DIY hollower help

[Mike D Harris]

Hi,

Can anybody give me some ideas how to keep the cutter from swiveling counter clockwise and loosening the screw? The hollower is 3/4" drill rod, and the bit holder is just a piece of it that I cut off and made a groove for the bit. It didn't slip when I first made it, but now it slips badly.

Also, whenever I use the hollower, my hands get stained black. I'm guessing this is coming from the bare metal, but I'm not 100% sure. Can anybody confirm or deny this? Are there any treatments I can do to the metal to prevent this? I'd prefer not to paint it if there is an alternative.

Thanks.

[Wes Ramsey]

Is the shaft of the cutter flush with the bottom of the holder? If not I would lap them with some sandpaper on a plate of glass to get them perfectly flush. Could also be that a bit of sawdust has gotten in there keeping the holder from seating well. If the screw is coming loose I've found that a bit of raw beeswax on the threads helps keep it from coming loose. Works for the broadheads on my arrows anyway. As for the black it is probably coming from the drill rod as you suspected. I have the same issue with some black oxide pipe I use for pipe clamps. I use wax paper to keep it off my boards, but that wouldn't work for this. A good upgrade might be to wrap it in athletic grip wrap (think tennis racket handle). It would help absorb some vibration and give you a better grip.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Try turning your bit holder over so the slot that holds the bit is facing up and the washer is capturing the bit. The slot should be on the back side of the tool holder.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Forgot to add: wipe with some lacquer thinner on a paper towel. Should clean up.

[James Combs]

+1 on what Dwight said. I also wax the metal shaft of my shop made tools after wiping them down with mineral spirits.

Another issue or two you may be having are illustrated in the following:

First you may have a raised burr from the first thread in your screw hole...or
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second if you have been tightening the screw substantially you may have slightly domed the entrance to the screw hole.
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Both problems are repairable by adding a slight chamfer(sp) to the entrance of the hole with counter sink tool. A larger pilot drill where the tip is smaller then your screw hole will do the same thing.
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I make it a point of slightly chamfering(sp) any hole that I tap.

Hope this is helpful.

[Thom Sturgill]

Several good tips here. I would add that the top of the bit needs to be on the centerline of the bar. I might help to flip the bit and turn the bar over. This is the way Sorby designs their hollower.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Great drawing skills, Jim. Wonderful aid to making your point.
faust

[James Combs]

Thanks but it was just a quick un-dimensioned sketch in CAD software.

Great drawing skills, Jim. Wonderful aid to making your point.
faust

[Mike D Harris]

Wow, thanks for the outstanding tips! I'll give them a shot.

[robert baccus]

I'm lazy yeah. Try some thread loc after cleaning well.