Just starting and problems already

Mack Bolan

Member
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7
I picked up a Craftsman lathe w/ tools and a pen mandrel shipped to the house... I ordered some pens kits and got ready to turn , and after glueing the tubes in the wood, they would not fit on the mandrel. I then checked some new tubes with nothing attached, and they would not fit either. So, either the tubes are too small, or the mandrel is set up for 8mm tubes.

Can anyone measure the mandrel for the 7mm and 8mm tubes and let me know what the measurements are? I may have to do some more shopping.

Mack
 
Mack, there are two different size mandrels. You may have the wrong one. The following is cut and pasted directly from the Arizona Silhouette web site
( http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Pen_Kit_Bushings.htm )

There are two different sizes of mandrels (shafts): the A mandrel and the B mandrel. The A mandrel is the same as a 7mm mandrel and can be used to turn kits from any of the kit suppliers. The B mandrel, however, is larger in diameter and is used to turn some of the larger kits manufactured only by Berea Hardwoods.

Hope this helps -- Tony
 
There is an 8mm mandrel, (I have one ) but you will find it to be of little use(I've used mine only once on my first pen and haven't used it since)... most of the pen kit bushings are designed to fit on the 7mm either A or B if you are getting Berea kits, PSI and CSUSA kits are all A mandrel (I think). If you have A mandrel kits and inadvertently bought a B mandrel, the bushings will not fit.... the tube should still slide over the mandrel though. If the 7mm tubes don't fit, then you most likely have an 8 mm mandrel.
 
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