Practicing making hollow forms ...

[Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA]

... trying to get the hang of using these hollowing tools. It's sure a challenge to get around inside the opening, get it uniform thickness, try to keep it smooth and keep all of the doggone shavings out of the way! From advice on hre at the Creek, I make sure I stop often to vacuum the shavings and chips out. Takes some time, but it's a lot easier to see what you're doing! Itook a piece of Spalted Maple and made a bowl with a tighter opening than usual. I then took a piece of walnut I had lying around and made a transition piece out of it. I then took a small piece of cherry and turned the stopper for the top. Nothing fancy, but getting used to the tools. Enjoyed the afternoon, since it's rained all day. I also made a few pens to keep my inventory up. Hope everyone out there's having a good weekend. Keep turning and be safe.

[Jim Becker]

Very nice job, Ron. Hollow turning is what I prefer to do despite the challenge. While I do try to turn with even thickness, etc., I've been concentrating more on the vessel shape, rather than a perfect "inside". So don't get too hung up on the parts that don't get seen! (Unless you're going to put them in a juried show being judged by demanding woodturners :D )

[John Miliunas]

Nice piece, Ron! I'm still not at the hollow form stage of my turning, but I'm with Jim on the thickness thing. OK, I'm NOT saying that simply because I can't yet make paper thin walls on forms, either! Even in the short turning class I took last Winter, the instructor pretty much echoed Jim's words about not worrying about the super-thin walls and such. You're better off concentrating on the form itself and how it's presented. As part of the class, the instructor himself had turned about an 8 or 10 inch bowl out of some super-dense wood (forget the flavor). It turned out beautiful, but the walls themselves, though consistent, were no less than 1/4" thickness from the rim to the base. As I see it, keep up those nice looking lines on the outside and the rest will take care of itself! :cool:

[Stan Smith]

I'm just now starting to learn hollowing, too. I bought a set o mini hollowing tools from Packard. I had bought one of those "$29.95 Specials" from CraftSupplies of turning blanks. Of course there was more ash than anything else. I decided it would be good for a test (my very first) piece. Wrong! That stuff is really hard! I didn't hollow very much since only sawdust was coming out. Here's a pic. I forgot to make a slight concave on the bottom. I really like your beginnings...

Stan

[Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA]

I have alot of sawdust coming out too. I did another turning tis morning for a potpourrie' dish, trying to hollow the sides out a little more than a bowl. Looks like you have a good start on it. One thing I'm learning is to take very shallow cuts with the hollowing tools. I get a minor grab once ina while, but nothing major. It helps learning the angle of the tool and the position of the blade, too. I'm hoping to get into some more complicated stuff, like some of the other folks on here display. I know it takes time and practicing is half the fun. Keep up the good work.

[Stan Smith]

I agree with you and so does Richard Raffan. Have to take small cuts on the inside to avoid catches. I also can see that it takes a lot of practice. If you can get an experienced person to give you some pointers, go for it. I live in the boonies so I learn from books and the school of hard knocks. Lately, the catches have been my own carelessness by waving the tool around or not paying close enough attention. Now that I'm doing little stuff I have to be a lot more careful. Mayve I'll finally learn some good habits.

Stan