massive turning tools

[bond hinson]

New to this forum... have been over at wood workers talk for a while and thought I would check it out over here. I've been reading David Ellsworths book on turning bowls and hollow forms and came across a picture of him turning a 3-4 food redwood burl with an ENORMOUS hollowing tool that he said was 8 feet tall. I was fascinated by this and thought I would poll the audience on how I would go about making such a tool. I've seen the captive boring systems but it does not appear that he is using one of them. What kind of bar would you use? how long would you make the handle? what kind of cutter? I know there is not a lot of people that make stuff this large but I would like to try and was hoping someone might have some thoughts on how to go about it. Thanks in advance, happy turnin,
Bond

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Bond, you do not indicate what experience you have with hollowing and what size lathe you have. If you don't have a very heavy lathe and lots of experience with hollowing you probably should not go there yet. Hollowing to depths beyond 12-14 inches or so requires a very well designed hollowing system (the bar is only part of it) and is potentially very dangerous to self and the immediate environment.😱 Please excuse me if I am responding to an experienced pro, but better safe than sorry.

Dennis

 

[Ian Thorn]

without seeing it I would say you would be looking at a 16mm bar with a scraper type tip lenght would depend as said on the depth of the holow form. if you google davids site he may have some on it, happy turning

Regards Ian

 

[MichaelMouse]

Not a lot new under the sun. http://www.craftinamerica.org/artists_wood/story_373.php? Ed's gone, but the tools he used were adapted from prior. http://treewright.blogspot.com/2009/08/bowl-turning-club.html Ed used the hook tools and a scraper he called his "lance." They were long enough to return mechanical advantage to him regardless the overhang.

http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/turning.htm For more fun.

 

[Ian Thorn]

Thanks M M that was interesting

ian

 

[bond hinson]

Ive been turning 5-12 hours a day for the past year and a half or so (caught the bug)and have probably turned around 100 hollow forms most on the smaller size 4-5 inches but many over 10 inches. At the present I have the nova 1624 but am looking at the powermatic 4224, oneway, the robust and VB36 to purchase sometime in the next few months. What would you all recommend for work that size include any guys who make custom lathes if youd like? Checked out those websites, good find. Im guessing ill have to find some big steel and someone who can work metal into loop hooks like that. Very cool though. happy turnin,
Bond

 

[John Jordan]

David's large bars used very small, 1/8" tips when the normal 3/16" tips begin to chatter. NOT hook tools or big scraper tips. The farther the overhang, the smaller the cut. The smaller tip helps insure that there's not too much edge engaged at one time. 3/16" cutters are easier to use for the scale most folks are likely- to do.

John

 

[Richard Coers]

Ive been turning 5-12 hours a day for the past year and a half or so (caught the bug)and have probably turned around 100 hollow forms most on the smaller size 4-5 inches but many over 10 inches. At the present I have the nova 1624 but am looking at the powermatic 4224, oneway, the robust and VB36 to purchase sometime in the next few months. What would you all recommend for work that size include any guys who make custom lathes if youd like? Checked out those websites, good find. Im guessing ill have to find some big steel and someone who can work metal into loop hooks like that. Very cool though. happy turnin,
Bond

Can't help myself, engineering background. Averaging your hours per day to 8.5, and 1 1/2 years or 547.5 days equals 4,653.75 hours at the lathe. Divide that by 100 vessels, and you are putting 46.5 hours per vessel. Better pick up the pace Bond. Or else charge $1,600 each. LOL

 

[bond hinson]

JOHN! good to hear from you man! Ive been meaning to give you a ring to see if you wanted to turn. 3/16ths. got it... what thickness bar would you recommend? hope your well man. Richard, thats just hollow forms! hahaha got tons of bowls, boxes etc floating around out there🙂
Bond

 

[Dean Center]

Sorry for my failing memory, but about a year ago, one of the members posted a months long series of pictures and comments about turning a 5 foot cherry vase using a very long lathe and boring bar. It was fascinating for us who will never attempt such a thing, but it would be right up your current enthusiasm's alley. Try a search and pick the longest thread you find.

 

[Nate Davey]

I think that was Matt Hutchinsons (sp?) post!

Sorry for my failing memory, but about a year ago, one of the members posted a months long series of pictures and comments about turning a 5 foot cherry vase using a very long lathe and boring bar. It was fascinating for us who will never attempt such a thing, but it would be right up your current enthusiasm's alley. Try a search and pick the longest thread you find.