Pen turning bushes & mandrel compatability.

[Steve Jones]

Hi

Can anyone tell me whether Axminster pen bushings are compatible with a non Axminster make mandrels ?

Reason I ask is I bought Axminster bushes last week to turn a pen and have just come to slide the bushings onto my Planet/Rotur mandrel and they wont go on they're too tight. On measuring with the vernier the hole in the bushes is 6.05mm and the thickness of the mandrel is 6.12mm, anyone else have this problem or have I got a naff set of bushes ?

I should add that all bushings I've bought in the past from other companies I've had no problem with but this is the first set I've bought from Axminster.

Steve

 

[jumps]

I just measured my mandrel and 6.12mm would seem to be the number........

don't have the wherewithal to accurately measure the bushes but none could be described as tight on the mandrel.

 

[Steve Jones]

It seems as though the bushes are Axminster specific for their mandrels only, after receiving info from someone else in the same boat

Regards

Steve

 

[paul-c]

hi steve
i had the exact same problem on thursday
planet mandrel / axminster bushes
thanks for bringing this up. =D>
cheers paul

 

[Steve Jones]

Must admit I'm not impressed, especially as there's nothing (as far as I can see) on their website or in the catalogue that states this. Hopefully I'll get round this tomorrow when the bushes are re-drilled for me.

Steve

 

[myturn]

If the Axminster mandrel is smaller in diameter this means that the standard pen tubes (which fit the Planet mandrel fine) would be a loose fit on the Axminster mandrel.

 

[jumps]

If the Axminster mandrel is smaller in diameter this means that the standard pen tubes (which fit the Planet mandrel fine) would be a loose fit on the Axminster mandrel.

indeed - but then again the pen tube is supported on the bushings......if it happens to be a size that is snug on the mandrel that's a bonus.

 

[myturn]

If the Axminster mandrel is smaller in diameter this means that the standard pen tubes (which fit the Planet mandrel fine) would be a loose fit on the Axminster mandrel.

indeed - but then again the pen tube is supported on the bushings......if it happens to be a size that is snug on the mandrel that's a bonus.

If it's a standard 7mm tube then it is not supported on the bushes, which butt up against the tubes ends. Only larger sized tubes that fit over the ends of the bushes are supported.

 

[CHJ]

If the Axminster mandrel is 6mm, as it would appear to be by the inner diameter of the bushes Steve has, then the axminster mandrel must surely use stepped bushes for the 'standard' 7mm tubes if they are not to risk being located off centre.

When making my own mandrel I ended up sizing it to .243" (6.17mm) diameter being the largest diameter that would allow the various brands of 7mm tubes I had to pass over it, which accounts for the 6.12mm that folks are seeing on their mandrels.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

I have an axminster mandrel & bushes, I also got teh pen kits from them but they are not stepped and 7mm tubes fit fine.

Maybe the bushes you got were just a bad set?

Ryan

 

[CHJ]

Any chance you can measure your mandrel and see if it's 6.12mm (.240") Ryan.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

I dont have digital calipers just (rubbish) spring loaded ones but I'll try later this evening when I get home.

 

[myturn]

Going by the measurements given earlier the Axminster mandrel is .07mm smaller than the Planet version. Even allowing for measurement errors and rounding up to .1mm I can't imagine their bushes having a step as thin as .05mm.

 

[Paul.J]

pvt ryan said

Maybe the bushes you got were just a bad set?

Having just found the set of bushes i've got from Axy i can say that they don't fit my Rutlands bought mandrel either :?:

 

[Steve Jones]

The bushes I bought are for an 8mm tube to turn the roller ball kit from Axminster, unfortunately for me I bought another 2 of these kits while I was in Devon last week

Steve

 

[CHJ]

Steve, do you have means of holding the guides to drill them out to suit.

You need a letter D drill (0.2460" ) for best fit but a 1/4" (.250") should be acceptable.

 

[Steve Jones]

I don't have the means to do this I'm afraid Chas, I only used my pillar drill to drill the pen blanks so when I bought pin jaws for my chuck I sold the drill on.
Steve

 

[wasbit]

My Axminster 1MT pen mandrel is probably five years old. I have just measured it with a Mitutoyo dial guage and got a reading of 6.25mm & the bushes which are a good sliding fit, an internal diameter of 6.35mm.

HTH
wasbit

 

[erik]

hi
i have the turners retreat mandrel and the first set of axi bushes i bought wouldnt fit either, so i drilled em out to suit.
but strangly enough the subsequent three sets do
regards
erik