There really is a Santa Claus

[John Hart]

I got home from work today and found a box from UPS on the living room floor. This was a box that I hadn't ordered but it had my name on it. Inside was a note: Merry Christmas - From Secret Santa, and a brand new Sorby Hollow Master.
I gotta tell ya, I am so touched by this I can barely think. This is a MAJOR gloat for me. To who ever sent this to me.....Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I even took it down to the shop laid it in some chips to get it acclimated to it's new home. I can't wait to try it out.

I just can't believe this.:o :o :) :) :D :D

[Mark Singer]

John use it in good health and make something we can all be proud of...remember what my uncle said?....that is so true when it comes to tools, fine dining , or just connecting with friends....enjoy!

[Jim Ketron]

Congrats John that really is a great gloat!
We have some nice people on this forum and that just shows.
Have fun with your new Toy!

[Travis Stinson]

Now that is too cool! Congrats John.:)

[Bob Noles]

John,

I can think of no one more deserving.... well maybe except me :D

I'll bet you are beside yourself and beaming all over and rightfully so. What a nice gift and a great gloat for you.

[John Miliunas]

John, that's an awesome gloat, my friend and, as was said, well deserved!:) But, you already told us who it's from! Santa, of course!:D So what if his internal clock is just a bit off?! He's gettin' old, 'ya know!:D :cool:

[Carole Valentine]

Good grief! Which I had that Santa! :D John, may I make a suggestion? Go to the Sorby Website and see if they still have the video on using that rascal. It helps. There is a little learning curve there. DAMHIKT! The cutter should be mounted on the opposite side from the way they show it in the instructions. I can't explain it in words but if you look at it in use on the video, you will see what I mean. It works better on the right side (tip of the tool) You can use it as they show it, but its VERY aggessive. It's mounted correctly, or at least in the less aggresive manner, in the video. I will try to draw a sketch. It also helps to round off the sharp corner of the bit too. Oh...and you MUST have your tool rest about 4 or 5" away from the piece so the straight part of the tool is on the rest. Otherwise, you will get devastating catches. Have fun!

[Andy Hoyt]

Somewhere out there, there is one very wonderful and thoughtful person.

Well not totally thoughtful - they forgot to consider what Bertha and Stick will think?:cool:

[Carole Valentine]

Crude sketch but it gets my point across, I hope. Once you get used to the thing, you can switch it but I have never found a need to. I struggled with that tool for the longest time until one day I accidentally mounted the bit "wrong". LOL

[John Nicholas]

Does anyone have a theory as to why the position makes that much difference in aggressiveness?

I have a small scraper that I made from an old gouge. This discussion might bear on how I shape the Home Made Scraper.

:)

[Carole Valentine]

Does anyone have a theory as to why the position makes that much difference in aggressiveness?

I have a small scraper that I made from an old gouge. This discussion might bear on how I shape the Home Made Scraper.

:)

Don't have a clue, John, but there was a big thread about it on the "other" forum. It seemed that just about all the users preferred it mounted in the less aggressive position.

[Lloyd Frisbee]

Carole, I have encountered that nasty Goose with the bloody lower bill that you sketched. He was very aggressive too. :D

[Ernie Nyvall]

Wow John, a great gloat!! I have one and like it very much. You have a great Santa up there, but from what I've noticed of your own generosity of time spent helping others and wood freebies, you've certainly earned a gift so magnificent.

Congrats, Ernie

[Earl Eyre]

Does anyone have a theory as to why the position makes that much difference in aggressiveness?

I have a small scraper that I made from an old gouge. This discussion might bear on how I shape the Home Made Scraper.

:)

I think the difference is that when the blade is in the "bloody" position, it sticks out beyond the shaft center line so it takes more brute force to hold it even and steady. Because of this it also engages the wood much like a chisel being pushed straight into a spinning piece of wood, taking big chunks of wood out but with little control. When in the "right" hand position it is in line with the shaft so there is far less torque on the tip and is much easier to control.

Earl

[John Hart]

Thanks all... I am still overwhelmed by this this morning. I'll be sure to study as much as I can before I jump into using it. I've already gone to the Sorby site and looked at their tutorials....Thanks Carole..That was most helpful.
As far as tip design and approach, it's interesting that Sorby designed the flat of the tool to force a perfectly perpendicular attack of tip to wood. However, this flat is only at the front end which leads me to believe that the perpendicular approach is only needed at the front end and not deep into the piece. I've found that as I get deeper, the chatter increases due to lack of leverage but a slight rotation of the tool toward the less aggressive will lessen the chatter.

Grind angle on a tool whose rotation may change would also be a consideration since the angle, with respect to the contact point will affect the effectiveness of the cut. Grinding to maximize performance at one angle of approach could cause weakness in the blade at another angle of approach. Striking a balance may be key in this. Course then...What do I know? I'm just typing out loud. Can't wait to try this out....but I'll take it slow.

Again....Thank you very much Santa!!!:)

[Mark Cothren]

Congratulations John! A very nice gesture on someone's part. Enjoy the tool and give us a report on how you like it.

[Carole Valentine]

As far as tip design and approach, it's interesting that Sorby designed the flat of the tool to force a perfectly perpendicular attack of tip to wood. However, this flat is only at the front end which leads me to believe that the perpendicular approach is only needed at the front end and not deep into the piece. I've found that as I get deeper, the chatter increases due to lack of leverage but a slight rotation of the tool toward the less aggressive will lessen the chatter.

Grind angle on a tool whose rotation may change would also be a consideration since the angle, with respect to the contact point will affect the effectiveness of the cut. Grinding to maximize performance at one angle of approach could cause weakness in the blade at another angle of approach. Striking a balance may be key in this.

Well I haven't had but one cup of coffee so I'm not real sure what you said there, but yeah, I guess so.:D I think what you said is related to why I have ground my cutter to a rounded tip.:confused:

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Congrats John!!

This really is a wonderful forum!

[Dick Parr]

Congrats John,

Just think from what I have read the snow is just around the corner that will make it a white Christmas Present.:D

[Chris Barton]

Great gloat John! Show us your progress with this new tool as pics become available.

[John Hart]

I'm going to try it out tonight....In about 30 minutes. The ugly stick formed a new layer of rust and I think I heard Bertha crying.:D But, I studied and thunk....So I'll try it out on a small piece of walnut and see where it goes. I'll post a pic....success or failure.

[Jeremiah Jordan]

Good luck John with your new tool. You do not want to break it on your first try.

Jeremiah

[John Hart]

Ok....I just finished my first HF using the Sorby. It certainly taught some humility!!!!
Got some major catches that kinda scared me but I hung in there and tried to get a good feel of the thing. In the end, my hollowing was pretty rough with lots of ridges and not exactly what I was hoping for, but then the scraper blade came in real handy to smooth out the inside. Chatter was extremely heavy toward the bottom but I'm sure that's my inexperience more than the tool. It's not a quality piece by any stretch of the imagination...but I gave it a ride.....Or maybe the other way around!!:D

It's Walnut with a little spalting, 6X6 and I just put some BLO on it. I'll do more to the finish later.
I think this is gonna be fun.:)

[Bill Stevener]

Hi John,
I was always of the opinion, the "J" hook style tool was to teach one great finesse and less aggressiveness. It will tame one rather quickly.:D

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Andy Hoyt]

You know John - This thread is all about that Hollowing Tool. Sure would have been a whole lot better if you had taken a shot of the inside so we can gauge your proficiency with it.

You may believe that I'm out of line here; but after numerous conference calls with PPHQ in Michigan and their field office in Wisconsin a determination has been made.


You aint used it yet!

26750

[Carole Valentine]

Well congratulations! You got thru your first Hollowmaster vessel and didn't blow it up.:D Are you moving your toolrest in as you get deeper into the vessel (and still keeping the straight shaft on the rest)? The more tool you have hanging over the rest, the more chatter you will probably get, especially on end grain and if you have had some deep cuts or catches in there. Be sure you don't let the cutter get above the centerline. As Bill said, this is definitely a "finesse" tool. I certainly have had some humbling experiences with it!:o I do, however, have confidence in your ability to master it with record speed as you do most other things!

[Carole Valentine]

You know John - This thread is all about that Hollowing Tool. Sure would have been a whole lot better if you had taken a shot of the inside so we can gauge your proficiency with it.

You may believe that I'm out of line here; but after numerous conference calls with PPHQ in Michigan and their field office in Wisconsin a determination has been made.


You aint used it yet!

26750


LOL! You got a point there, Andy!

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Great Gloat for you. I know you will do it proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bruce

[John Hart]

My question Andy is How come you get to have conference calls with the Pic Police? They just ignore me...There's never one around when you need one. Ok Ok....I'll shoot the inside tonight. It ain't pretty....But then, I guess that's what we're after here ain't it?

Carole - Yep...I moved the tool rest quite a bit throughout this little learning experience. Plus, there was a bit of a problem getting started since the hole that I bored was a tad small. I used Ugly and Bertha to get the opening to a reasonable size (and give them a fair share) then it seemed to work a little better. Getting accustomed to the angle of approach was tricky too. It seemed like the tool wouldn't cut at all and then all of a sudden got hungry! :eek: That's where the catches would occur.

It'll be a couple days before I can try again....But I'm going to try something more open like a bowl so I can see better. It's difficult to learn when you're trying to figure it out by "feel".

Thanks everyone!!!

[Andy Hoyt]

I'm struggling to come up with a sentient smart-ass remark and am failing miserably. Coffee should be ready now.

[John Miliunas]

I'm struggling to come up with a sentient smart-ass remark and am failing miserably. Coffee should be ready now.

That's OK, Andy! You got it covered on your previous PP post!:D Great conference call, BTW!!!:D :D :cool:

[John Hart]

...Great conference call, BTW!!!:D :D :cool:

It's a conspiracy...I knew it!!!!:cool:

[John Miliunas]

It's a conspiracy...!!!!:cool:

LOL!:D Lotta' that going around lately, heh???:D :D :cool:

[Gary DeWitt]

Hey, John, Carole, anybody else who has used this tool, if I may ask a question on use, please.
How does this tool feel, as far as torque goes? Would you rate it easy, moderate, or difficult to maintain the cutting angle without getting rotation of the handle (cutting edge being driven lower than center)?
I'm asking as I have read that the cutting tip does not line up with the main shaft, it extends just past that point, causing some torque on the handle.

I appreciate any feedback, I'm in the market for hollowing tool(s) for small forms, up to say 9 x 12deep.
Thanks.

[John Hart]

I'm afraid that I am too much of a novice yet to answer your question Gary...at least with any amount of intelligence! :rolleyes:

My first go around was like handling a steer at a rodeo....but this was mostly due to inexperience I'm sure. Like all tools, I'll bet that once you get the "feel" of it, it is a great tool to work with.

[Gary DeWitt]

I can imagine. That word pic makes me think of maybe a large metal spoon stuck in a blender laid on it's side!:)
I picked up some high speed steel and some cold rolled for the shafts today, I'll be making some hollowing tools tomorrow, we'll see how it goes.

[Carole Valentine]

Gary,
If you don't use a delicate touch and position the tool properly, I found the torque to be more than I wanted to deal with. Sometimes it;s downright scary! John is headed in the right direction...practice on an open bowl where you can see what the tool is doing. I also found that I needed to set the bit fairly deep in the holder to keep it more in lne with the shaft and reduce torque a little.

[Gary DeWitt]

Thanks, Carole. I'll be starting out with a straight shaft tool, with the bit pointing straight out or just slightly to the left, maybe 10 degrees, on a small open bowl.
Eventually, I'd like to make a rig like Kestron's. One of the pro turners who demoed for our club this year used such a rig with GOUGE tool tips on it to do bowls, said it's a lot less work, not having to fight against the tool in 3 dimensions.
Thanks again for the tips.

[Keith Burns]

John, I can't think of a more deserving person to receive such a great gift. Congrats!!!