Best hollowing tools

[TYLER WOOD]

I am going to very soon be in the market for a hollowing tool/tools. What do you consider the best in your arsenal. This will be for both bowls and hollow forms, so.... I know there are some that are good for end grain and some face grain. But what's you poison..... recommend me in your direction. THANKS!!!

[Mike A. Smith]

Tyler, George Guadiane turned me on to the Rolly Munro articulated mini-hollower. I love mine! I haven't used anything else though so take it with a grain of salt.

[Jim Becker]

I'm a captive hollowing tool fan...I'd not go back to hand-held for just about any incentive outside of very small forms. The majority of hollowing systems or tools are best with end-grain turnings, however, as they are small scrapers and cut end-grain the cleanest. You "can" use them for face-plate oriented blanks, but they are not as efficient, IMHO.

I use the Jamison handle, by the way with both the Jamison tooling and Trent Bosch's bars.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tyler I use the Hunter tools for bowls. They have a bit of a learning curve but will leave a bowl almost as smooth as a skew does a spindle. Also no sharpening. When the cutter gets dull just turn it slightly and you are sharp again. When it dulls throw it and put a new disc on. The disc's are carbide. I also have the Monster HF captured rig for doing HF's. I very seldom use my hand held Kelton Hollowing Tools anymore.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tyler....regardless of which brand..my advice is to use a captured tool rig.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tyler - for hollow forms I use my Monster captured system. Randy does beautiful work and now offers a couple of options for captured hollowing systems. Check them out here: www.monster-wood-tool.com (http://www.monster-wood-tool.com)

[George Guadiane]

Tyler, George Guadiane turned me on to the Rolly Munro articulated mini-hollower. I love mine! I haven't used anything else though so take it with a grain of salt.
Before I got the Rolly Munro hollowers, I used anything I could find, including bent and sharpened screwdrivers... You can hollow with anything, BUT...
If you want a nice finish inside and if you want to hollow mid to large(ish) sized stuff without a bowl steady, then the Rolly Munro mini or standard hollower is the easy way to go. I tried a ring tool and have to say that it worked well for the short time I tried it, but I am concerned about catches by comparison.
So, while I am strong for the Munro, you can use pretty much anything. I just think the results are better with less effort, faster than the other stuff.
JMHO

[George Guadiane]

Tyler....regardless of which brand..my advice is to use a captured tool rig.
I haven't tried a captured tool rig yet, but I haven't turned anything so big yet that I couldn't go freehand with the Munro...
I am going to finish an 8 by 10 inch tall piece tomorrow that I drilled but didn't use anything else but a Talon chuck, the tool and the toolrest to get it done, well.
What I'm saying is, consider how big you are going to turn before you get into a lot of contraption. I've been looking at the Elbo tool myself, and think I will get one eventually, and I MAY end up using it all of the time with the Munro shaft & cutters, but I don't see the day or circumstances where that tool won't be the best part of the setup.
FOR THE RECORD, I have no financial interest in this information/advice. I only recommend things that I REALLY believe in... Like my Mustard Monster :D

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Tyler, I really like my Keltons.:)

[mike johnston]

Tyle
I made my own, and it's a pretty simple design (much like the jamieson)There's a pic of it on here somewhere, although I think I gave someone the wrong dimensions. Even if you don't have access to a welder and have to hire it done, you won't have to many dollars tied up in material.You can make the cutters and scrapers yourself. Regardless what you make or buy I think you would like a captive system over a handheld.
Mike Johnston

[Brodie Brickey]

Tyler,

I'm only starting hollow work. One thing that I found was I needed a good long heavy handle. My McNaughton coring tool handle works great for this, and I've acquired two Ellsworth hollowing bars that fit right into the handle.

With my mugs, I've been using the Oneway Termite, end grain and it works pretty good, but for precision around the lip, I have been changing to the Ellsworth's.

Craft Supplies also sells a laser rig for the McNaughton, I've got it but haven't used it. When I get around to a large piece it should come in handy for showing me where I'm at.

[Dale Gregory]

Tyle
I made my own, and it's a pretty simple design (much like the jamieson)There's a pic of it on here somewhere, although I think I gave someone the wrong dimensions. Even if you don't have access to a welder and have to hire it done, you won't have to many dollars tied up in material.You can make the cutters and scrapers yourself. Regardless what you make or buy I think you would like a captive system over a handheld.
Mike Johnston

Mike, can you post the dimensions of all the pieces? I would like to try to make one of these down the road and it would be helpful. Your unit looks as good as any you can buy!

Dale

[Cyril Griesbach]

Tyler, there is a new captured system just coming on the market called the Kobra and will be available in two adjustable sizes to fit lathes from 10 to 24 inch swings. I hope to get mine next week an they will probably be among the first produced. This link (If it works) to the minutes of the Central Indiana Chapter of the AAW December meeting minutes shows numerous photos of the Kobra being demonstrated. I have no interest in this project other than being a purchaser, but I think it's the best system I've seen.

http://www.cicaaw.org/image/tid/166

Cyril

[Robert Reihsen]

Hi
I'm just getting into turning. I'm wondering what's meant by Hand Held? Is there another method of using hollowing tools?
Sorry for my ignorance.
Bob

[Bill Wyko]

A captive hollowing rig is the other way. I use the Clark hollowing system. It's the bees knees of hollowing rigs.

[Don Eddard]

The majority of hollowing systems or tools are best with end-grain turnings, however, as they are small scrapers and cut end-grain the cleanest. You "can" use them for face-plate oriented blanks, but they are not as efficient, IMHO.
Huh? Are you speaking from experience or just parroting something you read? :rolleyes: I find my scraper-based hollowing tools (captive, by the way) do just fine on faceplate-oriented blanks. For end grain I prefer ring tools like the Oneway Termite.

[Jim Becker]

Experience, Don...I have a parrot on my shoulder (really...) but she doesn't turn bowls, other than to throw them off her cage once in awhile. Seriously, I didn't say that they wouldn't work for faceplate orientation, just that they tend to cut better in end grain. I've never been fond of the termite...personal preference...and also stopped using any hand-held hollowing tools years ago because of physical pain problems. (Out side of very small things when I use a simple tool made by Bob Rosand)

The nice thing is...there are so many choices and everyone is different.

[Allen Neighbors]

I made my own laser guided captured rig from 1" square tubing (well, I had someone else weld the capture bar), and mostly use an articulating, Munro-like tool that was made for me by a friend. It has a 1/2" tool shaft. If I'm going really deep, I use a 3/4" Oland type toolshaft with 3/16 x3/16 square cutter with a 'finger-nail grind, for greater reach across the toolrest.
The laser is a pointer that I purchased from Radio Shack.
Smaller pieces can be easily hollowed by hand held tools (not captured tools), but the laser pointer makes it easy to get the thickness down the way I want it, without going through the side.

[Caleb SimonyiGindele]

Tyler, there is a new captured system just coming on the market called the Kobra and will be available in two adjustable sizes to fit lathes from 10 to 24 inch swings. I hope to get mine next week an they will probably be among the first produced. This link (If it works) to the minutes of the Central Indiana Chapter of the AAW December meeting minutes shows numerous photos of the Kobra being demonstrated. I have no interest in this project other than being a purchaser, but I think it's the best system I've seen.

http://www.cicaaw.org/image/tid/166

Cyril


Who is making this Kobra system? Any idea of what the cost will be? Is there a website out there for it?

TIA,
Caleb

[mike johnston]

Mike, can you post the dimensions of all the pieces? I would like to try to make one of these down the road and it would be helpful. Your unit looks as good as any you can buy!



Dale,
The main bar on mine is 1 1/2 X 30 solid steel, with a 3 inch X 3/4 inch counter bore in one end, I don't know if it needs to be this long but the rod was given to me & I hated to ask him to cut it off. It's a little heavy, but it doesn't bounce around much; I also attached a piece of high density plastic to the captive part of the system. The strap iron braces are 1 1/2 inch stock welded about 5 inches from the sides of the solid bar. The captive part is 30 inches long but welded to the post at 10 inches from one end. I put 3 holes in the bottom mounting plate so I can offset it quite a ways. The cutting bars were made by a machin shop, the longest is a 1 inch bar turned to 3/4 inch and its a lot easier to make the caps for a 1 inch bar rather than 3/4 inch.

Thanks
Mike

[Dale Gregory]

Thanks Mike for the dimensions and additional photos. I should be able to make this....hopefully! Thanks again, Dale

[Denis Monti]

Rolly Munro. It's great! I'm not just saying that because I'm a Kiwi too.

Denis

[Neal Addy]

I'm rather surprised to not see anyone mention the Don Pencil Scorpion and Stinger systems. They work with an arm brace and also fit any standard 3/4" socket D-handle on a captive rig. I use both methods.

http://www.donpencil.com/

I purchased his "Seconds and Blems" and was extremely pleased with them. Not a thing wrong with them that I could see and they work great.

[John-Paul Murphy]

I really like my pro-forme
http://www.shop.woodcut-tools.com/section.php?xSec=2
with their hollowing tool rest