Abrasive mandrels are tools designed to hold abrasive cartridge rolls and are driven by direct connection to a motor or rotating shaft. With their shanks, the abrasive mandrels can get to the hard-to-reach sections of your workpiece, such as corners and curves. Their wide applications, especially in machining, have made them very popular in many industries, but how do you select the right one?

What is the Difference between Abrasive Mandrels and Expanding Mandrels?

Before you can set off looking for the right abrasive mandrel, it is important to appreciate they fall into different categories. Common categories of mandrels include collar mandrel, screwed mandrel, plain mandrel, and expansion mandrel. However, most people tend to confuse the abrasive and expansion mandrel, and we are going to look at the main difference.

Abrasive Mandrel

To use an abrasive mandrel, the shank is firmly gripped on the drill chuck of a rotary power tool. Then, the abrasive roll is fitted on the other end, and used to polish or grind the tough-to-reach ends. To get the anticipated results, it is advisable to ensure the workpiece is held firmly.

As you can see in this post, the abrasive part is moved carefully along the section that is being polished. It will also be a good idea to ensure you have personal protective clothing for eyes, ears, and skin to reduce the risk of injury.

Expansion Mandrel

An expansion mandrel is a tool used for gripping a workpiece with a desirable inner bore, but that requires machining with a lathe machine on the outside. For example, an expansion mandrel might be used to help bend pipes without flattening, wrinkling, or developing kinks. To achieve this, the mandrel is firmly held in a fixed position, and then the pipe is pulled over it.

As you can see in the diagram above, stretching happens on the forward tip of the mandrel tool while the force supports the inner radius. The stretching process happens on the outer radius of the pipe, implying that the pipe maintains its shape and dimensions. This is very important, especially when dealing with tubes for hydraulics and pneumatics.

How to Select the Best Abrasive Mandrels

Now that you know how an abrasive mandrel works, here are useful expert tips to help you select the best:

• Designed for Top Quality Material

Although mandrels are not subjected to intense pressure like drills and bits, you should go for the model designed with top quality material, such as plated steel. The shank should be able to withstand the force of the rotating material, be it a drill or lathe machine, without breaking easily. It should also be able to resist corrosion easily.

• Works with Full Tapered and Half tapered Cartridge Rolls

If you work in an industrial facility or workshop where polishing and grinding are common for different workpieces, buying dozens of mandrels for each might not be viable. Instead, you should look for a few mandrels to use in most types of jobs. Particularly, you should insist that the mandrel is able to work with full and half-tapered cartridge rolls.

• Easy to Use when on Tight Spaces

The best mandrel is the one that perfectly matches the type of job that you want to use. Therefore, if you target to polish the hidden corners or deep sections of the workpiece, go for the mandrel with a long shank. Start by thinking about the actual polishing work, and select a matching mandrel. You might want to work with a technician to understand the actual measurements of the targeted sections.

When selecting an abrasive mandrel, your focus should be on the targeted job. Then, try to identify the model that can work well with your power tools. It should also be pretty easy to maintain alongside other tools, such as saws and nuts and bolts. To make it easier for you to work on different projects, consider ordering a complete set of abrasive mandrels for your workshop.