PSI Duplicator Attachment?

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DurocShark

DurocShark

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Anybody have one and use it? When I'm doing many identical pens at the same time, it would be nice to automate it at least a little bit.

I have a TCPro.

Thanks.
 
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I use a Vega duplicator with a diamond tip cutter on a Jet. Love it. "Cuts like buddah"

Tom
 
Don,

Put on your helmet and flak jacket. :thunder: :wink: Many of us here feel that turning pens mean turning them yourself, freehand so to speak. Some view a duplicator as less than handmade.
 
I totally agree. But for example I need to make 10 euros out of pine as giveaways at a campout. I've done 5 of them so far and hate it. I'd rather design one and let the lathe do most of the work.
 
I have a duplicator installed on my lathe. For pen turning, I only use it to round the blanks close to size, then I walk around to the front side and break out the skew. It saves time and wear on tools.

I bought it to do some spindles for a friend that needed to be replaced. It was an interesting adventure as the duplicator is made for a 14 inch lathe and mine is a 16 inch, add to that I wanted to mount it on the back side so I didn't have to remove it all the time, Had to come up with some spacers to get the height right.

Mine is a grizzly which is much better than the cheap duplicators available but not quite as nice as the Vega.
 
Is a duplicator really 'faster', or is it just easier? It's really just a cutting tool going back and forth, which is what you're doing when turning by hand. I would imagine it's less work, but a seasoned turner could turn pens as fast or faster than messing with the duplicator. I've never used one though, so put me in my place if I'm wrong:eek:
 
If you are going to make very fancy shaped pens, witmany beads, etc..then a duplicator might be a good investment..if the pens are simple, I'd bet with practice, you'd kick them out just as fast
 
I have that unit and wouldn't give 10 cents for another one like it. The first batch of 12 I had to do I tried for the second time still couldn't get it to work messed up 2 blanks. Turned them buy hand they came out wonderfully. It does give you a great feeling knowing you did it yourself I have to agree with the guys on this one. Good luck. If you know anyone who would like to buy a duplicator from Penn State I have one cheap HaHaHa.
 
rjwolfe3 said:
Don, let me know if either of those don't work out, I am looking for one to do chess pieces with.
Click to expand...

By the time I was done with the pawns on my chess set, I was about to scream. :hypnotized::bulgy-eyes: Doing the same thing over and over, like that, is not my idea of fun.

If I ever do another chess set, I will be considering a duplicator.
 
Do any of you duplicator users out there know what sort of tolerences they'll hold? I'm thinking of turning some guitar bridge pins (usual tolerances are +/- about 0.003") and thought a duplicator might be helpful for small pieces like this.

- Uncle Mikey
 
Uncle Mikey said:
Do any of you duplicator users out there know what sort of tolerences they'll hold? I'm thinking of turning some guitar bridge pins (usual tolerances are +/- about 0.003") and thought a duplicator might be helpful for small pieces like this.

- Uncle Mikey
Click to expand...



I have never used one but did some research recently when i was considering buying one myself. I do not think they are near that accurate. they gve you the same rough shape and you have to refine it with paper.
 
Forgot to post that I went ahead and got a duplicator from PSI. No templates yet so I haven't started on my chess set. I have been using it to round blanks to 3/4 but it doesnt like plastics, chips really bad.
 
mickr said:
If you are going to make very fancy shaped pens, witmany beads, etc..then a duplicator might be a good investment..if the pens are simple, I'd bet with practice, you'd kick them out just as fast
Click to expand...

I think the idea behind the duplicator is to get away from constantly taking measurements to get the same design onto several pens. That is where it is supposed to save time, not in turning a single pen. One thing though...if you don't buy templates you have to make them by taking a slice out of the middle of a pen, or at least that's what the PSI video says.
 
Smitty37 said:
One thing though...if you don't buy templates you have to make them by taking a slice out of the middle of a pen, or at least that's what the PSI video says.
Click to expand...

One wonders why they wouldn't include a mandrel rod capable of being placed at the template position. Then you could slip your first pen on that mandrel and duplicate it directly.

After all, if this little thing would be capable of doing it
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f6/home-made-lathe-duplicator-2636/
surely their fancy and much more expensive thingy should be able to at least match that functionality.
 
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