiffer mandrel.

If you have a drill press, use a vise & center punch for your drilling (w/ 7 mm, I'm not hugely concerned) until you get some ideas of your likes & dislikes. I enjoy building my own fixtures, so I made a drilling fixture.

For pen assembly, I started using a clamp (a woodworker can never have enough clamps ), and eventually made my own assembly press fixture.

Enjoy!