Looks like Trent Bosch has something new out

[Glen Blanchard]

I went to Trent's website this morning wanting to read about his carving stands when I saw this.

Anyone know anything about Trent Bosch's 'Visualizer'? What it is exactly? How it works?

http://www.trentbosch.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=143&osCsid=no8daqaiij7m8e5fjmrfh2vpl2

[Scott Hackler]

I saw this while at the AAW Symposium in Phoenix. It is an interesting concept. Basically he had an articulated hollower (like Monster or Gizmo) that instead of the laser, it had a super small camera on the same place that the laser is normally. There is a 8-10" LCD monitor to which the camera is attached and so now you get a straight down shot of the tool and hollow form. On the screen, Trent showed where he takes a dry erase or an overhead projector marker and draws an outline around the entire tool shaft, including the bit on the end. Next he holds a ruler under the cutter and looks on the monitor. The monitor and camera magnifies the picture 2x or so. He said you choose your thickness and mark that distance between the edge of the cutter bit ....on the screen. Next you draw that measured distance, on the screen, all the way around the cutter bit.

So when your hollowing, you must look at the screen at all times and it will show you an outline of the tool and mark that you made for the desired thickness. Once the picture on the monitor shows the thickness mark touching the outside edge of the HF... your there.

It is a interesting concept and I can see merits in it, but it would definitely be a strange thing to NOT look at the physical wood and only look at the monitor. But there is nothing that told me that it wouldn't work. In fact it would probably work well. Price point will likely keep most folks from getting one, for $650... you still have to buy a hollowing rig (if you don't have one already) and that price is as much ...if not more than some of the more popular rigs.

[Glen Blanchard]

Your description is pretty much what I had imagined although there are parts of this concept that I am trying to wrap my head around. I'd like to see a YouTube video demonstrating its use. If I am understanding it correctly, the primary advantage over a laser is that there is really no need to keep in mind the tangent to the wall as one monitors the entire circumference of the cutter rather than just a point. I have both a Gizmo and a Kobra, and being kind of a gadget guy, this kind of thing interests me.

[Scott Hackler]

Your right about the advantage of the drawing on the screen showing the entire circumference of the cutter bit, so there is no need to reposition like you have to do with a laser. Still, I probably wouldn't buy one just because of the price point. It is, however, a neat idea and I wouldn't mind playing around with one for a week or so!


Trent has a hollowing rig out now as well. It was a new take on an articulated rig, but it goes into your banjo. He had one there but I didn't take the time to look it over a bunch. It did look like a well built rig and I do like the idea of easy set up (throw it in the banjo with a height collar already set for the correct height and your ready to hollow. I don't think it is as heavy a rig as a Gizmo, Kobra or the coming soon Alan Trout rig, but for smaller HF's if would sure beat hand hollowing (for some folks) and at it's price point...he'll sell a mess of them.

[robert baccus]

I think we should remember this is a handmade product we are striving for. At some point or price we will all be duplicating forms--IE manufacturing--not craftsmanship or art. Being a purist HA I've been deepboring for almost 20 years and I have yet to use a laser light and have made few funnels. Just a thought.

[Glen Blanchard]

I think we should remember this is a handmade product we are striving for. At some point or price we will all be duplicating forms--IE manufacturing--not craftsmanship or art. Being a purist HA I've been deepboring for almost 20 years and I have yet to use a laser light and have made few funnels. Just a thought.

While I understand your premise, I respectfully disagree with the inference as it applies to the topic at hand. IMHO, using the device that Trent is marketing (or a laser for that matter) is no closer to tarnishing the art and craftsmanship of what we as turners do than is a dovetail jig to those who do flatwork. One could make the argument that using a dovetail jig somehow makes the finished piece a forgery of some type - and there are those who indeed make that assertion. I don't happen to be one of them, and yes, I own a couple of dovetail jigs. Do I feel that the work I put out as a hobbyist using one of my dovetails jigs is any less pure than those who cut their dovetails by hand? Nope. Heck, many Neanderthals make a similar argument about anyone using power tools of any kind. After all, we are not talking about CAD/CAM or CNC here. In the end, as a hobbyist, it is (for me) about enjoying what I do.

That being said, I recognize that all this is merely my opinion on the matter. Yours may be different - and, as Jerry would say, "There's nothing wrong with that.".

[Bill Blasic]

A hollowform in a museum, a gallery, on a shelf in someones home or on your own display will never be questioned if it was done blind or done with a laser and a hollowing rig. I myself will take the fun of using a hollowing rig over the white knuckle approach of doing it blind. I guess I'll have to see Trent's new apparatus to truly understand how it works.
Bill

[Alan Trout]

I also looked at Trent's device. Trent has come up with an interesting product that should sell and help many people achieve their visions. Art is about the vision and not the process. I witnessed Derek Weidman's demo at the national symposium. He is probably one of the most original and imaginative artist I have ever met. If you watch him work on a lathe you understand what he does, but there are only a couple of people that could do what he does. It requires the vision he has to make his pieces. I also hand hollowed and was pretty good at it before I purchased my first hollowing rig. I bought a rig for safety more than anything. I hollow dry hard wood and synthetic materials that when you get a catch you have high possibility of injury. I designed and built my own rig out of the same frustration. I hollowed hard dry wood and synthetic materials and most rigs did not have the versatility nor did they have the stability that I required. My rig does not effect the art that I make. It just makes the art that I make safer for me with fewer failures. Each piece starts with a unique vision. I also look at ornamental turners, rose engines, and other mechanically and electronically controlled lathe work. Many of these pieces in my mind are art as well. It takes the vision to create the piece as well at the ability to control the machine. This is no different to me than learning to use a gouge.

I am currently taking a photoshop class at an art school. I often hear the comment "Well they did that with photoshop" as if that was something easy. I can tell you to do many things in photoshop it is neither easy or quick. In many cases it is just amazing that it can be done.

Alan

[Paul Kennedy]

The first time I saw Trent Bosch use his visualizer it was difficult to understand what he was doing. He set up his hollowing system, but instead of using a laser he had a camera. He then marked the outline of his hollowing tool on the screen of the video monitor. I just could not see how this camera would be any help in hollowing. But once he inserted the tool into the hollow form it became clear. Everyone in the audience was shocked by the image on the video monitor. It was as if you could see the tool inside the hollow form. It is difficult to describe to someone who has not seen the demonstration, but once you see it in action it becomes clear. This camera system was the single most talked about item at the symposium. You really need to see it to believe. Pkennedy