• It's time to cast your vote in the January 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Alan Weinberg for "Elm Burl Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 27, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Articulated hollowing recomendations?

Damon McLaughlin

Damon McLaughlin

Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
307
Likes
415
Location
Eastern Washington
I have a Monster captive system that works okay. I'm looking for an articulating system that I can use my John Jordan tools in (3/4" and 1/2"), with the option of going to 1" in the future should I ever decide that I want go bigger.

I do need a system that would fit my Robust American Beauty. Because I have difficulty standing at times it would be nice to be able to have finger tip control while sitting (if that can be done).

I was intrigued with the Elbow but I don't know how I feel about needing to use the tailstock. I like it out of the way when I'm hollowing.

I really like Trent Bosch's stabilizer and its top on my list right now. It like that I can use all of my hollowing tools on it, that its easy/quick to set up and that I can hollow from the end of the bed should I want. I like that Trent has been very quick to answer all my questions.

The smaller articulating systems don't seem appropriate for what I want to do or for the AB.

Does anyone have the Buckner hollowing system? Seems stout but I've never heard of it.

Any other suggestions?
 
Philip Rose said:
I have the Bosch stabilizer on my AB with John Jordan tools. Works great, but does require resetting the height when I switch diameter tools. Not a big problem as I usually hand hollow with the 1/2" and use the stabilizer with the 3/4" tools.
Click to expand...

Thank you Philip. Looks like we have the same equipment. I'm not bothered by having to adjust the collar and I'm glad to hear that Trent's stabilizer works great. Your work is amazing, I really enjoyed looking through your gallery.
 
I use my Monster with all of John Jordan and Kelton hollowers and have adapters for 3/4", 1" + bars. I also have the Elbow Hollower and it is by far the easiest system to set up because it attaches to the tailstock (and the attachment is non marring). The same adapters fit it for oversized bars. I just got the laser for it and that works well also. The Buckner does not say if there are bearings in the articulating joints and I myself am not crazy about that articulating cutter but it may very well work fine and I wonder just how much adjustment there is for the laser, don't know as I never saw it before.
 
I have used 3/4 and 1.5 inch bars in the Jamieson and the Hope system.
3/4” bars in the Bosch system just two vessels. All three work great!
The Jamieson would seem to be easiest to use sitting.

Of course the style of form you turn has a lot to do with where the handles have to move and whether the chair or stool has to be repositioned,

The Bosch system is between you and the work so the control hand moves through the widest arc.
I know when I used it to turn potforms I needed to move around.

The Hope and Jamieson the hands work over the bed or close to it.

For sitting a video set up woul be a plus.
If you use a laser you can position mirrors to see the laser if it is hidden from view.

Using the Hope I would sit on the back side of the lathe.
Using the Jamieson I would sit on the front side

With the Bosch I would need to sit at the end of the bed to start and move the chair to the right and sometimes to the Back side of the lathe. You would also want a real long shaft on your air to blow out the chips.
Cylindrical forms won’t require movement unless there is a wide shoulder and flatish top
 
Last edited:
Humorous marketing on the Buckner. Aircraft grade aluminum (they don't mention what the actual bar is, hope that isn't aluminum!), self proclaimed "the best hollowing system on the market today" and "There’s just no other boring bar like it! ". Funny, it looks like a lot of other systems out there to me.

Personally I like more links in the articulated system like the Kobra, to get in and undercut near the opening. With nearly no availability on the Kobra, I made my own.
 
Damon, I make the tools with 5/8" ends to use in the Monster, but that doesn't help you. I can fix the straight tool, but the through hole on my machine lathe is not big enough to hold the hooktool after its bent-I turn them first. If you could find someone with a small machine shop, they can easily turn down the ends of your tools, or someone probably has an adaptor-Bill?

I like the Elbo tool, too-its simple and not too expensive. I use Lyles once in a while for a big piece, but mostly use them hand-held and have not used most of the articulated rigs.

John
 
Damon, you might look at the Gizmo articulating hollowing system from jtturningtools.com I use it, paired with hollowing bars from John Jordan. The Gizmo will accept bars up to 3/4" in diameter. My understanding, from people who have tried both, is that it's more heavy duty than the Monster system.

I hollowed a 12" deep, 5" max diameter vase with it which is about the limit with a 3/4" bar. I'm sure it could handle going deeper with a larger bar.
 
Dave Bunge said:
Damon, you might look at the Gizmo articulating hollowing system from jtturningtools.com
Click to expand...


Dave, I tried to get a hold of Tom at JT Tools. He answered my initial email and asked if I was in the US. After I replied with yes and asked for a price I couldn't get a hold of him either by email or phone so I looked elsewhere.
 
Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to follow up with my initial post. Shortly after asking my question I contacted Trent Bosch. We had a great email exchange and he was able to answer all my questions quickly. I ended up buying his 3/4" Stabilizer and couldn't be any happier. All of my John Jordan tools fit as well as a few other hollowing tools. Set up is extremely easy and quick and the laser bar assembly is secure. I've been having a lot of fun turning hollow forms in the past couple of weeks. And like Davehu mentioned, the system takes very little pace to store. What a great system! Below are the first three pieces using John Jordan's 1/2" hollowing tools with Trent's stabilizer.



P3030361.JPG P3030350.JPG P2050288.JPG
 
Damon McLaughlin said:
Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to follow up with my initial post. Shortly after asking my question I contacted Trent Bosch. We had a great email exchange and he was able to answer all my questions quickly. I ended up buying his 3/4" Stabilizer and couldn't be any happier. All of my John Jordan tools fit as well as a few other hollowing tools. Set up is extremely easy and quick and the laser bar assembly is secure. I've been having a lot of fun turning hollow forms in the past couple of weeks. And like Davehu mentioned, the system takes very little pace to store. What a great system! Below are the first three pieces using John Jordan's 1/2" hollowing tools with Trent's stabilizer.



View attachment 28363 View attachment 28364 View attachment 28365
Click to expand...
Beautiful pieces! They deserve a better stand than that. I always point this out, a great turning and a stand from the Dollar store... Also, super good pictures! Great gradient background. You are definetly having fun! Keep it up. Aloha
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top