Big tools, big wood, little lathe

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472
Location
Goodyear AZ
Seems like I got plenty of turning wood these days. I had the day off today and when I was taking the dogs for a walk down by the canal I spied several chunks of Acacia that had been recently cut up by landscapers. Not that I was lookin for any more wood, but Acacia is pretty sweet; very stable, turns easy and looks good..so I went back with my truck and got it. Then I was itchin to turn some:). I trimmed and mounted the smallest piece on my mini and had at it. The piece is 9.5"x18. Other that stalling out if I pushed too hard, it did fine. My home brew rougher made it a lot easier. The cutter is a HSS cutter from a tablesaw molding head on 3/4" bar stock, It works great for getting the bark off and getting it round, then I used my bootleg easy rougher (the one in the middle of the three tool pic). The hollowing tool on the left was made by an old turner I met recently who loves to make tools, It's taken my hollowform stuff to a new level. As it is configured now you cant get it through a very small hole, maybe 1 1/4" but I like having the ability to articulate the cutter. And the other tool is a straight toothpick type tool with a 3/16 cutter in 1/2" stock, It works great for mean stuff like ironwood.
I aint gonna try and hollow the piece on my mini, It will be enough of a chore on the 1642 at work,in fact, I might have to make another tool for that operation:D. Well, I've rambled all over the place....It was a wood truning day.
 

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Talk about maxing out the capacity on the mini lathe. :) That's a very promising piece of wood. Looks great. And I'll bet the outrigger bar on your hollowing tool makes things much easier.
 
Yea, the outrigger makes it real easy, at least for a hollow form newb like me. I see pictures of hollowing tools that are straight or crooked bars, seems like you'd be fighting the sideways torque all the time, but dunno, :dunno:never used one.
 
Turning big stuff on a small lathe

Wow! looks like you were maxed out on the mini. I bet the bearings and belts got a work out. Lets see the finished product.
 
Beautiful figure on that piece. Why not just make a supporter (saw one at the Totally Turning / NWA show made from plywood and skateboard wheels) so you could hollow a piece that big as is? Maybe try with a less figured piece first though - hate to see that beauty blow up.
 
Yea, I got one of those steadies I made a while back that I plan on using. Right now I'm waitin on a 1 1/2"x17" wood boring "ship auger" I ordered from Amazon. I will try and drill out most of the center with that...Kind of an experiment. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Yea, I got one of those steadies I made a while back that I plan on using. Right now I'm waitin on a 1 1/2"x17" wood boring "ship auger" I ordered from Amazon. I will try and drill out most of the center with that...Kind of an experiment. I'll let you know how it goes.

Easiest and cheapest way to get one of those augers is to go through antique shops. I have bought several over the years. For those one time, or seldom, use items, that is the best way to go, IMHO. BTW, don't use power with thet auger. They are strikly elbow grease tools, slow and tough.
 
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