# Turn between center mandrel



## keepanionme14 (Apr 5, 2017)

Has anyone tried this?  If so, any reviews?

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMBCM2.html


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## jttheclockman (Apr 5, 2017)

I do not own it so take my thoughts for whatever value you choose. Just another toy to do the same things others have been doing with other devices. If you look when you add your bushings and place your blank between those center there is no room for your tools. The room you have is determined by the length of your bushings. You are still relying on the bushing to be true. Yes when people use dead and live centers there too the spacing is limited and not as much as you can set with a normal mandrel but to me less closed in feeling. Buy it don't buy is up to you. If you do buy it give us a report of your findings. If you want to sell after then there is a vendor forum.:biggrin:


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## Mikeyt (Apr 5, 2017)

I own it and love it it works great. Have turned a lot of pens with it and is so nice worth the expense. Since using this my pens are truer then before. It stays in the lathe for when I am ready for the next pen it is ready to go. I know each person has their own opinion. I had been using the mandrel with the rod and would have problems either over tightening the bolt or the rod would be bent after several uses because I would over tighten it. Then have to buy another rod. I have not had any issues with it and recommend it for anyone wanting to turn between centers and able to use the same bushings for each kit. 


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## lhowell (Apr 5, 2017)

I bought this when Arizona Silhouette offered it a few months back. It does work great but I have noticed recently the live center portion has developed a bit of a wobble and I had to retighten the bearing backer plate on it as it had started to come loose. It turns very concentric, a lot better than a standard pen madrel but I still think TBC's are the best way to go.
This setup is worth the money, I just don't know about longevity as it has only been about two months and I've noticed a few issues starting to creep up after 15 or so pens.


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## mecompco (Apr 5, 2017)

I see no point to it. Bushings between live and dead center work fine (center drill to 60* for a tighter fit). I agree it can be a tight fit with some standard bushings--it is well worth buying TBC bushings for pens you are going to make regularly. As a bonus, all of the TBC I've purchased are considerably longer than their standard counterparts so they allow more tool room.


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## moke (Apr 5, 2017)

I just make pens for my satisfaction and gifts, not production or to sell, so I like to turn a wide variety of kits...I bought this and like it...it's easy and not pricey....I got mine from AZ Sil too.


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## Edgar (Apr 5, 2017)

I already have an adjustable mandrel and a mandrel saver, so I don't have any real need for this tool.

FWIW, if I didn't have either one, I would opt for an adjustable mandrel + mandrel saver over this tool because of the greater flexibility it offers.

Usually, I adjust my mandrel so just enough sticks out for the blank & bushings plus an extra half inch or so for the mandrel saver to slide over. With this configuration, I have essentially the same setup as this tool or mandrel-less TBC setups.

However, I sometimes like to turn both blanks of a 2-blank pen at the same time (especially for slimlines). In that case, I extend the mandrel out a little further so there's room for both blanks.

Even when I'm turning just a single blank, I will sometimes extend the mandrel out an extra inch or so and use a spacer just to give me a little more room to get my tool rest in a little closer.


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## TonyL (Apr 5, 2017)

I bought the bushings that fit inside the holes on the non-tbc bushings. However, I have used the non-tbc bushings to turn between centers for years with no problems. I do like the fact that my centers are make greater contact with the bushings (the adapter bushings that fit inside the non-tbc bushings. For me, It may just be a psychological thing. I do use the bushing-type adapters whenever I don't have tbc bushings.


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## dogcatcher (Apr 5, 2017)

Several years ago I took a bent mandrel cut it up discarding the bent part and have used a 3" length with a drill collar in my collet chuck using this as my driver center.  For the live center I use a ball bearing 2MT chuck to fit in the tailstock, for this end, I use a 1" piece of the old mandrel.  The standard bushings work and I consider it the best of both worlds.  

I have used a similar method to turn  call game call barrels along time before I made pens.  But given a choice I would choose an expanding mandrel for game calls.


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## hunterdave99 (Apr 22, 2017)

lhowell said:


> I bought this when Arizona Silhouette offered it a few months back. It does work great but I have noticed recently the live center portion has developed a bit of a wobble and I had to retighten the bearing backer plate on it as it had started to come loose. It turns very concentric, a lot better than a standard pen madrel but I still think TBC's are the best way to go.
> This setup is worth the money, I just don't know about longevity as it has only been about two months and I've noticed a few issues starting to creep up after 15 or so pens.



I own this as well. Bought the one from penn state. Like stated above, the backer plate does come loose every now and again. Just need to keep it tight. Works well. I can even swap on the non stick bushings for finishing.


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## its_virgil (Apr 22, 2017)

I once had bent mandrels..(or so I thought). But once I purchased and started using the Beall Collet Chuck all of my bent mandrels suddenly straightened. There are several reasons for out of round pens and I think bent mandrels are way down on the list of reasons.

But, this thread is not about out of round pens. So, I will answer the OP's questions. Yes, several have tried the newest tool to get some of the TBC money. Yes, I have one. Did not buy it. Yes, I have used it and it works as advertised as do most of the TBC methods available.  It seems to be well built and I use it from time to time, but not exclusively. I still prefer to use my Beall Collet chuck with a short mandrel, mandrel saver live center, bushings and turn one barrel at time. We all have our processes.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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