Its deep - man

[gus3049]

Hi All,

I keep trying new stuff which means, of course, that I hit new problems. Except this one is just an extension of a previous one!

This pot / vase is just about at the limit of my ring tools reach. The handle is just touching the rest. This means that the leverage I can apply is much reduced as the actual blade is so long. If I get even a small grab, the handle jumps up as I can no longer hold the handle against the hip.

The problem remains getting a good finish on the inside bottom. Will it have to be a long scraper? Or do I just wear my fingers out trying to reach down with abrasive?

I suppose I will have to limit what I do to suit the tools that I have but maybe there is a way round this.

I think the wood is pear. Anyone confirm?

Thanks.

 

[loz]

Dangerous Gordon,

Dont do that - you will find that not all tools are hardended all the way up to the tang if they have one, or the full length, These will break and you dont want that.

e Could you not move the too rest into the vase a little to avoid such an overhang ?

You can get/make dedicated tool rest for this kind of work - some people call them box mhollowing rests - that are sinply L shaped rests to insert into such a shape.

Might be an idea.

The vase however i like, but would have carried the curve in rather than bulbing back out at the base.

Regs

Laurence

 

[worsley947]

Do know about your dilemas as Im new to turning having only turned my first piece today but I like the shape and jist love the look of that timber
Dave

 

[CHJ]

As said get/make yourself a tool rest that will go inside the form to add support.

Don't reach into hollow forms with your fingers, one grab of the abrasive/finger combination could see you with badly damaged finger joints and worst case reduced number of appendages.

Mount your abrasive in a length of split ended wood to reach inside, that will just sharpen your reactions a bit if it catches.

 

[Paul.J]

Don't get putting your fingers/hand all the way down :shock:
How deep is it :?:
If your gonna do deep hollowing you will have to invest in the appropiate tools,or make your own.
Wood looks like a fruit wood of some sort.Looks nice whatever it is

 

[gus3049]

Thanks for the replies.

Loz - I did think about doing the shape that way but changed my mind - maybe I shouldn't have! I will definitely look into the curved rest idea, I thought it was a bit dodgy even as I was reaching down into the shape!

And Chas - warning noted, I'm much to old to change the way I play chords.

As for Dave, it won't be the last! Thanks for the kind comment. The wood is even nicer in the flesh (isn't it always?) It would be nice if someone could confirm that its pear. It came from our woodpile and I didn't know we had any decent timber left in that.

 

[gus3049]

Don't get putting your fingers/hand all the way down :shock:
How deep is it :?:
If your gonna do deep hollowing you will have to invest in the appropiate tools,or make your own.
Wood looks like a fruit wood of some sort.Looks nice whatever it is

Hi Paul,

The vase is 170mm high but as you can see, the tool is not much longer. I did turn the rest into it a little but was worried about the angle of attack and the the tool might be pushed off. Clearly a case for the right tool for the job.

 

[Jonzjob]

That really is a nice bit of wood Gordon. I like the shape too. I've never been one who likes the very small based bowls/vases/goblets/etc. I think that they just look unstable rather than elegant?

I agree never to put yer mit into a spinning object because there's a chance that you will suddenly find out that is doesn't have a left hand thread, but still unscrews :shock: and we would much rather talk to you than about you!

 

[TobyB]

Just to add to the "take care" message ... a year or so ago I was trying to use a "standard size" scrapper in the bottom of a wavy natural-edge bowl at pretty-much the full length of the tool. A catch dragged the tool down, and my left hand over the rest into the rim ... I had some deep cuts on my ring and little finger knuckles nicely exposing (if you like that sort of thing!) tendon sheaths and joint capsules ... which took a while to heal as they got horribly infected (inpatient hospital stay with intravenous antibiotics!) ... but thankfully I'm OK.

MY STUPID FAULT - no question - and a lesson in respecting tools, lathes, etc perhaps more ... without being dramatic, without a healthy dose of luck I could easily have mashed and mangled those fingers beyond repair.

When I go hollowing deep now I use a curved rest to get deep into large bowls, and invested in a larger/longer/heavier AI scraper too, but more importantly have hollowing tools with long, heavy handles ... following the idea that for each inch of protrusion beyond the rest you need (say?) 4-6" of handle behind ... so for deep hollower's you might have a tool 3' or more.

As an aside, I'm going to have a considered "play" with the two handle options I have ... the Proforme which is very long and relatively light ... and the McNaughton which is shorter but much heavier ... is it a long lever to counteract the down-force from contact with the wood, or a heavy handle with a lot of inertia resisting vibration and down-force to give you control of the tip resisting dig-in's etc ... and equally, does a light manoeuvrable or a heavy stable handle give you the best tool control and feel?

 

[cambournepete]

... does a light manoeuvrable or a heavy stable handle give you the best tool control and feel?

Rolly Munro goes for the light and manoeuvrable.
It definitely gives more feel than the Sorby with a counterweight inside.

 

[gus3049]

Toby,

OUCH.

The hollowing tool I have is the Hunter ring tool. Extremely heavy and robust. Frighteningly sharp - get the angle wrong and its through the side in a jiffy. I was quite pleased with myself having managed to control it for the time it took to get to the bottom. The wood was hard too.

But... I now realise how dangerous it was and will either get a rest or have my local blacksmith knock one up for me - in fact I just took a break from this and sent him an email whilst I thought of it!

So thanks for the warning. Hope you still have full mobility in the hand.