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Hi all.
I am really keen to start pen turning but my lathe doesn't have a morse taper on the drive end, is there any other way i can use a pen mandrel.
I do have a vicmarc VM 100 scroll chuck if that helps.
I just want to know if there are any options before i look into a new lathe
Thanks
Daniel.
Hi Daniel,
I'm in the same boat as you, I've thought of one solution but haven't tried it yet, I am going to see if my local nuts and bolts store has a nut with the same thread as the morse taper on the mandrel, then screw the mandrel shaft into that and put it in my scroll chuck
A morse taper is simply the most convenient - and most accurate - way to mount a mandrel.
With most good quality mandrels the MT will unscrew from the end of the shaft, which can be convenient. You could, for example, mount a piece of hardwood in your scroll-chuck, drill the centre and tap a thread/screw the end of the shaft into that instead. You could also, for longevity, glue a small suitably threaded metal nut/insert into that hole. (Although this last step increases the likelihood of the result being off-centre.)
You could do more or less the same thing with a scrap piece mounted on a faceplate.
But be aware that with pen-turning precision is everything! If the shaft is off-centre by 1/4mm, the pen will be out of true by 1/2mm! (1/4mm too thick on one side + 1/4mm too thin on the other = 1/2mm overall)
Instead of a piece of wood I'd suggest that you find a tame metal-worker who could make you something out of brass. A 40mm (or whatever fits your chuck jaws best) diameter disk, around 12mm thick and pre-drilled/tapped to match the shafts thread. Brass as it's soft enough to not deform your jaws, Also, your jaws should also have an internal angled edge to retain the tenon; the outside face of the disk should have a matching taper.
So. Yeah, it's doable. I've made and used all the methods I've covered here... with varying degrees of success. ;) If you plan on doing a lot of pens though, I strongly recommend buying a suitable lathe with MT.
But I also suggest going ahead and trying to make a wooden disk adapter for your existing lathe. It's good practise, a teaching experience and you never know... you might even manage to make something that you'll be quite happy to use while saving up the pennies for an upgrade! :D
I made my own lathe and for many years I relied on the nose thread at the end of the drive shaft. I could handle a lot of situations with this configuration but found it was restrictive due to the vast array of Morse Tapered attachments. What I did was.....the shaft in question is 1" diameter but it will take a Morse socket safely. I first drew up an elevation of the shaft showing the 1" X 8 thread, then drew in the Morse socket to give me an idea of depth for the socket. Mounting a drill chuck into the tail stock I drilled a series of holes drilled to their appropriate depth then fitted a #2 Morse reamer bought from Ebay for around $25. The reaming was done BY HAND because you don't want to bugger things up at this stage. To do the reaming I held the reamer with a vice grip resting on the tool rest then advanced the tailstock with the Morse reamer as you turn the the main shaft of the lathe. It may sound "dicky" but it was really quite simple. I can't take credit for the method because it was member "Retired" who told me what to do.
The next step in the operation was to bore a hole 200 mm long X ¼" diameter from the nose and through the drive shaft so you can slide in a drift to knock what ever accessory out of the Morse socket.
It is certainly worth the exercise because it opens up a wide range of handy things you can do with your lathe
There is always the option of turning between centres. Normally you would use a live centre in the tailstock, one with the 60 degree cone and a bearing to reduce friction. In the headstock you would have a morse taper with a 60 degree cone. Between them you mount the tube in bushings that have the 60 degree to match the centres or just put the tube directly on the cones and very gently turn the blank. Without the bushings you need to measure as you go and only keep the pressure on the tube enough so they don't spin because the brass will eventually cut grooves in the centre, but not so much that you flair the ends and crack the blank.
In your case you would need to find a straight shafted 60 degree centre to fit in the jaws your chuck. Kind of hard to find unless you can get someone with a metal lathe to turn one for you. Ask over in the metalworking section. You could also put a very hard wood in the chuck and turn it to a cone yourself and true it up when needed. It would ensure that any out of roundness your chuck has would be turned true by you.
Plenty of ways to skin a cat! Look for an ER (16 / 25 /32) Collet Chuck with a dedicated thread body to suit your lathes headstock spindle thread. Purchase a 6-7mm collet to suit as that will take the 7mm pen mandrel.
One very good supplier - Collet Adaptor Sets ER32 & ER25
Vermec can also supply a custom spindle adaptor if your lathe has a "non-standard" spindle thread. I suggest this because a Collet Chuck Set based on a M30 / 1" x 8 / 1" x 10 / 1 1/4"x 8 "standard" thread is a saleable item SH but a say 3/4" x 16 thread will severely limit your chances of moving it on if you ever wish to and makes it useless to you if / when you upgrade your lathe.
My main lathe for many years had a solid shaft (Woodfast) and I used Collet Chucks with great success as I do on my Hercus Lathe for accuracy. The Woodfast was the identical Lathe Richard Raffan produced his masterpieces on for many years. I also use a Vicmarc two jaw chuck on my VL100.
Peter.
Daniel,
I began turning fishing floats from a homemade lathe consisting of a strapped down upturned dill. I then progressed to a Proxon mini/hobbylathe (space and stupidity conscious, you pick which one i was more conscious of!!) anyhoo, the Proxon has a collet style spindle exactly like a router I just change the internal sleeve for different sizes, and I couldn't use the 6mm collet as 1/4" mandrel. however, sorry, getting off track. my point is that the small no.1 mandrel fit snugly into the end (despite the lack of taper) and with pressure from he tail stock the mandrel didn't move. a little word of warning, there is a fine line between enough pressure and too much, as too much will flex the mandrel shaft and give you an elliptical pen, ie. oval.
As many others have noted a collet chuck ill get you far, I bought one from the land of the Red Star (ER32) an haven't looked back. PS. if you go this option you will need a draw bar.