This could be a handy Monster trick

[Josh Bowman]

I'm turning a Sweet Gum HF and nothing would seem to get to the shoulder and clean it out inside. I don't have the goose neck Monster boring bar. But last year when I ordered my Monster, it took maybe a couple of months for Randy to get to my order. As all of you know the vortex is strong and relentless, so I ordered a couple of Sorby boring bars for my Sorby handle. Wouldn't you know it, three packages appeared within a few days. Two from Randy, the Monster, and one from where ever I ordered the Sorby boring bars. Anyway back to the story, I'm almost done with this HF but just couldn't reach all the way into that shoulder. So I fitted up the Sorby boring bar in it's handle, gritted my teeth and after a small catch on my almost finished HF, gave up. Then an idea struck.......I wonder if the Sorby would fit up in the Monster. Turned out I had tried it before and it just wouldn't fit. But upon looking closer, the Sorby had a ding on the shaft that wouldn't let it slide in the precision socket of the Monster. A touch up on the grinder and the Sorby has been assimilated by the Monster. I now have a Sorby Monster, that works great.

[Roger Chandler]

Well now .........that is interesting Josh! I have the exact same bar, only in a handle...........hummmm.........just might have to take that handle off and see what mischief I can get into! ;) Thanks for the tip!

[Baxter Smith]

I don't have that shaped bar, but I have had multiple times where I wish I did.

[Rick Markham]

I've got the Monster gooseneck bar, and it is actually a smaller diameter bar than the standard 3/4" bar... which happens to mean it fits perfect in my Kobra's 5/8" adapter. Another neat thing, Don Pencil sells a set of adapters to fit 4 sizes of bars into a 3/4" handle, Which means, now I can use 3/8" boring bars in my Monster system (and 3 other sizes.) So anyone with a monster, who wants to use a variety of smaller bars, you should talk to Don and get a set of his adapters ;)

[Dan Forman]

I know it has a 5/8" shank, but what is the diameter of the bar itself?
Thanks,
Dan

[John Keeton]

...now I can use 3/8" boring bars in my Monster system...Rick, you can use them without adapters by just inserting the 3/8" bar in the end of the regular boring bar. The female end is bored 3/8".

Dan, the regular bar is 3/4", with a 5/8" milled end that goes into the articulated base.

Josh, I would think you could use the rotating circular cutting head to get the entire shoulder area.

[Jamie Donaldson]

I use both my old Stewart hooker tool shaft and John Jordan tools in my Monster, as well as several others that I have made over the years. Most are 3/4" and Randy makes a 5/8"~3/4" adapter that gives me many options, and seldom do I have any serious trouble with out of reach interiors.

[Josh Bowman]

Josh, I would think you could use the rotating circular cutting head to get the entire shoulder area.
On all I've hollowed, I've always been able to get the shoulders with the above cutter.....but not this one. No combination I tried would reach the last little bit.

[Michelle Rich]

I have the elbow unit & it will handle different bars & has inserts just for that. Funny, I can get my elbow to cut up against the top and in that corner. My cutter pivots. Funny the monster can't do that

[Josh Bowman]

I have the elbow unit & it will handle different bars & has inserts just for that. Funny, I can get my elbow to cut up against the top and in that corner. My cutter pivots. Funny the monster can't do that
It would if I had bought the swan neck tool.....I was just too cheap at the time. John K. foresaw the problem I think and bought the swan neck. This is the first time I wasn't able to get somewhere, though.