centering mandrel with 1/2" shank?

[Will Blick]

Festool makes a centering mandrel with a 8mm and 1/4" shank.... In Bill Hyltons book on routers, he mentions Bosch and Dewalt make centering mandrels, but neither web site list them. Does anyone make a 1/2" centering mandrel?

[Eddie Darby]

Can you tell me is this used to center the router on a table?

[Will Blick]

It could be used for that, if the mandrel is big enough. But I see no benefit to doing this. It's primary purpose is to assure the shaft of a router bit is concentric with the bottom plate opening. To center, you simply insert the centering mandrel like a router bit, then loosen router base and wiggle a bit till its perfectly seated around the conical mandrel.

It's not important to have the bit concentric.... except when you are doing pattern work, and you move the router around the outside of a bushing. If you keep the orientation of the router the same for both parts for an inlay cut, all concentric errors are self correcting. Same true when using a DT jig....if you keep the router handles in the exact same position (which is most natural anyway) when routing, again, the error is consistent, so it not an issue. This is why jig makers state, always keep the router orientation consistent on ALL cuts.

[Will Blick]

Here is the Festool version... but is only for 8mm and 1/4"

http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/images/products/frz_zentrierd_01_01.jpg

[Jim Mims]

Festool makes a centering mandrel with a 8mm and 1/4" shank.... In Bill Hyltons book on routers, he mentions Bosch and Dewalt make centering mandrels, but neither web site list them. Does anyone make a 1/2" centering mandrel?
Lee Valley:
I have the #9054 from mlcs: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/routacc1.html
and Lee Valley sells one: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32316&cat=1,180,42311,42321

- Jim

[Will Blick]

Jim, thanks..... those mandrels are more of a center point finder...but will work when fitted inside the proper 1/2" size bushing. The one I saw a pix of was used to center the router base hole, i.e. with no collar on. But, this method is probably close enough if the bushings are all the same size....

[Bill Huber]

Jim, thanks..... those mandrels are more of a center point finder...but will work when fitted inside the proper 1/2" size bushing. The one I saw a pix of was used to center the router base hole, i.e. with no collar on. But, this method is probably close enough if the bushings are all the same size....


I got one of each size in the bushing kit I got from Rockler and they work very well and the bushing are also good.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10671&filter=router%20bushing

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=10671&TabSelect=Details

[Chris Barnett]

Been looking again too; last ones I saw were made of brass, and had large tapered end to center router bases. Passed on the ones I saw at Woodworking show due to excessive price. Suggest contacting the accessory barkers at these shows.

[pat warner]

At the risk of getting shafted:
See pix link. (http://patwarner.com/images/skhome.jpg)

[Will Blick]

Pat, what is that? pix small, hard to make out?

[Jim Mims]

Been looking again too; last ones I saw were made of brass, and had large tapered end to center router bases. Passed on the ones I saw at Woodworking show due to excessive price. Suggest contacting the accessory barkers at these shows.
Wills pic was of a huge chunk of brass.:)
I would think they'd be pricey too.:rolleyes:
- Jim

[Travis Gauger]

I have a bunch of the milescraft snaploc stuff. The offset base, circle jig, snaploc bushings, signmaker, inlay kit, etc. The milescraft units are plastic, but work well and every kit has a base and alignment tool. One end is 1/2" and the other is 1/4" I use them all the time to center guide bushings. I know that woodcraft carry's some of this stuff. Price is real good on all the items too.

[pat warner]

Mr Blick, see no.1 (http://patwarner.com/images/sundries1.jpg) & no.2 (http://patwarner.com/images/sundries2.jpg).

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

Here's a link to the Bosch. It will do both 1/4" and 1/2".

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006BD7VM/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3MY7K2EXITXWG&colid=21N28DU424210

[Will Blick]

Tim, nice find, not sure how I missed that one.... you enter the wrong string of words, and Amazon and Goggle can't find stuff....

The bosch design is nice, it will center just about any template with ease....and since these are made on a lathe, its easy to maintain concentricity and yet, sell them for $6...

The Festool appears to align the base and/or a template, a bit more versatile, but not for 1/2" shafts, which is strange. With their new heavy duty router being introduced, I am sure they will be introducing a 1/2" version.

[Rob Wright]

The mandrel is shown in the Grizzly catalog for the DeWalt three base kit. I am sure that it would be listed in the owner's manual with a part number -

Pic of the mandrel in the lower left corner:

83482

[Travis Gauger]

Will,
I think that I only paid about $10 for the whole milescraft base, 8 or 10 bushings, and the centering mandrel. I have a bosch router that came with the bosch mandrel and the "Cone" portion is too small for my other router bases. Sort of a bosch specific I suppose.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Make one if you have a lathe.