Arrowmont

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

Hollow Vessels was the title of the course I just finished at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in the picturesque community of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There were 10 class members. Wayne Shipman from Walnut Creek, California was the instructor. Dr. Jack Rule from Knoxville was the assistant to the instructor. The different class members have a variety of expertise in Life & in woodworking. I have invited them all to join our forum.

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Curt & Craig teach High School Shop, John teaches at the College level. Mark has an MFA and builds furniture. Wayne is a full time Woodturner & innovator. He sells in Galleries but wants to make his mark in teaching. Dr. Bob is a General Surgeon, Jack a retired Opthomolgist, Zack is an Orthodontist, Les an Artist with a new OneWay Lathe, Tim a Graduate Assistant at Arrowmont, Les turns out a lot of work for crafts fairs, Ted came from Oregon. In 2 weeks we accomplished a lot of work.

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

The Mighty Bar Hollowing Tool. The plywood tool rest supports the cutterhead in the center of the lathe and must be built & or shimmed for the swing of your lathe. A 1 1/4 inch hole is bored into the vessel with a Fortner bit on the lathe. Once hollowing begins, all of the cuts can be made by "feel" alone without attempting to look inside except to clean out shavings. Reducing the wall thickness to 1/2-3/4" is the first step.

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The bottom of the vase remains thick to support the piece as it is eventually reduced to 1/4" or less. The thin walls may be guided by the Acculaser Tool which can be set to show the position of the cutter head or offset 1/4" to guide allong the outside.

<img src="http://www.zackjennings.com/2/4331Laser.jpg">

A finished vase can be made from green wood in steps that last 4-7 days. Once the thin wall is established, drying takes a few days. A technique for drying in the Microwave can be used.

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park My favorite thing to do in Gatlinburg is touring in the Park which was established partly with funds from John D. Rockefeller in the 1930's. Elk Populations are being re-introduced to the Cattaloochee Valley. The wild game is easy to photograph since hunting has been prohibited since the Park opened.

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I saw Wild Turkey and Black bear but was unable to photograph them. I will add additional photos to my website after editing. It will be a few days.

[Jim Becker]

Great pics, Zack! Looks like you had a mighty fine time at Arrowmont, too. I'm also glad to see you've learned the joys of a captive hollowing system...you can concentrate on the art, rather than fight the tool! What's not to like about that??!!

[Chris Teenor]

Wonderful pictures, as usual, Dr. Zack. You have some real talent and it shows through. Arrowmont looks to be a very worthwhile experience.

[Jim Becker]

Elk Populations are being re-introduced to the Cattaloochee Valley. The wild game is easy to photograph since hunting has been prohibited since the Park opened.

'Love those stylish earrings on that elk! :D