What tool to use to hollow potpourri bowl

Tom Baugues

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Lafayette, Indiana
I'm trying to turn a potpourri bowl. I dont have any real hollowing tools yet. In the past I made do with a bowl gouge but I would like to do something better. I hope to build a hollowing jig this winter but until then.....what should I use. Should I buy a "swan neck" tool for shallow hollowing? Is this the best way to go with shallow bowls?

Tom
 
I did my first potpourri bowl before I picked up some hollowing tools with the bowl gouge and then round nose scrapers. Took awhile but it worked. Just couldn't get close up under the lid and had to be careful going from the sides to the bottom.
 
I'll second Paul's suggestion. For very little money, you can make a straight boring bar that'd do most if not all of the hollowing. A bent one would be handy for getting up under the shoulder of the bowl, but they are harder to control than straight ones. I also have boring bars with scraper bits at the end...those work well for finishing cuts on the inside.

You've probably seen it, but in case you haven't, here's one way to make them...

http://www.familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13545

And as a bonus, if you use a removable handle on any boring bars you make now, they can likely also be used with a hollowing rig in the future. ;)
 
Well you can make them and its a fun process but it does have some headaches along the way - at least for me it did but it was fun to figure out how to over come them........and they cut great........
The easiest way is to buy a Monster hollowing rig and call it a done deal. I bought one along time back and it will do everything I want and the support is great............I would buy one again.
 
Tom,
When you get ready to make your hollowing rig, let me know and I'd be happy to show pictures of one I made. I, like so many others would love to have a Monster set-up, but I'm very pleased with the one I made.
 
Richard, yes I would like very much to see photos of what you have. I would also like to know what size bars your using. I saw a unit being used that was 1/2" rod and it worked very well but I have read about people making them out of 3/4" rod instead.

Tom
 
Tom, Happy to share. The links on mine are; 8" for the tool holder, 11" for the flat bars, and 6" at the tailstock end. I bought all the steel at Fastenal. They have a location close by me, that's why I went with them, but better prices might be found elsewhere. Here are some sizes I used;
Front and back link, 1" sq.
Flat bars, 1/4"x1"
Rear post, 1-1/4" sq.
Tube for rear post, 2"x.109
Base plate, 1/2"x4"
I have a Nova 1624-44 lathe without any added extensions, so I have a bed length of about 24". That's why I went with the lengths of links I used. You may have to adjust for your lathe. As far as bearings, the one's you show at McMaster Carr would probably work good, and it looks like they are cheaper than what I used. Mine came from here;http://www.qbcbearings.com/BuyRFQ/Th...ring_TPS_I.htm
One other thing I did was using oil impregnated bushings in all holes. Got them from Enco, sorry I don't have a part #, but all holes were drilled to 5/8" and the bushings were 3/8"ID. I used bushings 1" tall for the square bar stock, and 1/4" tall for the flat bars. The bushings and thrust bearings added to the cost quite a bit, but I definately think they were worth it. Good luck building one of these, and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.
Rich
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I had a Don Pencil Scorpion and Stinger hollowing system before building the articulated arm rig. I also had a Jordan 3/8 hook tool. All of these can be used in this rig because the Pencil system included reducers to allow you to use 5/8, 1/2, 7/16, and 3/8 boring bars.
 
Richard, that looks like a very nice set-up you have there. You did a great job of getting that all together. I'm looking at several different designs. I like yours. It looks very straight forward. Well done! Thanks for the photos.

Tom
 
Real sweet Richard:thumb::thumb:!! Just from the pics...how stable is the vertical mount to the laser arm?

Jim, that's one thing I may need to improve on. The vertical piece is 3/8" allthread, just because I had plenty of it. In use, if I get chattering or vibration, the laser will bounce around some. I may slide a piece of pipe (conduit, maybe) over the allthread and see if that helps. No problem when doing the finish scraping though.
 
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