DIY Hollowing Stabilizer...Works great and cost me less than $50!

[Michael Moster]

My DIY hollowing stabilizer turned out MUCH better than I expected it to. It works really smoothly! My minimal welding skill along with my cheapo welder does not do "pretty" welds... but they are strong.
With the exception of the 5/8 bar for the hollowing tools, all the other metal came from my "Maybe I'll have a use for this someday" pile.... and I already had the carbide cutters so my total cost to make this was under $50 for 6 thrust bearings, the 5/8 bar, the nuts, washers and ready rod...
The stabilizer is attached to a 1/2 inch threaded rod that goes thru the tailstock and is secured with a wing nut. After the initial trial run I found that the torque of the lathe was turning the unit so I found a thick piece of steel that is held in place with 2 welding magnets. That stops it from turning. If any of you are planning to make this, I'm sure a piece of 3/4 inch plywood with a 1/8 inch metal bar top and bottom would do the same thing and would be much easier to get. Be sure to get THRUST bearings, not conventional ones. 6 cost $20 on Canadian Amazon. Less for those of you in USA.
Note there are 2 pcs of pipe that the hollowing bars go into. One takes 5/8 inch tools and one takes 1/2 inch tools. The fancier looking hollowing tool is obviously a store-bought one with a 1/2 shaft. The other is a home made one made from 5/8 bar.

There is a YouTube video on how to make your own hollowing bars easily and inexpensively.

View: https://youtu.be/_HFHifERSe8?si=1b74SmAabkCxc5Az


If you want to bend the bars this youtube video will show how to make a small but effective forge from a soup can. I found a large tomato juice can that was bigger than any soup cans I could find.

.https://youtu.be/jBVa2bw3r_k?si=E2acxOCree365S5U

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[Richard Coers]

What part is the stabilizer? I thought these were called articulated hollowing systems?

 

[Michael Moster]

It's one and the same.

 

[hockenbery]

What part is the stabilizer? I thought these were called articulated hollowing systems?

Part of the need for a turning dictionary.
Trent Bosc call his device a “stabilizer”
Simon Hope calls his device “easy arm hollowing jig”
Carter calls their device “perfect hollower”

“Articulated” seems to be the generic name now associated with hollowing bar support.
Articulated used to refer to cutter holders.

An early reference to an “articulated” hollowing system is an article by Hue McKay in the June 1997 American woodturner.
This was a trapped handle with an articulating cutter holder. The bent tool was coming.
……

 

[Richard Coers]

When I built mine, I used cold rolled round bar on the pivots with locking collars. When you pivot on all thread rod, you have very little contact on the threads. Did you use a reamer to get the undersized hole in the flat bar so there wasn't a lot of clearance around the all thread rod? I used the Kobra system for my inspiration. Boring out the plumbing fittings accurately was my challenge, along with tightening the pipe so the fittings were parallel. I just under UHMW washers for the thrust bearings since the rotation angles were so low.

 

[Bob Brown]

Part of the need for a turning dictionary.
Trent Bosc call his device a “stabilizer”
Simon Hope calls his device “easy arm hollowing jig”
Carter calls their device “perfect hollower”

“Articulated” seems to be the generic name now associated with hollowing bar support.
Articulated used to refer to cutter holders.

An early reference to an “articulated” hollowing system is an article by Hue McKay in the June 1997 American woodturner.
This was a trapped handle with an articulating cutter holder. The bent tool was coming.
View attachment 61513……View attachment 61512

Part of the need for a turning dictionary.
Trent Bosc call his device a “stabilizer”
Simon Hope calls his device “easy arm hollowing jig”
Carter calls their device “perfect hollower”

“Articulated” seems to be the generic name now associated with hollowing bar support.
Articulated used to refer to cutter holders.

An early reference to an “articulated” hollowing system is an article by Hue McKay in the June 1997 American woodturner.
This was a trapped handle with an articulating cutter holder. The bent tool was coming.
View attachment 61513……View attachment 61512

Don't know if still in business. I think he bought rights.