Woodworker's Journal 2011-35-1, страница 68

/ ^/ r* c

\ \'J n <"

Woodturning

Getting Started with Hollowing Tools

By Ellis Walentine

Turning hollow forms is easy once you get the hang of it, but you'll need a few specialized tools and some practice.

\

A

bout 30 years ago, a

younii turner named

J c

David Ellsworth

mov

ed to

our Pennsv

lvani

la

neighborhood. He was a rising star in the woodturning world, known for bin delicate "hollowform" vessels — as light as a feather, with walls as thin as 1/8" and just one small hole at the top.

I was mystified as to how anyone could remove all that wood through such a small entry hole. The secret, it turns out, was the combination of specialized tools and techniques that David had devised — straight tools for plunging into the center of a vessel and bent tools of various curvatures for excavating the rest of the interior.

As 1 discovered for myself, the actual hollowing process is not as difficult as it might seem. There's definitely a learning curve, though, and you can count on some occasionally dramatic failures, so don't forget to wear eye protection when you work. Once you've hollowed a few-pieces, you'll begin to get a feel for the tools and techniques. The results are worth the investment.

The Beauty of Hollowforms

The outward appearance of any turned object depends on the character of the wood itself, its shape; and any decorative treatments you care to ackl. On an open bowl, the inside is the most visible part, though if you lower your point

of view, you can see the outside shape and the figure of the wood as well. Hollowforms. on the other hand, are visible everywhere but the inside, so you can really showcase a dramatic piece of wood. They also provide ari excellent canvas for further decoration, such as piercing, carving or woocIburni ng. Segmented vessels, stack-laminated from several species of wood and hollow-turned, are also very popular.

Types of Hollowing Tools

As hollow turning has become more popular, quite a few manufacturers — including several well-known turners — are serving up a bewildering array of tools for hollowing. Despite the variety, they all hark back to the same basic principles: straight tools for turning the ccntcr and bottom of a form, bent tools for the sides and shoulders, and shanks of varying lengths and diameters depending on the

February 2011 Woodworkers Journal

JMaasa: & [Fsmtas© Mapsto to* Ml