I am looking to obtain a few mandrels and have some questions that hopefully someone here can answer. Can mandrels be purchased and fabricated from bar stock at a local hardware store? Do they have to be a certain type of material to be effective? Thanks.

Ron

You can make them from any steel rod. You want them to be straight, of course, and hardware store steel rarely is. Just check them carefully before you buy.

High quality steel drill rod is more often used. One end is bored to accept the 60-degree cone of the tailstock center. This is a simple operation if you have end mill bits, or a machine shop can do it for you.

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Ron,
I make my own manderals using "straight" hardware store threaded rod.
After chopping the rods to length and rounding the ends on a disk sander, I chuck the manderal into the lathe.
I slid the manderal all of the way through the chuck, so only a very short length of the rod is showing past the face of the chuck.
Then, I put a cutting bit, or drill bit into the chuck that I have in the tai stock and cut the needed 60 degree hole in the end of the threaded rod. By having only a very short section of the rod showing past the end of the chuck, the center of the rod will be easy to identify and drill with the cutting bit or drill bit.

Then, simply use and enjoy.

Take care
Roger

i had a friend make me some from "drill stock" which is just hardened steel i believe. He's a machinist and can whip them out lickety split. I have a 1/4" with 60* cones milled into the ends as well as a 1/2" that is set up the same. He does them on a CNC lathe i think.
On the half inch i had him make the first 3" 1/4" and then taper up to 1/2" in about an inch. Works awesome for butt sections since I typically use a rubberized ring with a 1/4" plug - i can turn the whole thing on the mandrel and then plug the hole. Any machine shop should be able to do this for you for you. I would let them provide the steel - they probably will have some just laying around in the scrap. I got mine on the "buddy system" aka free - but he'll do them for about 15$ a pop for up to a 16" mandrel.

Regards,
-Justin

Thanks for the info guys.

Ron

Mud Hole has them at a pretty good price, check em out, I have a few of them and they work great.

Steve Bro
(BroCo Custom Rods)

Ron,

If you will unhide your email address, I will send you some info I have.

Bill in WV

You can buy drill rods at fastenall for a good price.
Cheers Ron.