Toevrythingturnturn
Member
I am trying to decide on what type of mandrel to get ..I like the idea of the threaded mandrel with a mandrel saver ..But the morse taper mandrel seems good too ...any input would be great !! pros and cons 
Threaded Mandrel or Morse Taper?
- Thread starter Toevrythingturnturn
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hard hat
Member
I would say the adjustable mandrel with a mandrel saver live center.
BayouPenturner
Member
I agree, adjustable, but the mandrel saver can slide over the shaft to fit a single blank for turning.
Toevrythingturnturn
Member
By adjustable you mean the morse taper?
hard hat
Member
Yes, the morse taper adjustable mandrel. They have morse taper ones that are not adjustable. My recommendation for the adjustable mandrel and the mandrel saver is two fold.
1. The adjustable mandrel is actually a 1/4" collet chuck, and can be used for many other things as well. It makes it easy to adjust the length of the mandrel for closed end pens.
2. The mandrel saver provides much more controllable pressure to the blanks for driving them than does spacer bushings and a brass nut.
1. The adjustable mandrel is actually a 1/4" collet chuck, and can be used for many other things as well. It makes it easy to adjust the length of the mandrel for closed end pens.
2. The mandrel saver provides much more controllable pressure to the blanks for driving them than does spacer bushings and a brass nut.
KenV
Member
If you are in it for the longer term --- ER collet Chuck is a replacement for the adjustable mandrel and allows a lot of other things to be done. Does cost a good bit more though.
Use the ER Collet chucks that thread onto the head stock so they have the capacity to slide more stuff through the collet -- MT versions have this solid steel backing that limits how much you can put inside the tooling.
One of the live centers that fits over the mandrel (0.246 + a few thousands tolerance) is certainly handy and effective for the longer run -- until you get hooked on turning between centers with out a mandrel.
Use the ER Collet chucks that thread onto the head stock so they have the capacity to slide more stuff through the collet -- MT versions have this solid steel backing that limits how much you can put inside the tooling.
One of the live centers that fits over the mandrel (0.246 + a few thousands tolerance) is certainly handy and effective for the longer run -- until you get hooked on turning between centers with out a mandrel.
monophoto
Member
OP's question was about a morse taper mandrel versus a mandrel that threaded onto the spindle.
My preference would be for the morse taper version. Most dealers carry them - threaded mandrels are hard to find. And less expensive. And in my case, I started with a lathe with an MT1 spindle and later upgraded to an MT 2 - and an MT1-MT2 'sleeve' is a relatively inexpensive way to make that transition.
My preference would be for the morse taper version. Most dealers carry them - threaded mandrels are hard to find. And less expensive. And in my case, I started with a lathe with an MT1 spindle and later upgraded to an MT 2 - and an MT1-MT2 'sleeve' is a relatively inexpensive way to make that transition.
Dan Masshardt
Member
Morse taper mandrel or collet chuck.
Or no mandrel.
Or no mandrel.
Toevrythingturnturn
Member
Thanks for the input guys! You have all been a great deal of help!
LeeR
Member
As KenV mentioned, the collet chucks are very versatile -- giving you more options if you are in it for the long haul. If I had known about these, I would not have spent over $40 for my morse taper mandrel from Lee Valley. It is a nice one, but limited to its 1/4" collet.
I bought the Beall collet chuck, which runs about $90 without collets. I did not buy the collets with it, since they cost about $20 each.
Littlemachineshop.com sells ER32 collets in all sizes for $11.95 each, and even cheaper per collet if you buy a set. They have sets of 6, 11, and 18. I bought the 6 collet set for $64.95, plus about $6 for flat rate shipping. This set has collets from 1/8" to 3/4", by 1/8" increments.
I bought the Beall collet chuck, which runs about $90 without collets. I did not buy the collets with it, since they cost about $20 each.
Littlemachineshop.com sells ER32 collets in all sizes for $11.95 each, and even cheaper per collet if you buy a set. They have sets of 6, 11, and 18. I bought the 6 collet set for $64.95, plus about $6 for flat rate shipping. This set has collets from 1/8" to 3/4", by 1/8" increments.
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