Lathe Mandrels

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Koinoniapipes
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 1:17 am

Lathe Mandrels

Post by Koinoniapipes »

Hi guys,

I have a low end Central Machinery wood lathe that I want to use for buffing. The on-lathe mandrels offered by Beall and PSI have 17" and 16" mandrels respectively so the buffs are really close to each other. Can one get a longer mandrel somewhere or does anyone know of a good method of making one? I would love to see more spacing between the 3 buffs without removing any of them?
I am adding a couple of pictures of the headstock and tailstock as I am not sure how a mandrel would even attach. The wisdom of the veteran pipe makers and machinists/woodworkers out there is much appreciated.
Lathe Headstock
Lathe Headstock
Lathe Headstock.JPG (101.15 KiB) Viewed 2091 times
Lathe Tailstock
Lathe Tailstock
Lathe Tailstock.JPG (124.11 KiB) Viewed 2091 times
mredmond
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Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by mredmond »

I use the Beall mandrel buffs on a small Jet wood lathe and while I would like more space, they work pretty decently. I don't tend to make really long pipes, though. It would probably be pretty easy to turn a wood mandrel. The headstock end will need to have a taper to fit into the headstock. The tailstock end on the Beall mandrel has a small bevel and hole that fits onto a live center, which shouldn't be too terribly hard to drill/turn.
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wisemanpipes
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Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by wisemanpipes »

I made my own mandrel once and it didn't work out because I didn't use the right materials. it wobbled horribly and I wished I had a steady rest/follow rest.

I used 3/8 threaded rod I believe and spaced apart the buffs with nuts and washers. I had a chuck in the headstock and a live centre in the tailstock.

im sure if you used 5/8 rod with a steady rest itd work great. 3/8 rod at 800rpm just vibrated like crazy.

FWIW I use the beall buffing system and while it is a tad tight on space, it makes up for it in efficiency. Ive buffed a 7 inch long billiard with no issues...

Evan
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Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by dogcatcher »

There are threads on the headstock, drill and tap a 2" square piece of hardwood about 3" long to fit the threads leaving the end solid wood. Screw it in place, turn round. Now the hard part, drill and tap the closed end as close as possible to center for a bolt. The more you are off cent with the bolt, the more wobble you will have. But a 1/8" will be okay. Those threads are probably 3/4-16, but I would check before I buy a tap for it.

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Frank
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Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by Frank »

It depends on how much you're prepared to pay.

This extension seems a bit pricey to me (but I'm a known cheapskate), but if you know someone with a metal lathe, they could make one for less: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250933591723?lpid=82

The Oversized Ostrogoth used to like making lathe accessories for pipemakers. Maybe he can do it if he's still around.

Making your own extension is also an option, but without close tolerances, you WILL get wobble vibration.
Regards,
Frank.
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KurtHuhn
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Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by KurtHuhn »

Yep - wobble is a huge problem - even being out by a couple hundredths can make an arbor unusable. The most important thing is to ensure all your holes are concentric. I do that by drilling my arbors from the rear, straight through, without moving the workpiece at all. That way I know it's one axis from front to rear.

I once attempted to make an arbor for a 10x14" lathe, but 1"-8tpi threads are a cast iron bitch to cut if you don't have a lathe that can cut them. I don't have the proper change gears to cut that thread, and tried a tap. I was partially successful, butit was so much work that it wasn't worth it. At some point I'll upgrade my lathe to a more modern one with a gearbox.
Kurt Huhn
AKA: Oversized Ostrogoth
artisan@k-huhn.com
Koinoniapipes
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 1:17 am

Re: Lathe Mandrels

Post by Koinoniapipes »

Thanks for the quick replies, guys. I think the best course of action at this point is to see about getting one of those extensions as suggested and look into making a wobble-free full length (or close) mandrel in the future. I appreciate everyone's feedback, especially the confirmation that the Beall mandrels are at least workable for pipe makers out there. You guys are great!
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