Termite Hollowing Tool

[Jason Solodow]

Has anyone tried it? What do you think of it?

[Bill Kreussling]

I have used it once. It worked OK, but I am not sure I have the correct attack angle yet, I got good results but it took a long time to cut away the wood. I have seen a couple of other guys use a similar device (an open circle as oppsed to a closed circle) and they hogged out hollow forms very quickly and the resulting cut was pretty smooth.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have one but would rather use the Hunter tool.

[Burt Alcantara]

I have one. I can't say I'm wild about it. It mostly sits on the shelf. I use it when I'm frustrated with my other tools. It's a hassle to sharpen as I don't have a router table. There are other ways to sharpen it but to me it's still a hassle.

I get just as good results with my scrapers.

Burt

[John Shuk]

I love mine. It works really well for me.
Burt you don't need a table mounted router to sharpen it. You just reference off of the base. I don't find the tool catchy at all. And I can find a catch just about anywhere.

[Thor Sorensen]

I have one and have been vey impressed at times and frustrated at other times. It only works on end grain. If I control it the finish is nice and smooth. But other times it gets wavy. For the price I think it works well.

[David Walser]

Before I bought mine, I did an internet search for reviews of the Termite Hollowing Tool. That search produced some interesting (to me) information. One of the reviewers turned an entire goblet, cup, stem, and base -- all except parting it off -- using the Termite. He was very impressed with the quality of the cut and the photos backed him up. So, the tool, in the right hands, can do a lot. It has a reputation for being very forgiving and for producing a very clean cut.

Mine still has the wax coating Oneway used to protect the cutting tip during shipment. It arrived 9 months ago and I've not had a chance to use it yet.

[David Meade]

Graet service and fast shipping from Oneway, the tool works well it solves many of the tricky spots we tend to handle. Easy to use and easy to learn.

[Brodie Brickey]

It is really an end grain hollowing tool. It reaches deeper than my scraper does. I like it for the inside of mugs and goblets. You can hollow unevenly with it sometimes.

Smooth cut? Shirley you jest! Not with my techniques, but some do get it pretty smooth.

[Mike Golka]

I have one and use it to scoop out goblets and boxes that are end grain but it works very well on regular grain as well. Use it for in a shear cutting mode and it will make a very smooth cut.

[Andrew Derhammer]

I found that the tips tended to clog, this weekend I was working on a travel mug so I took the #1 bit and sanded it to a near half circle (little more than half). Worked alot better with no clogs. The only time i found it to chatter was when it was clogged otherwise it works nicely.(of course now it doesn't clog) This is not a tool that I would hollow blind with though, that just seems risky considering there's plenty of tools designed for hollow forms that are more forgiving in a catch.

[Harvey Schneider]

I just got my termite about a month ago. I'm still learning to use it, but here are my impressions.
It works well on green end grain once a center hole is established. I get a good smooth cut most of the time, but when I go back to clean up the surface, I get some chattering. Cutting is not fast like hollowing a bowl with a scraper, but acceptable
It seems real hard to get a catch.
The small tool does occasionally clog, but that is not a big problem. The larger tool can put a lot of stress on the wood if you get real aggressive.

l suggest watching the youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtMDAmQyBU0

Overall I am please with the tool.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I have the Termite, nice tool for endgrain turning, works best on green wood, and fine on dry, it helps if you have a fulcrum pin on your tool rest so you have an easy levering spot, also drill a pilot hole as that makes it much easier to start cutting from center.
Start with the ring vertical and twist it a bit while swinging out, and you'll get the tool cutting, don't try to hog, it isn't made for that and read the instructions Oneway has for using the tool.
There are other hollowing tools, ring and hook tools but none are the only tool for everything, and yes you do have to learn to use them, just like any other tool.