Bill Fester
Member
I am using an older small woodworking lathe (probably a hobbyist unit from the 1950s or 60s) to turn mostly resin pens. When I began a few years ago, I was able to purchase a mandrel for it from my local woodworking shop (I'm in Houston, so we have both Rockler and Woodcraft). Over the course of time, the shaft part developed some bow to it, and I replaced it. However, after a short time I discovered that the threads in the conical part were stripped. At this point the only mandrels available are the extendible ones. These are certainly flexible, but in my machine, that additional rotating mass adds more stress to the bearing in the head (which is not worn, but is also not replaceable for a new one), and keeps my barrels from turning perfectly true.
Has anyone else located a source for the larger sized mandrel (that is not extendible), or has anyone simply had a machine shop produce the conical portion, drill and thread the center as a Make Your Own?
Has anyone else located a source for the larger sized mandrel (that is not extendible), or has anyone simply had a machine shop produce the conical portion, drill and thread the center as a Make Your Own?