Hello! I am getting into green turning and my Munro Wondercutt, while an AMAZING tool, gets clogged way too quickly. Add to that I will be doing a lot of reverse turning and I'm having trouble finding the right tools for the job. Does anyone have any recommendations? I love my Wondercutt due to the weight and the flexibility (the articulating head replaces multiple tools) but I'm wondering what else is out there. Thank you!
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Hollowing tool recommendation for green reverse-turning?
- Thread starter Maggie Shapiro
- Start date
Jim McLain
Artist
I would recommend hollowing in the right direction with that new Vicmarc VL240 swivel head lathe. Going in the right direction opens up a lot more options. J. Paul Fennell turns in reverse but he makes his own tools.
What do you mean by "reverse turning"?
I have done a fair number of hollow forms and my standard cutter for pieces with small openings is a 5/16" high speed steel scraper cutter held in a Jamieson swivel assembly inserted into a boring bar used in a captive system. I suspect that is the most widely used cutter type. Carbide cup cutters like the Hunter stay sharp much longer and can give a cleaner cut if oriented properly.
For work with larger openings, especially green wood end grain, I often use a ProForme cutter, which is a shielded hook tool. It is a bit fussy to adjust but when it is working right it eats wood like yellow dog dingo. There are also open hook tools like the Martel and ring tools like the Oneway Termite which some favor.
I almost always clean up with a hss teardrop scraper, whether held at a rake angle or with a negative rake ground on the top.
I have done a fair number of hollow forms and my standard cutter for pieces with small openings is a 5/16" high speed steel scraper cutter held in a Jamieson swivel assembly inserted into a boring bar used in a captive system. I suspect that is the most widely used cutter type. Carbide cup cutters like the Hunter stay sharp much longer and can give a cleaner cut if oriented properly.
For work with larger openings, especially green wood end grain, I often use a ProForme cutter, which is a shielded hook tool. It is a bit fussy to adjust but when it is working right it eats wood like yellow dog dingo. There are also open hook tools like the Martel and ring tools like the Oneway Termite which some favor.
I almost always clean up with a hss teardrop scraper, whether held at a rake angle or with a negative rake ground on the top.
Thank you! By ‘reverse turning’ I mean that the piece is spinning the opposite direction direction. This is much more ergonomic for me as a petite person (so I don’t have to bend across the lathe) and also because I don’t have access to the far side of my lathe as it’s up against my garage wall. I appreciate the recommendations!
look at D-Way tools he makes one specifically for reverse turning
I have to say that seems a bit sketchy due to the tendency of the work to unscrew from the spindle. Chucks and faceplates with setscrews bearing against a spindle groove should prevent catastrophe but any looseness will cause unwanted vibration. Make sure you tighten your work solidly on the spindle and check it regularly.
If you do have a swiveling headstock that should work well with hand-held hollowing tools. The Bosch Stabilizer is a very good captive system that mounts in the banjo and should allow for easier hollowing with the headstock rotated and the spindle running forward.
The Jamieson swivel setup linked above will work in either direction as will the Termite.
Thank you!
Thank you I'll check them both out! (As for your worry about pieces unscrewing - not to worry, my lathe has a collar that goes around the base of the chuck and the spindle to hold everything on there. I've used it many times already and had a great experience
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