Anyone use fiber optic to aid in turning?

[robert raess]

Just got back from an all day Demo with J Paul Fennell.One very interesting item he used to get his vessels thin, was a fiber optic cable that he held inside the vessel while turning.Tho he did use calipers as a reference,once the lite started 'glowing thru the wood'[it glowed red, like placing a light against your hand], he would continue until all the vessel was glowing.When it got passed around,i was shocked at how light it was,almost no weight at all.He had a sample vessel cut in half, that was consistently a 1/16".First ques....Any of you use a fiber optic lite while turning?...Next thing i noticed, while turning it looked like he was drifting right of center[hollowing inside]...then it occurred to me to ask him if he was turning it in reverse...and yes he was.He does not use a bowl gouge on the inside, only on the outside. He uses an assortment of of allen wrenches bent to his need and sharpened to only be used to the right of center and lathe turning in reverse...curious to hear how many use a lite to determine uniform thickness.... Thanks Rob

[Dan Hintz]

I know the guy who turns hats and such uses somewhat of a custom setup... something along the lines of a junkyard lamp ;) If you're turning thin, light is a pretty good measure of when you're nearing your final thickness.

[Dennis Ford]

I often use light transmission for judging thickness but don't have a fiber optic setup. Moisture content, species and grain orientation all greatly affect how light penetrates the wood so you need to compare the light to measured thickness until you get some practice with the technique.

[Wally Dickerman]

The light inside will work only on an endgrain turning and on light colored wood. J Paul does turn in reverse. The tool is cutting on the right side of the wood instead of the usual left side. (Cutting in the side away from him) I've watched his demos and it seems very natural the way he does it.

If you haven't seen his light demo, it's very impressive