I just received a mandrel from mudhole and the cone is not dead center on both ends. Does anyone think this may be a problem before i try to turn with it.

You only need the center bore on one end, not both.

Chuck the mandrel up and run the live center up snug. Turn the lathe on and watch the mandrel - does it run true? It may help if you move your tool rest close to the mandrel so you can more easily see if there is any discernible "wobble" between the mandrel and the rest. A tiny amount is okay, but any great amount is something you don't want.

If the off-center bore is the trouble, you'll find the mandrel will run fairly true near the headstock but out of round at the live center end.


.................

Why not exchange it? The Mudhole folks are happy to work with their customers.

Jim

Stonefly Custom Fly Rods
20 Vaquero Rd
Santa Fe NM 87508

www.stoneflyrods.com

Kevin,
Do you have a lathe?
If so - do the following.
1. I assume that if you do have a lathe - you have a through hole chuck so that you can run the mandrel all of the way through the chuck.
2. First, take one end of the mandrel and insert it all of the way through the chuck, so that only about 1/2 inch of the mandrel is showing past the chuck toward the tail stock.
3. Tighten down the chuck and turn on the lathe. Check the center location of the mandrel. If it is off - note it.
4. Reverse the mandrel and check the location of the center location. If it is off - note it.
5. On either end of the mandrel that has a center location that is not centered - cut off the end of the mandrel with a cut off wheel. If you don't have a cut off wheel, you can use a bench grinder to grind off the end of the mandrel.
6. Once you have the end of the mandrel smooth, you can then take a drill bit or center cutter and chuck it into a chuck that you have in the tail stock.
7. Use a short drill bit, or cut the drill bit short so that you only have about 1/2 inch drill bit protruding from the end of the chuck. The idea is that you have a very short piece of mandrel protruding from the lathe chuck and you have a very short drill bit or center cutter protruding from the tail stock chuck.
8. Turn on the lathe holding the smooth ended mandrel and with the centered drill bit or cutter in the tail stock, use the tail stock advance wheel to push the drill bit or center cutter into the center end of the mandrel and cut yourself a new centered hole in the end of the mandrel.

It is quite simple - assuming that you have a decent lathe and a sharp drill bit or center cutting boring bit.
You can do the job in less time that it has taken me to write it.

Of course, if you don't want to do it, or if you don't have the tools - exchange it for a new one that hopefully has a true center hole.

Good luck
Roger

Roger said it perfectly ! And if you don't have the equipment he mentioned, you can take to your local High School / Tech School and they will fix it for nothing. It is a part of their curriculum. That's a lot cheaper than shipping it back to the vendor.

Kevin,
If you are still having problems with the mandrel please contact me and I'll arrange to ship you a new one.

Regards,

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com