A pen question?

[Frank Stevens]

Has anybody done any research as to which mandrels from one company will fit bushings from another. :confused:

I see several kits I'm interested in but they seem to be spread over at least 3 different suppliers.

I know it can be figured out but I thought I would check to see if someone had already compiled a list of matches.

My goal is to buy a good mandrel that will take the most bushings from the different kits I'm interested in.

Thanks,

Frank

[Ernie Nyvall]

Frank, I had the same question when I started pens. I've used four different company's pen kits on one 7mm mandrel from woodcraft. Different kits i.e.. Slimline, Americana, Gentleman, etc. will take different sized bushings, but they all fit on a 7mm mandrel from any company.

Berea however makes bushings that fit on an 8mm mandrel for some of their pens and they are the only ones I know of that carry an 8mm mandrel.

Hope this helps, but if anything is still unclear... ask away.

Ernie

[Randy Meijer]

Has anybody done any research as to which mandrels from one company will fit bushings from another......


Yes...........

[Randy Meijer]

I guess it is my punishment for being a smart a--, Frank. I just wrote a nice long message with all sorts of specs and tolerances and comparisons and pushed the wrong button and lost it all.:mad: :mad:

Its too late to do it over......bottom line is the following. The 7 mm bushings of Berea(called "A"), CSUSA, Woodcraft, Hut, Rockler and Arizona Silhouettes should all be interchangeable. They will also fit on the PSI mandrel; but might be a little loose as the PSI mandrel is about0.004" smaller than the other mandrels. PSI bushings will be snug or a hair undersize for the other mandrels. I have a Berea mandrel and mostly do their kits and those of CSUSA. I've had some PSI bushings fit OK and some not. For the ones that were too small, I taped a narrow strip of 600 grit sandpaper to a headless nail chucked in a cordless drill. A bit of light polishing opened up the bushings enough for them to work just fine. Were I doing a lot of PSI kits, I would buy a PSI mandrel. Randy

Note: The 8 mm ("B") mandrel and bushings are made only by Berea and are available only from them and Arizona Silhouettes.

[Blake McCully]

Frank,
I agree with everything Randy says. I personally have two of the Woodcraft Pro mandrels, two of the Berea Pro mandrels with two "B" shafts and one "A" shaft. I use primarily Berea and CSUSA kits and haven't had any problems with the bushings fitting. The only thing I do from PSI, or Woodturningz, are the segmented letter opener and magnifying glass. The bushings are snug, to say the least, I think I'll try Randy's cure.

[Frank Stevens]

Thanks guys!

I figured somebody had gone before. :o

Randy if you feel like it and can find the time I would appreciate you re-posting the info that got lost. If not I can probably work it out with the info already provided.

Thanks again,

Frank

[Frank Fusco]

Randy's response was pretty complete. I use a Hut mandrel and it fits all 7mm pens and projects I have tried. Some say the Berea 'A' mandrel is made of better steel than others on the market and flexes less. After four years of use, my mandrel looks like it has been through the wars. I'm about to get another and it will probably be the Berea 'A'. BTW, this is not something you could ever "figure out". The pen supply business is about a far away from standarization as when spear making was the world's leading industry.

[Randy Meijer]

.....I think I'll try Randy's cure....

To add one small point that might not be clear. I tape(Duct Tape, of course) only one end of the sand paper to the nail and then wind a 1/2"± wide strip about 3-4 inches long. Polish a little and then tear off about a 1/2" from the free end and repeat the process as many times as needed. You just need to be careful of the rotation so the sand paper is continually trying to wind itself onto the nail!!

[Blake McCully]

Thanks for the tip Randy.