So I got the Trent Bosch hollowing tools in...I'm exceptionally not good at this

[Jeremy Leasure]

I ordered these several days ago and got them in the other day. Didn't get a chance to use them till today. I got the 5/8 "Super Set". Two bent tools, one straight and a rather large purple handle. All nicely made and heavy. I decided to start off easy and just try a small, squat flared lip cherry vase...Thing. Orientation was hollowing into end grain. It was going okay at first, wallowed out a spot in the middle with the straight tool and slowly worked my way outward and downward trying to get it about as thin as I wanted as I worked my way to the bottom. It start getting kind of awkward to get around the shoulder of the flare, so I (smugly) changed out to one of the bent tools. As I took a very light- CATCH! ...Okay, must've twitched or something, no biggie I'll just- CATCH! Right, maybe I should check the tool rest height because the bar of the tools might not be the same. Alright, looks good let's just ease in here and CATCH!


Ok, I'll just switch back to the straight tool and clean this up as best I - CATCH! At this point I was starting to get that feeling that's fills the void when enthusiasm and optimism leave a vacuum. It's sort of the opposite of motivation and tastes vaguely like a headache.

I'm pretty decent with the sharpening biz, so they were sharp. I'm pretty sure I was keeping it fairly level or maybe slightly below center. I had the tool rest behind the curve of the bent tool. Any tips, common newbie mistakes? BC powder?

[Robert McGowen]

I may get hammered and have to delete this later (:o), but I always have my cutter ABOVE center by a little bit. If you are below center, you are going to have to tilt the cutting edge into the wood to make contact and you get a CATCH! If it is slightly above center, the wood is going to rotate right across top of the cutter and give a clean cut. I hope I did not get this backwards! YMMV

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

The best way to avoid catches is to always have any scraping tool above center when hollowing the inside of a piece. Then you should always have the cutting edge of a scraper below center on the outside of a turning.

[David E Keller]

What Joe and Robert said! Also, make sure the inside of the form is clean... When the chips build up, things can get ugly! Another thought... I use a 'push' cut on the upper portion of the form when undercutting the shoulder and a 'pull' cut when working near the bottom of the form. If you think about the way the grain runs in an endgrain form relative to the cutter, that plan will keep you cutting with the grain.

[John Beaver]

I agree that your tool is probably below center a bit. Also, like David said, when hollowing end grain, you ideally want to work from the center towards the wall, and from the bottom to the top, essentially making a pulling cut.

Keep practicing, I'm sure you'll get it.

[Jack Mincey]

I agree with Robert and find it easier to have the tool just a touch above center. It is easier to hollow an end grain piece if you first drill the center out with say a 3/8" drill or use a 3/8" spindle gouge to bore a hollow down to the depth you want to go. I then hollow out the middle part of the form with the straight tool as wide as the opening allows. To do this I like to tuck the handle under my armpit and spread my legs until I'm at the right height to hollow with the handle there. If you bend your back to hollow it will be painful before you finish. After I get the center hollowed out I then start with the shorter bent bar and start hollowing right at the opening until I get the thickness I want to the bottom. I keep the handle under my arm pit and hollow with the curved tools in the same manor as the straight one. Maybe the most important thing to prevent catches is to stop every other pass and blow out all the chips and curls. They tend to build up and grab the cutter if you don't. You will get to a point where you can feel the chips trying to pull on the end of the boring bar before it is too late. The longer of the two curved tools takes a little more practice to use. The shorter one is much easier to use in my book. You can angle the top of the cutter down toward the tip on the top side with a grinder and it helps to prevent catches as a beginner as well. This is done by grinding the tip down around 1/16" with the taper ending back around about 3/8" from the tip. It helps to prevent the tip from self feeding which is another cause of catches.
Good Luck,
Jack

[Dennis Ford]

Make sure that you have the tool rest back enough to keep the straight section of the tool on the tool rest.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Hollowing should ALWAYS be done cutting above the centerline! Another frequent problem is the majority of accidents that occurr when inserting or removing the tools while the lathe is running, and stopping the rotation when moving tools in or out will eliminate a bunch of nasty words!

[Jeremy Leasure]

Thanks. I'll bump my rest up a little and give it another go tomorrow. I'll report back...If I survive.

[Brian Weaver]

I have the same set of tools that I purchased from Trent when he came to our club for 4 days of demo's and I really like them. It probably helped that I had instruction from Trent himself, so it may be useful to purchase his "Vessels of Illusion" video.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Jeremy,
Here is one more tip. Don't try to drag the cutting edge along the length of your cut. I find hollowing is best accomplished by holding your the tool down on the rest with your left hand and swinging your butt to the right to make a cut. Then advance the tool down the length and repeat. Continue this motion until you have removed the wood you targeted in that section. The added advantage of working that way is to leave a defined spot you can feel when you put the tool back in. Hand hollowing is all about knowing where the tool is and feeling the inside surface. I usually work through openings small enough that I can't see inside if I wanted to. As you near the final thickness, make the same motion but slightly drag the tool toward you to smooth the inside surface. One last tip if you intend to hand hollow, invest in an armbrace style handle. They take a lot of stress off your hands and help control the tendency of the curved tools to torque. Speaking of curved tools, it was said before but you must have the tool rest far enough from the cutting surface that no portion of the curve is on the rest or the tool will catch and twist in your hand.
faust

[John W Dixon]

Very timely post for me. Getting ready to order this same set from Trent. I may go ahead and order the video as well. Thanks.

[Jim Underwood]

Wow... good basic points made here that I was not aware of.

I'm glad you posted your difficulties - it may have just made my next hollowing experience easier.

[Scott Lux]

At this point I was starting to get that feeling that's fills the void when enthusiasm and optimism leave a vacuum. It's sort of the opposite of motivation and tastes vaguely like a headache.

I love your description!

I'm reading the advice you got too. In case I do some hollowing.

[Joe Landon]

I found it helpful when I first started hollowing to start with a large opening. This allowed me the luxury of seeing what my tool is doing. As I became more comfortable with the process, I slowly began hollowing with a smaller opening.

Take very light cuts with a freshly sharpened tip. Green wood is more pleasant to work with, and forgiving, than dry wood. Adding lead shot to the handle will help immensely. The extra weight absorbs some of the vibration and helps keep the tool in place. Start with shorter vessels. Deep vessels create a lot of torque.

Wedge the handle between your torso and your arms and move the tool by moving your body, not your hands and arms. Adjust the height of your lathe so that when you set the tool on the tool rest and it is in the proper cutting position on your vessel, the tool handle is parallel to the floor. Most lathes are not set high enough.

[Mark Hubl]

Good advice so far, I agree with Joe. To see and feel what the tool is doing "hollow a bowl". When I first started or when I get a new tool I practice on a bowl form. I also like to make a cut away practice piece to see what the tool is doing. It really is about practice, in no time you will feel proficient with the tools.