Stubby and HF systems

[Todd Bin]

Hello all you stubby owners. I would like a HF system. There seems to be three main ones. The Jameison System, The Clark system (Spindoctor) and the Monster system. I notice that the clark system has a bowl steady they sell. Will all of these systems work with the Stubby? Are they all basically the same? It is hard to tell the differences.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

[David Walser]

Todd,

All the systems you mention are compatible with the Stubby lathe. (The first time I saw a Jameison hollowing rig it was mounted on a Stubby lathe on display in Craft Supplies USA's showroom.) You just need to have the system made to fit the ways of the Stubby. The three systems are fairly similar and are made by folks you'd enjoy doing business with.

In addition to these "captured bar" systems, you should consider the "articulated arm" hollowing systems. There are several makers of this type of rig. (Below I've provided links to two.) The captured bar and articulated arm systems each have their advantages. Those that have both types of hollowing systems tend to prefer the articulated arm system for most of their hollowing, but that's a personal preference and is NOT a universal feeling. If I were to attempt to summarize the differences between the two, I'd say the captured arm is better for deep hollow forms and the articulated arm gives you more "freedom" of movement. Again, YMMV!

Here are the promised links:

http://www.elbotool.com/

http://monster-lathe-tools.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=262&category_id=63

[Richard Madden]

I was going to suggest you build your own articulated arm hollowing system, like I did. But then I realized, if you can afford a Stubby, you probably have enough money to burn a wet mule in a rainstorm, so forget my idea. Buy a Monster instead.