New Tool Gloat

Re: New Tool Gloat

Mark Kauder. Phenix City, AL

>Cheater Keith, (JUST KIDDING FOLKS)

Is there a website where we can see this system?

Mark

Found it *LINK*

Mark Kauder. Phenix City, AL

>Never mind, I found it.

Mark


http://www.fulmerwoodworking.com/tools/tools-hollowing.html#lounsbury

Re: New Tool Gloat

John Lucas

>Keith

I built my own system and except for having to adjust the secondary tool rest to get into my unusual shapes I love it. It takes all the white-knuckle out hollowing.

I'm going to spend some time working on a new secondary tool rest to see if I can make it fit more shapes. My intial hollowing bar was 10 inches wide. I decided that wasn't necessary so I cut it down to 4". That gave me a lot more freedom of movement but for some shapes I still end up playing with the secondary rest a lot or simply going back to the armbrace system.

I watch John Jordan hollow with his system and he's so relaxed. I was just never really comfortable with hand held hollowing on large work.

One trick I tried that you will like is making a guide for the hollowing bar. I had to hollow a tube for a guy 4" by 16 long. It was easy enough getting the outside true but I was nervous about the inside so I pulled out the captured bar system and jury rigged a guide pin to touch the bar in 2 places. I set these up parallel to the outside of the wood. Then I could hollow a little and make my last cuts with the bar against the pins. I got a perfect tube 1/4" thick over it's entire length.

I'm still undecided on the lazar rig. to get really consistent wall thickness you have to adust the lazer perpendicular to the wall at all points. This means stopping to adjust the lazer all the time. I can usually just measure with one of my other indicators quicker. The lazer is more accurate in hard to get to places but slower. I do find it fantastick for roughing. Since you know exactly where the cut is you relax and get rid of the waste pretty quickly and then go on to thicknessing using whichever method is quickest and easiest.

Smart choice

Harvey Meyer in Atlanta

>A little over a year ago, Cliff did a demo for the GAW here in ATL. He also did 3 full days of hands-on instructions. I spent one of those days with him. He's quite a character and kept us all amused druing his visit to the South. Many of us bought his rig from him while he was here and during the hands-on days we nearly exhausted his supply of cherry burls. I would guess he sold at least a dozen rigs to GAW members while he was here. I've been very happy with it having used it for at least a dozen or so hollow forms. It did cause me to buy the short bed extension for my PM3520 because I found that doing taller pieces required moving the secondary rest beyond the end of the bed. My only complaint is that it's difficult to align the laser with the tool's cutting edge. Turning the screws always causes things to move. But I hear that's a common problem with most laser rigs. I'm sure I could make it better if I took some time to work on it, but it doesn't bother me that much. All in all - it's a great rig and you'll probably enjoy it. It certainly takes the "tension" out of hollowing and makes it a very relaxing exercise.

Harvey

Re: Smart choice

Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL

>Harvey,

The best adjustable laser system that I have seen is made by Don Derry, and as you know, he is demoing for GAW on the 22d of April. You can see a picture of it on the link posted above.

I like his hollowing system well enough, but he sells the laser adjustment part of it seperately, and it a micrometer type of adjustment. SO if you go to his demo, bring your $$$

I would love to go, Jim sent me an invite to his hands on demo, but that is the same day that we are hosting Russ Fairfield down here.

Mark

Re: New Tool Gloat

Brad Vietje

>Agreed. The laser is also a woderful guide to hollowing near the base of a piece, especially near the foot, where a lot of calipers don't perform very well, since they are sometimes measuring at an angle to the wall, and where the foot and chuck interfere with any thickness measurement.

While most of my hollow forms are turned with hand-held tools, a la Ellsworth (A la Tompkins !?!), I do find the boring rig helpful for roughing, for larger forms, or forms with larger openings. When working around the base, and across the foot, I often aim the laser to tough the cutting tip, so I can just be aware of its position inside the vessel. I DO have to remember that I'm no longer using the laser to judge wall thickness, but merely the cutter position. So far no fancy funnels by doing this !

Have fun Keith !

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: New Tool Gloat

Bill Grumbine, Kutztown PA

>Keith, you are going to love it! I got to play with mine for the first time today after having to look at it for a very long time, hanging on the wall at the end of the lathe. I will be posting some pictures of my first effort in another thread.

Bill

Does he have any free samples?

Dave Smith, Longview, WA

>

Re: New Tool Gloat

Dick Hines

>You will never go back to free handing again. I have the big Kelton and just love it.

No more arm and hand cramps.

Re: Smart choice

Keith Tompkins

>Harvey, Cliff thought I made a good choice too!LOL