Technical question: mandril

Qualitymark

Patrick Kavanagh writes (in Stony Grey Soil of Monaghan):

You told me the plough was immortal
O green-life-conquering plough!
Your mandril strained, your coulter blunted
In the smooth lea-field of my brow.

What part of a plough is the mandril? Oxford English Dictionary offers only a red-bottomed baboon, which seems an unlikely tool for a Monaghan farmer to deploy.

Figerty

In engineeering a mandril (mandrel) is something that holds something else in position to do some work or have work done on it.
Probably of french origin at a guess

bbam

I figure the same.
I'd guess it's the verticle shaft holding the plough head.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6143/5943092632_c0c6686307_m.jpg

blue5000

He could have been using poetic licence:D

A mandrel is a blacksmith tool that was cone shaped and stood on the floor. It was used for expanding rings of iron. The red hot ring was put over the tip of the mandrel and hammered down the cone until it was the right size.
I think the old horse drawn ploughs had a curved leg which perhaps might have been made using a mandrel? Not sure though.

dzer2

the mandrel on the plough is where the point is attached the point wears out and can be replaced.

IrishTonyO

blue5000 wrote: »

He could have been using poetic licence:D

A mandrel is a blacksmith tool that was cone shaped and stood on the floor. It was used for expanding rings of iron. The red hot ring was put over the tip of the mandrel and hammered down the cone until it was the right size.
I think the old horse drawn ploughs had a curved leg which perhaps might have been made using a mandrel? Not sure though.

You're thinking of Anvil I am afraid

blue5000

IrishTonyO wrote: »

You're thinking of Anvil I am afraid

No anvil is different

pakalasa

Blacksmith mandrel;
http://www.swageblocks.com/cone_gallery.htm

Qualitymark

Heaney is no help either: http://fawbie.com/2012/01/10/follower/ if we thought the poets might solve this.

And on my travels, this English page about horse ploughing (also no use, but interesting): http://www.fellpony.f9.co.uk/country/seedtime/plough2.htm

blue5000

IrishTonyO wrote: »

You're thinking of Anvil I am afraid

This is a blacksmith's mandril

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blacksmiths-mandrel-forgework-smiths-tools-/160936250475?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D4085355301752186472%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D160936250475%26