Box Hollowing Turning Tool?

[Stan Smith]

I'm pretty much of a novice on turning boxes. To hollow them out, I have been using Raffan's rounded 1/2 scraper and a berger tool. Is there a different tool that would work better? Thanks for any info.

Stan

[Stan Smith]

Okay, I give up. I'll check the catalogs and/or call CraftSupplies tech support.

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi Stan

Don't give up yet! I just got time to sit down and read through all the stuff here.

I don't turn a whole lot of boxes, but my very favorite tool for hollowing them out is the Termite. Sorby also makes a ring tool, but the Oneway has interchangeable (which also means replaceable) tips. It can be a little scary to use, but once you get the hang of it, it takes wood away just like its namesake.

It works best by drilling out the center of the box, and then sweeping the tool from center out to the edge. It can be a bit grabby if you aren't careful. What I do is start with the ring sort of scraping, or in a position that has the cutting surfaces horizontal. Then I'll gently tip it over until it starts to cut. The aggressiveness of the cut can be controlled by the amount of angle introduced to the tool. There are also at least two, and perhaps three different tip sizes depending on what you want to do. It also comes with a fixture and grinding stone for sharpening it with a router.

Good luck with it.

Bill

[Stan Smith]

Thanks. I have never tried the termite tool. Actually the Berger tool works fairly well, but as you pointed out, you have to be careful about grabbing. It's one of those tools that cannot be pushed much. I agree that Oneway makes good stuff. The people there are real nice to deal with, too. Just to let you know that I'm selling that Jet 1236 that you recommended to me 5 years ago. I never did use it for more than some little stuff so I'm getting a Jet mini. I've read a lot of your posts over the years and really appreciate your taking time to help us out.

Stan