# Hollowing out vase?



## gasmansteve (23 Sep 2007)

Hi all
Thought I`d try to make a vase today and got the external shape fine how I want it. Then just held the bottom of the vase in the chuck only and thought I could hollow it out with my spindle gouge but the ruddy thing won`t have it and has flown out of the chuck narrowly missing my bonce twice now when I start with the gouge. I have Keith Rowleys book on other stuff but he doesn`t mention vases. What could I be doing wrong please?.
Cheers
Steve


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## PowerTool (23 Sep 2007)

Hi Steve - did you drill a hole in the middle of it first ?
Gouges _can_ work hollowing end-grain,but it's always best to give them somewhere to start.
I sometimes use a ring tool for hollowing,but still drill as large a hole as I can first,using a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock.
Or if you feel rich,then there's always the likes of the Beaver or Big Brother

Andrew


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## TEP (23 Sep 2007)

Hi *Steve*, you can't do much hollowing using a spindle gouge. It is just too light and any length over the tool rest and it will start to vibrate, which equals dig-in. That's probably why your job left the chuck. 

Don't get me wrong you can hollow small boxes and so on using a spindle gouge, but vases and the like you need something a lot steadier and no flexing.

A cheap method is to make your own hollowing tools. Get some 5/8 or 3/4 inch steel bar drill a small quarter inch hole straight into one end. Then in the same end drill a quarter inch hole at 45 deg. crossing the straight hole. Where they cross drill and tap a threaded hole to take a grub screw. You can use the ends of old HSS drills and so on for the cutting bits. fit them into the end and away you go.

When starting to hollow drill out the centre of the vase using a fostner bit to the depth you want to hollow to, then use your home made hollowing tool to take out the sides of the hole.

Good luck!

PS. Andrew beat me to it with the drilling first. :lol:


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## gasmansteve (23 Sep 2007)

Thanks for the tips Andrew and Tam.
Hands up `NO` I didn`t drill it first so serves me right. I`ve been watching some woodturning videos on Youtube and they used a spindle gouge to hollow a goblet out and I sort of assumed a vase would be similar DOH!.
Good tips about making your own gear;-).
Cheers
Steve


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## NickWelford (24 Sep 2007)

I picked up a 1" drill with a morse taper 2 end that I slot into the tailstock quill for boring holes into endgrain. 
Try steam fairs for picking these up very cheaply - I only paid £2. Forstner bits will work, but tend to generate a lot of heat.

Oh - and go slowly and pull out the drill frequently to clear the waste.....


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## gasmansteve (24 Sep 2007)

Cheers for that Nick, lesson learnt!. Guess I`ll have to be a bit more patient in future. :roll:


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## CHJ (26 Sep 2007)

*Steve*, this little sequencemay be of use to you as a starter to safer boring of a vase.

The main things to watch are good tool support with minimum overhang and keep the cuts small until you get a feel for it.

A surprising amount of work can be achieved with the basic tools.


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## gasmansteve (26 Sep 2007)

Hi Chas
Thanks for that. I forgot to add that the wood was quite green felled about 2 months ago not sure if thats relevant. I rough ground it to a cylinder and then shaped it with a spindle gouge and then made a flange. Turned it round in the lathe holding it with my Supernova chuck and then tried to hollow it out at which point it flew out at me after what can only have been a slight dig in and hardly any pressure. Same night I also tried making an apple on a screw chuck and again when I tried to form the base with the spindle gouge the ruddy thing flew out at me again. I looked round for Jeremy Beadle but no joy, think I need to join a club  .
Cheers
Steve


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## CHJ (26 Sep 2007)

gasmansteve":1o1frw7o said:


> ...a slight dig in and hardly any pressure. ....Steve



There is no such thing as a slight dig in I'm afraid, only some that you get away with.

The very nature of a dig in if the tool is above centre line means that it is going to be forced in deep quicker than you can react.

You must make sure you always have bevel contact, and the position of this contact must be in line with the tool rest contact point, and never let an unsupported wing of the gouge contact the wood because it will twist and be forced down onto the rest with a dig-in thrown in for good measure.

If you use a scraper with no bevel support always cut below centre line on the outside of a cylinder and above centre line inside a hole, that way if it tends to dig in it will be pushed into free air and not into the wood.

Use of Spindle gouge may not be correct for what you are attempting, you may need to use a bowl gouge with differing bevel angle and grind to keep bevel contact.


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## Bodrighy (26 Sep 2007)

Be careful using a spindle gouge if you oer hollowing out, I have bent one doing that before I learnt the difference. Now I just damage the wood. Worst scenario the gouge could snap and that could be nasty. If in doubt, use a scraper, means a lot more work finishing but safer as long as you do as Chas says and make sure that the edge is below centre so that the wood is coming down onto it.


Pete


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## gasmansteve (26 Sep 2007)

Ta Pete. Its rapidly becoming apparant there`s more to this wood turning lark than I first thought. Just ordered a cheapo dvd off ebay `Turning wood` by Richard Raffan just to put me on til I learn how to do it properly
Steve :lol:


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## Anonymous (27 Sep 2007)

Eee by gum Steve!

Had you compressed on to a spigot or expanded into a rebate?


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