Tool for doing Hollow Forms

[Rick Huelsbeck]

Ok, I'm a cheapskate at heart :D, so having said that I am wanting to get into doing hollow forms. Small to begin with, around 9" to 12" tall vases. Having said that, what would be the best hollowing tools for me to get as a beginner? I'm not opposed to paying extra for a good quality tool if it's going to work.

[Mike Vickery]

Are you looking to do free hand or a captured system?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Free hand will definitely be cheaper. My monster HF rig was around $360 complete with all the bells and whistles.

[Neal Addy]

For something in the 9" to 11" depth range you are going to need a captive rig. You could try to free-hand hollow but you'd be WAY out over the tool rest. Scares me to think about! There are several captive rig hollowing systems on the market that will work. Monster, Jamieson, and Kelton, come to mind. Don Pencil also makes a good tool system that would work with most captive rig set-ups.

If you want to keep the price down you'll need to stay in the shallows (4" to 5" range max). For those requirements I'd recommend a Sorby Multi-Tip. Yes, it's pricey but it's a lot cheaper than most dedicated hollowing systems and it's very versatile.

[Bill Embrey]

I was also interested in doing some hollow form (shallow)... do any of you HF guys have an opinion on the Rolly Munro hollowing tool? (sorry to piggyback off your thread Rick :) )

[Brian McInturff]

Doesn't anyone besides me like the OkSpinDoctor hollowing system and steady rest? I think it's one of the most precision designed one on the market. I haven't used it yet but this weekend if all goes right will be my test date(had it for a year now).

[Jim Becker]

Yea, 9-12" tall is no longer in the "small" category when it comes to the forces that are put onto the tool while you are working with the tip way over the rest. I also suggest you consider a captive setup for this...you'll likely go there eventually anyway, if only to save your arms and hands from the work that hollowing presents. If the cost of a captive system is too scary right now, go with a handle system that has an arm brace. You can often re-use the same tooling later with a captive system. Whatever you choose to use, keep in mind that you need a beefy tool to do this work because of the stresses involved.

[Neal Addy]

Brian, I've never heard of that system but I'm curious. Got a link? Google doesn't turn anything up.

[Jeff Bower]

Rick, I'm also a cheapskate...do a web search on homemade ones...I plain on making one I found. No welding is involved either.

[Brian McInturff]

Neal,
It's the Keith Clark system. www.theokspindoctor.com (http://www.theokspindoctor.com)
I hope links are ok, can't remember if they are or not.

[Mike Golka]

Haven't gone quite that deep with my home made tool but I just did an 8" vase recently and it worked very well.
Here's a link to a previos post about my home made tool:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=683382#poststop

Mike

[Rick Huelsbeck]

Love this place, you always get excellent answers. Looks like it's time to save some more money up to feed the vortex :D

[George Guadiane]

Free hand will definitely be cheaper. My monster HF rig was around $360 complete with all the bells and whistles.
Not that much cheaper...
My Rolly Munro hollowers were over $200 each, but I REALLY like them.

[Dave Stoler]

The list is long and I see no end to the possibiliies that turning offers.