Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Pens on a ShopSmith
Ron Jones near Indy
>Think I'm going to try turning a few pens. Any suggestions on where to get the necessary mandrels etc. to work with a ShopSmith? The only place I have found is Penn State Industries. Also, how does the quality of PSI's pen kits compare to other suppliers? Where would you suggest I look for kits? Any advice and suggestions appreciated!
Re: Pens on a ShopSmith
Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho
>Hi Ron,
As far as mandrels go, I prefer Berea mandrels. I'm pretty sure they have an adapter that will fit your Shopsmith. PSI mandrels seem to be just a tad thinner than the rest of the industry, which makes them more prone to "whipping".
The main suppliers for pen stuff are PSI, Berea and Craft Supplies. Most everybody else sells kits supplied by one of these three companies. There are some of PSI's kits I really like - I use their titanium slimline all the time. If you want a really good quality kit to start with, that makes a great pen, think about the chrome cigar pen from Berea. It is one of my very favorites! Of course one of my other favorites is the Junior Gentleman pen from Craft Supplies.
Have fun!
Scott.
Re: Pens on a ShopSmith
Brad Vietje
>Ron,
I've turned a lot on my old SS (1954 or 55 !), but have only turned pens on my Jet lathe. There are a number of mandrels that fit a Jacobs chuck, so you won't need to get the 5/8" plain bore adaptor.
Safe Spinning,
Brad Vietje
Thetford, VT
Re: Pens on a ShopSmith
RevDoug
>Just put the Jacobs chuck that you use for the drill press on the quill and then the mandril shaft from what ever source you decide upon in the chuck. You probably won't have to go past the "a" setting on the speen control. If you do, it will only be for the sanding process and the final polishing. I started on a Shopsmith and found that the speed was too fast. It wasn't long before I bought a Mercury from Woodcraft. They have recently discontinued this fine piece of equipment, but they are still available until supplies run out. After that, Technatool will sell them direct.
Turn 'em round,
RevDoug