Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA
04-18-2003, 10:59 AM
I was given a hollowing tool by my neighbor who made it in the turning school they went to in Carolina. We've been trading some wood back and forth and he came over to watch me work Sunday afternoon. I was trying to slightly hollow a small jar with my bowl gouge and a scraper. He disappeared and returned, handing me the hollowing tool and said," here, try this." It worked wonders, compared to what I'd been using. Funny how the right tools do the job better, huh. Anyway, he told me to keep it, since he'd made two. I thanked him very much and gave him a large piece of cedar and a piece of "ironwood" (Eastern Hophornbeam). Here are three of the projects I've tried with the hollowing tool so far ... a cherry potpourrie jar (41/2 X 1 1/2), a cedar jar (5 1/2 X 3 1/2) and a small hollow form jar with a stopper (4 1/2 X 2 1/2). The wall on the small hollow form is a wonderful 1/8" unifrom thickness! Nothing fancy, just getting the feel of the tool. I see lots more vases and jars coming in the future ... thanks for looking.