# deep hollowing tools



## big soft moose (15 Mar 2009)

Hi Folks

as i'm beging to get bored with bowls, clocks, etc , and inspired by some of the excellent form turners on here ( mark hancock particularly , but also george and others) , i would like to get into hollow forms.

Ive done a few before but i dont have a dedicated deep hollower , and have had to resort to working over the rest with a big gouge or scraper - which has led to the interiors being a tad rough.

so what do people reccomend - I have a kel system for centre saving and i know you can get a hollower that fits in that - or would i be better off with an RS2000 or something else ?


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## Bodrighy (15 Mar 2009)

My personal daydream is the Roly Munro. Having had a go once or twice courtesy of Mark Hancock plus various reccommendations it aseems to be the best out there. £170 is beyond me at the moment though

Pete


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## John. B (15 Mar 2009)

have a go at making it yourself.
Most of them appear to be tipped which are replaceable, and at a fairly modest price.
All *you* have to do is make a handle (easy) get a steel rod or bar,(B & Q maybe) a bit of drilling and filing to attach the, _bought_ tip and away you go.






In the left hand pic, at the top is the drilled bar with the attachments from a Sorby tool (modest price) and in the right hand pic, same bar with another bought tip. 
_And they both work just fine._

(I'm now working on an aluminium handle for more weight and interchangability)

John. B


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## Paul.J (15 Mar 2009)

Another vote for the Munro here  
After having a go with it mainly at the shows with Mark Hancock i thought it was the best on offer.
But if you can make your own that is the cheaper option.
Chas (CHJ) also made me the Oland tool and gate which is pretty good too,which by all accounts is easy to make if you have the metal working skills


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## cornucopia (15 Mar 2009)

the hamlet big brother with the little bro tip is my main tool for hollowing through holes 1 1/2" or bigger. or if you want to work through smaller than 1 1/2" i use a mix of home made tools and melvyn firmagers angle tools.


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## SVB (15 Mar 2009)

BSM,

I am reluctant to offer you the 'right' answer.

However, I am in Nailsworth, Glos (GL6) and I have the sorby RS2000, Woodcut, Exocet and the small and medium set of Kelton hollowers.

If you wanted to come over and spend an afternoon making shavings then you would be welcome to give them a test drive to help make a decision. 

BRgds

Simon


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## big soft moose (15 Mar 2009)

simon - thats a very generous offer which i might take you up on , i'd be happy to bring some of my woody windfall over for you in return.

however i get married on the 28th of march and then on honeymoon for a bit - but i'll get back to you after easter (unless someone buys me a deep hollower for a wedding present - flying pigs etc)


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## SVB (15 Mar 2009)

Well, the RS2000 comes in a really nice box now - could you pass it off as a canteen of cutlery?!?!

Many congrats - have a great day / honeymoon and give me a bell when you have time if you like.

Simon.


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## mikec (16 Mar 2009)

Hi BSM,

I have a Sorby RS2000 and a number of home-made deep hollowing tools. You are welcome to come round when you are settled in after your honeymoon. Its just a short trip to Cherhill on the A4.

May you have a long and happy married life, when its good its very, very good as the saying goes. Just coming up for 35 years in my case.

Best wishes,

Mike C


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## hog&amp;bodge (16 Mar 2009)

There is one for sale on ebay
ROBERT SORBY RS2000 
Item number: 380089288398
Bit pricey... :lol:


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## Neil Dyball (16 Mar 2009)

Or you could try

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/the-robert-so...286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:10|39:1|240:1318

No pictures though?!


Neil.


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## robo hippy (16 Mar 2009)

I am curious as to what you mean by deep hollowing. For me, that is 12 inches or more. Ones that deep or deeper require a captured system: D shaped handle in a frame, and bars 1 inch diameter or greater. I have my large Keltons in a 1 1/2 inch diameter tube/pipe, and can go up th 18 inches or maybe more. I never got along with the ring cutters which have the chip limiter on them. It seemed that no matter how much I fiddled with it, it either cut too deep and plugged up, or wouldn't cut at all. I really like the nano grain carbide disc cutters (Eliminator and Hunter tools) which are cut best at a 45 degree angle. They make beautiful finish cuts in end grain, but aren't the greatest for roughing work. 
robo hippy


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## TEP (16 Mar 2009)

Hi *Robo*.

Everything is that bit bigger in the USofA. :lol: 

Joking aside, most this side of the pond tend to think of 8 - 10 inches and over as deep hollowing, and I agree a captured system is so much easier to use. On the size of hollowing this is probably down to the predominance of our hobby turners using lathes up to 1hp, there are bigger but I reckon they are in the minority. This is looking at hobby turners generally.

I have just finished making a copy of the 'snake' captured system, but have yet to use it in anger. Am quite excited about putting it to use later. Picked up the idea and plans from one of the sites your side of the pond.


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## Turn It In (16 Mar 2009)

Hi BSM,
Having tried several methods and devices I treated myself to the smaller Rolly Monroe hollowing tool at £127 and I must admit it does take a lot of beating. Its all down to personal preference and available funds.
So you takes your pick and pays your money but at least you can have the chance to try a few varients. I chose the smaller version as I felt it would be unlikely for me to want to hollow much deeper than six to eight inches.
Best of luck with the wedding we are almost on our 24th aniversary. I seem to remember the Great train robbery!!!
Regards,
Ian


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## Hans (16 Mar 2009)

Have you looked at captured systems? I just bought a hollowing system made after Lyle Jamieson's example. I would be surprised if nobody makes something like this in Britain. 

Apart from complete systems I think the Rolly Munro is the one to go for.

Hans
.


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## big soft moose (16 Mar 2009)

I'm leaning towards the kelton system - mostly because i already have the handles etc for my centre saving kit. This will save much needed dosh as i'm also looking at upgrading my lathe

does anyone currently use the kel - and any comments good or bad.


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## cambournepete (16 Mar 2009)

Hans":1km4w2my said:


> Have you looked at captured systems? I just bought a hollowing system made after Lyle Jamieson's example. I would be surprised if nobody makes something like this in Britain.


You mean like the Dave Reeks system?
This page even shows Mark Hancock using it


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## duncanh (17 Mar 2009)

I have several hollowing tools that I use according to what works best on the day - variables include wood type, dryness, grain orientation, overhang.

I like the Munro tool but it can sometimes clog in dry wood. It's much better with wet but can still sometimes clog. It's good for a beginner as you can close the blade guard up to only take a small cut, thus reducing the risk of a large catch. I find it difficult to get into corners sometimes and it's not great for cutting across a flat bottom through a narrow opening. I also don't use it for anything much over 30cm as the bar tends to vibrate.

The Sorby multi tip hollowing tool is good for small projects but is limited to straight access.

I also use several home made hollowing tools which are variations on the Oland tool and the Sorby/Stewart system. 
These are cheap to make and work well. I'd get the bars from a specialist metal shop rather than B&Q. The first ones I got were stainless steel but I get bright steel (I think that's it) now as it's cheaper and does the job.
My cutters are made from old planer blades.
Some bars I use are 1/2" and fit nicely into the Munro handle, others are 2cm and better for larger vessels requiring more overhang. I've altered the Stewart side handle to fit on 2cm bars to give me more control.
I've made various extra links for my home made tools to allow me to access under shoulders and into corners

After a hand's on session at our club last Friday I'm currently thinking of making a tool which uses the Woodcut Pro-forme head which you can buy separately from here. Fitting it to my own bar and handle should be easy.

If I was starting again I'd probably go down the home made route first. You don't need any real metal working skill.

Hope that helps

Duncan


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## robo hippy (17 Mar 2009)

I have one of the articulated systems, the Monster (computer skills lacking, but web search Monster hollowing system Superior Tools I think), and love it. It is similar to the Snake type. Excellent laser system as well. For forms up to 8 inches or so, they really make hollowing easy, finger tip pressure only. I am surprised that no one over there is making them. I do prefer the swan neck type of cutters to the articulated tip type. Mostly it is easier for me to swap cutters than to adjust the tip. I had an adapter made so I could use my other hollowing tools in it. The large 3/4 inch McNaughton didn't work too well though, just too long of a blade/lever, and there was some vibration, but not with the 5/8 McNaughton.
robo hippy


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## John. B (18 Mar 2009)

Robo can you post some pics? please


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## robo hippy (18 Mar 2009)

John,
My computer skills are really limited. Do a web search on Monster Wood Tools, and maybe the elbow tool. That should get you some links. Basically they are 3 linked arms, and the joints are fancy and stout bearings that allow for a lot of movement. If you have metal skills, they don't really appear to be too difficult to make. Articulated arms like these have been around for a long time, just not applied to the woodturning world.
robo hippy


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## big soft moose (18 Mar 2009)

monster tools link here http://www.monster-wood-tool.com/wst_page6.html

they look okay but you have to order from the usa - i'd rather buy something that is available here (and preferably made in gb too)

what do people think about the BCT tools ? http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Turning ... atool.html


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## robo hippy (23 Mar 2009)

This is a link from another site which shows about every variation of hollowing system out there. If I had metal skills, I could do it myself, but I can only grind it.

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/Turn ... tems1.html

robo hippy


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