Glad I thought to search before asking about whether anyone turned "between centers", or using a jam type setup rather than threaded mandrels! I'm considering turning a piece of scrap wood to 30mm (and to each of the other sizes of knots I have) and using those in my 4-jaw chuck to jam in the knot end and a piece of scrap wood on the other end to keep from dimpling it with the dead center.
When I try using a threaded mandrel, I usually end up stripping out the threads in the blank whenever I get my first catch. And then the turning has to go very very light to keep it spinning.
Looks like you beat me to something very much like that setup!
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