Being mass produced if there is an out of round in your blank when you turn it the slack in the knurled nut is sufficient to throw the blank into a wobble, the real advantage separate issue is with squared blanks essential IMHO at this stage of the mandrel saver is the direct thrust on the mandrel and the true support on the one I use for over an inch in the saver itself improving the harmonics tremendously. Of course for real speed efficiency and to counteract other things between centres wins hands down.
An article years ago followed by an in depth interview in the Australian Woodworker with a front page picture of this guy headlined as one of the most prolific pen makers ever prompted me to travel quite some distance to meet with this man (name ?) and he absolutely amazed me with his incredible stock of most every timber, his real speed and beautiful finishes one of the first in the world to use CA. He would glue the blank after a quick wipe of the brass never roughed up the brass told me he never had losses through the glue letting go using CA to glue it in put it aside for a few minutes to dry, he had simple systems for everything a beut workshop near the house at the sea side also near a small aircrcraft hanger where he kept his small plane he had built in his spare time.
At a previous venture he used to demonstrate Dremel tools all round Australia for Dremel and never an idle man used to carve knee high boots from all the known timbers you could imagine. In fact in later years he sold a part of his collection to a Wood Gallery located in a country town away from Canberra and I will take a day off next week, go have a look and try to take a pic or two of his boots his travels made him so many wholesale contacts he sent his Pens all round the country.
Now the cruncher I explained to him and he liked my forerunner of the mandrel saver all those years ago but stuck to his precision use of ordinary gear at that time having made into the hundreds of thousand pens of all kits sold.
I meant to tell you I was and am in awe of this guy whose devoted wife died many years later and he dropped out of touch.
Just for interest I mention these things I have come across in my small way.
Kind regards Peter.
