hollowing tool

[mike falconer]

Ive just finished turning my first hollow form, its a 12" tall 4-6" diameter vase. I had to turn it in two sections because I don't have a proper hollowing tool, I was forced to use a bowl gouge to hollow out top and bottom pieces then mate them together. I'm currently running a 10x18 bench top lathe (hoping to upgrade soon). A center steady would be real helpful but a proper hollowing tool is a must.
An suggestions on HF tool or should I copy a youtube vid and make one?
center steady ??

[John K Jordan]

Ive just finished turning my first hollow form, its a 12" tall 4-6" diameter vase. I had to turn it in two sections because I don't have a proper hollowing tool, I was forced to use a bowl gouge to hollow out top and bottom pieces then mate them together. I'm currently running a 10x18 bench top lathe (hoping to upgrade soon). A center steady would be real helpful but a proper hollowing tool is a must.
An suggestions on HF tool or should I copy a youtube vid and make one?
center steady ??

You can make a set. Even the better hollowing tools are nothing but a small bar of HSS steel (or hardened tool steel) fastened to a steel bar with a handle. A straight bar will hollow deep, a swan neck bar will get the sides on the upper part. These "cutting" bits are actually scrapers, ground as such with a sharp top face and a curved bevel similar to a fingernail grind on a gouge. You can mount the cutter in the tool shaft by drilling a hole and holding it with either a bit of brazing/silver soldering, epoxy, or a set screw. The small cutter stock is very inexpensive.

Or buy a set from almost anywhere, Sorby has a set as does the other John Jordan, Mike Hunter (his have the excellent little carbide cutters). I have all of these plus some other sets made for smaller things and they all work.

I don't use a steady rest but it would help with a tall form. You can make a steady rest inexpensively too.

BTW, at the NC turning symposium Mark Gardner showed his techniques for hollowing 1/2 a piece at a time. He had some impressive examples and with his surface treatment the seam is undetectable. It used a mating recess and tenon for the join and the details were interesting. He does workshops on "Hollow Forms without the Hollowing "

JKJ