Pennstate Industries - Universal Duplicator Mechanism (Rating: 5)

I've got this Penn State Lathe Duplicator I have mine mounted on a Ryobi Mini Lathe. I believe that it works for many brands.

It's not an all inclusive duplicator like the Vega. If you can make a pattern in something about 1/16" thick then you can fit it into the holding mechanism. Here are the Penn State templates

This is a brass pattern of a small spindle that I'm making. The spindles are for a Vintage Sleigh I'm making.



You mount your blank in the lathe.



And turn it down. This is a rough turn that then needs to be sanded smooth.



The cutter is either a High Speed Steel or a carbide cutter. I make mine out of solid Carbide router bits. Cheaper than buying theirs. But then you need to be able to sharpen carbide. I use a cutter in my Dremel style tool to cut them down to size and a green wheel to sharpen the carbide and then a diamond sharpening stone to get it smooth.

Sanded smooth.


Eight spindles taking about 5 minutes each. And all the same design. 4 Cherry and 4 Sapele


A great tool for making pens and other small turnings that need to be the same.