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Opinions, thoughts and testimonials from other WEBFoot Mandrel users.

05/04/2006 04:07:16 AM

 

If you have a WEBFoot Mandrel, feel free to email with your thoughts, reviews, suggestions for improvements and so on. I will gladly reproduce in its entirety the portion of your email that pertains to the mandrels. THE GOOD AND THE BAD. I want everyone to know the ups and downs of the WEBFoot Mandrels. Tear ‘em apart, rave about them, say what you think.

And now….. On to the reviews!! (I will add the input to the web page as I get it.)

 

 

 

Buck of Arkansas writes: (in response to another individual’s questions who is interested in the MVS Mandrel System, Buck has a .625” MVS with recessed cuts.)

 

I will give you the most honest answer I can. First off I don't know wade, I have talked to him several times and he has been a pleasure to work with and very helpful. The mandrel he makes is outstanding. It has become one of the most useful tools in my shop. I too ordered the MVS and I feel that is the way to go. I only use the pin lock system when turning wood you will find out the mandrel is turned to a tolerance that sometimes you don't need the pin it is hard enough just to get the wood on it, which is a good thing. Always keep a little 3-in-one oil around to make life easier. Now here is the only modification I made with the crush lock system, you have to leave rough ends on the call that is impossible for me to do because I use a duplicator to keep the shape of my call consistent ( I spent a long time about 2 years searching for the right shape and I don't want to lose it), well acrylic wont hold with the pin lock while you are turning it. So I went to Lowes and bought an assortment of 5/8 spacers and place a spacer between the end mill holder and the acrylic blank and then one on the other end and tighten the nuts on the spacers this allows room for my duplicator to operate. One more thing you will find that the mandrel will speed things up and you will get in a hurry be careful with that pin. Very easy to drop and lose, I have had to dig it out of the fan housing on my lathe 3 times.

ALSO DO NOT HIT YOUR MANDREL WITH A HAMMER TRYING TO DRIVE WOOD ON IT! It will cause a bur on the mandrel and it wont fit back in the in mill holder the you will have to sand it to get it back in. I am by no means a pro with this mandrel yet but one evening last week I turned 28 barrels getting ready for an expo show and doing that before would have taken me all week.

Wade even more than me my wife thanks you.

Buck

(Buck, I assume your wife thanks me because you can spend more time with her now that the mandrel has sped things up? :-) Gotta keep the boss happy!, Wade.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note from Wade: - When you bore different materials with the same drill bit, you will find that many times the finished bore diameter is a few thousandths different from one material to another making it either loose or too tight on the mandrel. This is caused by the different characteristics of the materials. I noticed the most change in bore diameter with acrylic until I switched my boring methods to incorporate a .625” reamer and a 39/64” drill bit. To remedy this situation, there are a few things you can do: If the bore is too small and it won’t fit on the mandrel without fighting it, either let it cool after initial drilling, and then run it back on the bit a second time (this usually will clean up the hole and remove some of the ’heat swell’ from the initial drilling.) , or use a bore sander and just sand the inside a little bit until it fits. If the bore is too loose and you are using the pin-lok (diameter really doesn’t affect the crush-lok portion), then take a piece of scotch or masking tape and put it in the pin-lok channel on the flat surface under the pin and then put the pin back in and try it. Still too loose, add another piece of tape. The tape will take up some of the excess space that keeps the pin-lok from locking and you should be good to go. If you have shim stock available, that can be cut and used in place of the tape and easier to remove when you don’t need it. –Wade

 

 

 

 

George Anderson left me a message on the phone letting me know it was okay to mention him as a contact for opinions on the mandrel.  He has one and likes it very much, and I'm sure he will give you an honest appraisal of it.  Check out his website for contact information and there are even a few pictures of the mandrel in use under the "shop tools" page.

George's Website - click here

 

 

 

 

From the MissMallard.com website forum:

Model12
Member
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Email Instant Message

Posts: 19
My new Mandrel from Webfoot....
« on: Today at 09:15:55 »
Well, I tell ya, I grew up in a machine shop. I'm pretty hard to impress with machine work...but I am IMPRESSED!!! I received my mandrel and two rods of different sizes from Wade yesterday. Finally, the perfect mandrel to turn calls on. If any of you guys have been considering Wade's mandrel, just get it. You won't be sorry....

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Wade,
The Mandrel came today. I can't believe it. An incredible bit of workmanship on your part.
I'm almost embarrassed to have only paid 100 bucks for it. Soon as I figure out what size the crow call inserts that just arrived from www.AllPredatorCalls.com are, I'll be ordering another mandrel. No more of these 10mm pen mandrels with cherry wood drilled and turned to size for me. 
I frequent a few call maker message boards and I will be sure to let everyone know about your product. Do you mind if I post a picture or two of it?
Again, thank you very much. I feel like I just won the lotto.
Al Woodard
Manchester, NH