Sam, that is another excellent video. I use mostly homemade tools using 3/16" engine lathe bits or small carbide cutters. I also have a homemade Robert Rosand ornament tool which works very well on small hollow forms. Your method differs very little from what I do. I do use a skew on the outside. It helps me turn the flowing curves.
it's me, the newbie in mississippi, Sam, I cannot tell you just how much you have inspired me. I'm not ready for a hollow form just yet but the day is coming. Woodturning sure is an addictive hobby. Wouldn't change a thing.
Great stuff Sam, I've only done a couple of hollow forms to date - that have ended up with the original small opening! As a result of this excellent tutorial, I now know where I've been going wrong. Once again thank you very much for showing me the right method of approach. Take care Mike
Mike Thanks I still mess these up from time to time. Say....I saw a post of yours on Facebook about Chris fisher. I can't seem to find the link. Does Chris have a RU-vid channel? Thanks Sam
I just found this video..! really got a lot out of this. I thought your white board explanation of tool application was terrific. Thanks Sam. My wife and I spent some time in Lander, Wyoming a few years back. We were amazed at what they called "Sinks Canyon".
Sam -- Another very informative video ... Thanks! One of the guys in my local turning club makes torque-arrestors for 3/8" and 1/2" diameter tools ... they require using a wider tool rest, but they sure are life savers.
MAN! What a great video. There is a lot of useful information here. Sam, I am going to try left handed turning late this evening or tomorrow. Pray for me!
John, I would recommend starting with a nice simple spindle turning. And turn slowly at first. When I first started to turn left handed I tried to have my right hand still in charge of what I was doing. I'm not exactly sure what your limitations are. But you're right hand and your left hand each play a role in how you turn. If someone has been turning for 10 or 15 years and using their right-hand as the dominant hand, turning with the other hand may seem awkward. But if you are relatively new to turning it may not feel all that unnatural to use the other hand. Let me know how things go. Sam
@@WYOMINGWOODTURNER thanks for the advice. I plan on going slow and simple. I have about 3yrs turning before my accident. The only limitation I have is the feeling. I think I can do it if I anchor my rt hand to the tool rest. Thanks for the advice and I will be sure to let you know what happens.
Very informative and well explained video. Thank you for taking the time to share this information with us. I'm new to turning and only have 3 bowls under my belt, but I'm always looking for new things to try. I would like to offer a tip for drying green wood. You can put the piece in an oven or microwave or put it in a box full of shavings and cover completely, churning the shavings about every 3 or 4 days so that they don't mold and so mold doesn't form on the piece. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and have a great day.
Stunning job on these. I'm still very new at turning so am watching everything I can find. It's nice to find a video from someone who not only tells us how to make the items but also some tricks to the trade. P.S. Thanks for publishing this on my Birthday. lol
The Kelton is my favourite hollowing tool. I have cut more than 1,000 hollowed forms of 1/2" neck with the same tool. I had to regrind it to more of a cutting that scraping tool; taking care not to touch the hardened top flat surface.
Again nice video Sam. I haven't done a hollow form but soon will and will return to this video. You didn't cover the reverse chucking but it looks like a fat padded dowel. Regards
Hi Sam, great video and thanks . I'm just wanting to get into hollow forms and i wonder if you can tell why the form has to be smooth and precise on the inside. i understand the beauty and art and skill involved, but who is going to measure when you cant see inside? I'm not trying to mess with anyone, i'm just curious at this stage. oh i just remember that when a finial gets put on is it glue in or sitting loose on top? Thanks for your patience. kind regards Morne
+morneb2000 Well, I can't remember what I said about the inside of a vessel. Here is what my reasons are now. When rough-turning a piece, the wall thickness needs to be uniform. This is so the drying takes place at the same rate all over the the vessel. I never sand inside. My openings are usually too small to see anything inside. I would not use the word precise: (I hope I didn't in this video---haha. I usually turn a tenon at the base of my finial and it slips into a corresponding recess. Good questions. Sam
thanks Sam for the replay, and honestly i wasn't critisizing your work or video. i have learned a lot from them. Somehow or the other i have developed these views on hollow forms. let say one is to make a Gallery piece would the inside of the vessel then need to smooth and exactly uniform? By the way your videos are like a first go to on any subject i need help on. please keep up making these videos. kind regards Morne
HI Sam, I have been learning from you for about two years, and want to thank you for your generous sharing of your knowledge. I've had some problems with cracking when I've made some hollow forms out of green wood along the pith on both sides. You indicated that you would allow the two spirit forms to dry for a month or so. Could you tell me how you allowed them to dry? What did that process look like? Thank you. Fred
+Fred Chase Basically, if you green turn a piece (that is completely turn it when the wood is wet) it is still prone to cracking as it dries. I usually put these pieces away in a bag for a month or so. If you search my channel, I have videos on drying wood and turning pieces "wet". Sam
Where did you get your turners smock? I like that it has a velcro tab that you can pull across your neck. I noticed that the Kelton tools have a 1/2", 5/16" and 5/8" hollowers. Which size would be best to try. I have been using some of the Easy Wood Tools. Do the Kelton style seem to cut safer than the the EWT. They seem to do more of a scraping type cut. Thanks Rich
I got the smock at Craft Supply USA The small Kelton tools I used are not carbide, just steel. The size depends on how big you want to turn and hollow. The biggest hollow forms I turn are at most 10inches deep. I have more videos on hollowing and the tools. Sam
Hi Sam Thanks for the great Videos on Hollowing. I have watch a couple of your Videos, trying to find out the position of the cutter in regards to the centre line, as i keep getting catches. are you cutting above the line, is the handle kept a little lower, or are you cutting below the centre line, with the handle slightly raised? do you cut on a push or pull stroke. i know you should start in the front and work back. i use 6mm TC cutters. Thanks again for your commitment to teaching the craft. regards.
When cutting on the inside, I really don't worry about direction too much. I cut in both directions without taking the cutter off the surface of the wood. Sam
PIP SQIEAK.... At 16 minutes and 34 seconds into the video, I begin to remove the tenon. Is this what you're talking about.. This is an older video, so I'm not exactly sure what I did here. But it looks like I have a dowel checked up into my pin jaws. I bring up the hollow form and the dowel contacts the bottom of the inside. This is very simple, but it works very well. Also bring up the tail center which completes the connection. Then you can work on the Tenon. Hope this helps Sam.
thanks for the great vid Sam you mentioned a wood turner that makes those tools you use to hollow with, how do you spell his name I need a good set of hollowing tools for small and large forms. What would you recommend for 8 to 9 inch deep hollow forms. I love turning vases and odd shapes more then anything. I have never turned with anyone or ever even been in a wood shop everything I know is self taught so all the pointers I can get are great. Thanks again Sam.
Chuck Mike Jackofsky is the hollow form turner. You can find his tools on the Craft Supply USA website. I would be a little careful with the carbide hollowing tools. They can be hard to control. I have a least one video on hollowing tools. It is called "hollowing tool review" I just review the ones I have. Another very good tool (s) is made by Trent Bosch of Colorado. I love his tools. That is most of what I have. I believe they are the best tool for what he charges. Sam
Hi, I loved this video, and hope to try out a hollow form. Can you tell me what you used when you set it back on the lathe to finish it? (about 16:35 in the video, the blue thing sticking out of the form- what is that?) thank you!
This is a recent video for truing up a hollow form. It may help. That is just a dowel. It has some blue painter's tape on it for some reason....It goes to the bottom of the vessel to help turn it and also stabilize it. Sam
Sam, I'm still not clear about what section of a log should be "harvested" for a hollow form. A short explanation (or even a short video) would be helpful about how to cut up a log for hollow forms. Thanx.
+Howard Kasdan The bottom line is you can cut up any section of a log or branch. Now there are some considerations: if you are looking for some nice grain or figure then a crotch would be a good place to start. I have some videos on milling a burl into bowls-but that is not exactly a log. With most straight logs you will just get straight grain. Which is fine. Sam
