Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Mandrel \Man"drel\, n. [F. mandrin, prob. through (assumed) LL.
   mamphurinum, fr. L. mamphur a bow drill.] (Mach.)
      (a) A bar of metal inserted in the work to shape it, or to
          hold it, as in a lathe, during the process of
          manufacture; an arbor.
      (b) The live spindle of a turning lathe; the revolving
          arbor of a circular saw. It is usually driven by a
          pulley. [Written also {manderil}.]

   {Mandrel lathe}, a lathe with a stout spindle, adapted esp.
      for chucking, as for forming hollow articles by turning or
      spinning.

Source : WordNet®

mandrel
     n : any of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger
         rotating parts [syn: {spindle}, {mandril}, {arbor}]