Another Day at Hollowing

Had a few hours free this morning and decided to keep trying out my new toy (Monster Hollowing Rig). Chucked up a log of mesquite and started shaping the exterior. When that was done i set up my steady rest and began end grain hollowing the vessel. I had it fairly well hollowed out but i cut thru the side wall and blew it apart. After alot of bad words I thought about what went wrong. I think i should have checked the laser more often and adjusted it more frequently to the cutting edge. I think i was having to much fun hollowing and just blew off checking and adjusting as we discussed in prior threads.
Last picture was from the previous turning and when i took the tool out I noticed that i had bent the shaft on the tool holder. I took it to my vice and bent it back. Not real sure how or when it happened but im glad i could bend it back easy and didn't break it........hummm still alot more learing i see.

Well tomm is another day and im hoping for another chance.

Bummer about the funnelization. That one was showing promise. As you're just starting out with the rig, a few things come to mind:

Green wood will be easier to learn on than dried mesquite. Lots.

Don't try to get too heroic on the wall thickness at first.

Lighter cuts will be easier to control and less likely to have catches and bend things.

Keep your cutter at the centerline. You may have to adjust it as you change tool holders. That'll help prevent catches.

What speed is your lathe running at when you're hollowing? When I started, I was running in the 400 to 600 RPM range, but I found that a bit higher speed (say maybe 700 or 1000 RPM, depending on the diameter) provided for smoother cutting and better control. The downside to that is if things do go bad, they're generally worse at higher speeds than lower ones. I'm sure there are others who turn at even faster speeds, but they're more willing to risk a high-speed explosion more than I am.

Dan,

Let me know which holder it is, and I'll get you another one out.

Vaughn pretty much hit the nail on the head. I hollow at about 800 to 900 rpm. Keep my cuts light. I think Vaughn is dead on Dan in that don't worry about thin walls right now during the learning curve. My first few HF's walls were 1/4" thick. It wasn't until I had did 8 to 10 of them and was comfortable with the tool did I try for the thin 1/8" walls. Green wood is way easier than dry. I don't think I have turned maybe 2 dry HF's in 4 yrs. Keep a practicing. It will come.

I'm still learning to do hollow forms myself, but on the very few I did, I think I followed Vaughn and Bernies's idea of a little faster... I like to turn at a slightly higher speed anyway - probably because I turned pens for so long at 2500-3500 rpms. I use the Don Pencil hollowing system without a laser so I have to check and measure regularly to prevent the funnel syndrome...and have more of a tendency to go through the bottom than the sides (so far). I've turned more green and semi-green than dry, but I do have some cedar that's been down and cut for several years... they were deadfall trees on the back side of the lot when we moved in and I've saved them... lots of voids in some of the wood though. Problem with the cedar, the dust coming off is almost more of a powder than chips...

On the thin walls, on one of my forums and I'm thinking it was here, but someone said..."turn a thin wall and get it out of the system, then turn for function.... most of my pieces have slightly thicker walls, just because I like them... and still a little nervous about getting really thin.

Boy does that look familiar! We've all had it happen...you have the right attitude...tommorrow is another day and you can learn from mistakes.