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As I mentioned in Dario's thread, my Monster Tools hollowing rig arrived Friday. My MIL and I split the cost of it, and it was a Christmas present to me from the two of us. I got a chance to test drive it a bit after I got home from work. The CoC prohibits me from saying what I really want to say, but I'll settle for WOWSERS! This is gonna be a LOT of fun. As Dario noted, the tools that came in the kit are very beefy, and made with attention to detail.
Dario posted good pics of all the pieces that come in the kit, so I'll show a few different views. Here's the rig with the gooseneck bar and one of the scrapers:
Here are some of the tips and such, with the lighter tossed in for scale. Lots of 3/4" steel.
And another shot of most of the tips, along with the bowl sander that I added to the order:
Here's the obligatory action shot. I was rough turning a pot and keeping the walls about 1/2" thick. This was my first time using a rig like this, or even seeing one in operation, but it was very easy to control, and find what works and what doesn't. Although it's probably not among the best practices, but I was able to take a light cut one-handed while taking this shot:
The only issue I have is with my lathe, not the hollowing rig. My factory toolrest is just a tweak too high, at least with thick tools, so I'm unable to get the cutting edge of the big bit down to the centerline. Raising the rear (captive) toolrest lowers the tip a little bit, but there's a limit to how much you can raise it before the D handle wants to bind up in the rear rest.
The solution will be easy...I can either grind about 1/8" off the top of the toolrest socket on the banjo, or buy a better toolrest (probably from Monster Tools...they have some nice-looking ones). Or both...who knows? All I know is at this point I'm very happy with the rig and will likely be buying more stuff from Monster.
Oh, and this arrived Thursday...another late Christmas present. An air-powered 80-grit gouge. It's already a bit dusty from being used to finish a bowl Thursday night. I can tell already my poor Auto Zone compressor's gonna get a workout, but it'll be a welcome addition to the arsenal.
Ho ho ho!
Dario posted good pics of all the pieces that come in the kit, so I'll show a few different views. Here's the rig with the gooseneck bar and one of the scrapers:
Here are some of the tips and such, with the lighter tossed in for scale. Lots of 3/4" steel.
And another shot of most of the tips, along with the bowl sander that I added to the order:
Here's the obligatory action shot. I was rough turning a pot and keeping the walls about 1/2" thick. This was my first time using a rig like this, or even seeing one in operation, but it was very easy to control, and find what works and what doesn't. Although it's probably not among the best practices, but I was able to take a light cut one-handed while taking this shot:
The only issue I have is with my lathe, not the hollowing rig. My factory toolrest is just a tweak too high, at least with thick tools, so I'm unable to get the cutting edge of the big bit down to the centerline. Raising the rear (captive) toolrest lowers the tip a little bit, but there's a limit to how much you can raise it before the D handle wants to bind up in the rear rest.
The solution will be easy...I can either grind about 1/8" off the top of the toolrest socket on the banjo, or buy a better toolrest (probably from Monster Tools...they have some nice-looking ones). Or both...who knows? All I know is at this point I'm very happy with the rig and will likely be buying more stuff from Monster.
Oh, and this arrived Thursday...another late Christmas present. An air-powered 80-grit gouge. It's already a bit dusty from being used to finish a bowl Thursday night. I can tell already my poor Auto Zone compressor's gonna get a workout, but it'll be a welcome addition to the arsenal.
Ho ho ho!