PKMBCM2 Turn Between Centers Mandrel System #2MT

This product is really well made. It takes a bit longer to turn a pen with 2 blanks, but the end results are worth it.

Great gear , gets rid of any vibration , may mean doing on piece at a time, but well worth it

Very good

Ive turned hundred’s of pens and other items, using these . They are very nice , when turning, a bunch of pens or items.

I like pretty much everything about this product. Some people have mentioned, though, that it is a bit tight when working the ends, not too bad, though, just need to move over a bit more, and that you can only do one part at a time. Anyhow the thing is very stable, so, making one at a time is faster and cleaner. So far, I think it is great!

Great product

This is how penturning should always have been done. I can't believe we ever suffered through the mandrel system.GET THIS PRODUCT NOW. Whether you are new to turning pens, or a seasoned penturner, this product will make the process easier and more accurate. I have been through every incarnation of the mandrel system: a fixed length mandrel that needed "spacer" bushings, a colleted mandrel that could have its length adjusted, and finally a mandrel with the Mandrel Saver system. While each of those steps was an improvement over the last, none have been so good as this. The TBC system takes everything good about all other penturning systems, improves on it, and gets rid of all of the bad.I don't know where to begin. By getting rid of the mandrel, this system avoids the headaches of bent and flexing mandrels which give horrible results. No chatter, no oblong turnings, just smooth and consistent pen barrels. Secondly, because there is no mandrel, it is not so critical that your lathe's headstock and tailstock are exactly aligned. Yeah, you should get that as close to dead-on as you can, but minor inaccuracies disappear. This will make a $200 Harbor Freight lathe turn pens like a $1000 Jet lathe.Next, this set uses STANDARD pen bushings. In the infancy of turning between centers, you had to use a 60 degree live center on the tailstock, and a dead center on the headstock. Then, you had to purchase a special set of bushings that were $25, just because they had a chamfer in them to fit on those 60 degree points. With this system, all your existing bushings work just fine.I see two possible downsides to this set. Firstly, some turners like to mount two pen barrels on their mandrel at once. This is generally a bad idea (lots of flex in the mandrel with all that length), but that's just how some people prefer it. This system will only handle one pen barrel at a time.Secondly, if applying a CA finish or other messy finish, there's not a ton of room on either side of the pen barrel. This ups the odds that you will end up gluing a bushing to this product. Put a thin coat of wax on the business ends of this product, and that will mitigate 90% of this problem. Alternatively, use delrin finishing cones, which will not stick to your pen barrel or this mounting hardware.

Good quality