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To hollow a turned wooden form through a small opening, drill a depth guide, remove material gradually with hollowing tools, and check wall thickness as you work. A straight tool handles most waste; a bent tool reaches undercuts. Practise both on scrap first, and start the lathe before inserting the cutter.
Hollow turning shapes the inside of a vessel through its mouth while the work remains mounted on the lathe. A narrower opening can suit the intended design, but it also restricts visibility and tool access. The outside is often the main visual feature; the interior still needs to be shaped and refined enough to reduce unnecessary weight and help limit cracking.
The procedure and dimensions below are practical guidance from WOOD Magazine’s October 30, 2019 article, “Peek Into Hollow Turning”, with woodturning consultant Brian Simmons. Treat its measurements as examples and rules of thumb, not universal standards for every tool, lathe, or form.
Which hollowing tools do you need?
Common hollowing tools use a hard scraper cutter—often high-speed steel or carbide—on a mild-steel shaft. The cutter is intended to retain its edge, while the softer shaft can tolerate the leverage involved when it extends beyond the tool rest.
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- WoodturningTools and Accessories: 1 pcs handle and 1 pcs extension bar,3 pcs tool bars with carbide cutters(Round,Square,Diamond),1 pcs swan neck carbide cutter hollowing tools,1 pcs T15 wrench,1 pcs allen wrench,1 pcs aluminum storage case.Purchase handle or carbide inserts please visit our store
| Choice | Best suited to | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Straight tool | Removing most of the waste in a hollow form | It has limited reach beneath undercuts. |
| Bent tool | Reaching undercuts and areas the straight tool cannot access well | It requires practice; keep its straight section supported on the tool rest. |
| Thicker shaft | Greater overhang beyond the tool rest | It may not fit through a small mouth. |
| Thinner shaft | Passing through a smaller opening | It cannot extend as far beyond the rest as a thicker shaft. |
WOOD Magazine recommends a 5/8-inch straight-and-bent tool set from Trent Bosch for many forms up to 8 inches in depth and diameter. That is the magazine’s recommendation, not a requirement or a guarantee of suitability for a particular lathe or turner. Handles are sometimes sold separately; you can buy, make, or adapt one. The article’s author prefers an arm-brace handle and marks it perpendicular to the cutting edge so the cutter’s orientation is easier to identify when it is inside the form. Turning a cylindrical shaft counter-clockwise can help make finer cuts.
Practise the cuts on scrap first
Practising gives you a chance to learn the cutter’s orientation and feel before working on a finished form. Use a scrap blank and try both tools.
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- INCLUDES: 3pcs Stainless Steel Hollowing Tool Set with Handles and Combination of Insert Cutters - Extra Long Straight | Shallow Swan Neck | Deep Swan Neck, and 1pc 2mm Hex Key Wrench
- APPLICATIONS: The different types of hollowing tool bars allow you to hollow out a vessel to different degrees of curvature and precision. The straight bar is the most versatile, but it can be difficult to use for curved surfaces. The shallow swan neck is a good option for starting curves, while the deep swan neck is best for getting into tight spaces
- FEATURES: Mounted to shafts made of solid stainless steel square bar stock, mirror-polished (for durability). The extra-long (15-1/2”) handles are made of solid, smooth, ergonomic hardwood for a comfortable grip and coupled with stainless steel ferrules.
- REPLACEABLE INSERTS: The replaceable inserts can cut faster without binding, and are made to withstand the abrasive nature of wood and maintain sharpness, resulting in smoother and more precise woodworking applications for long-term durability
- EASY TO USE: These wood hollowing tools are suitable for woodworkers of all skill levels, from beginners to experts. They have a simplified learning curve, with no complicated angles to learn or remember. Suitable for medium to large bowls, hollow form projects, deep hollow forms, but also popular with ornamental and craft projects
- Mount scrap between centers, turn it round, and form a tenon. Grip the tenon in a four-jaw chuck, making it as large as the chuck can accept for the grip and stability described in the article.
- Drill a centered hole a few inches deep. The article uses a 1/2-inch bit for this practice setup; hole diameter is not critical to the exercise.
- Start the lathe before inserting the hollowing tool. The article warns that inserting the tool while the lathe is stopped can lead to a catch when the machine starts.
- Begin with the straight tool. Keep the handle level and orient the cutter edge between 8 and 9 o’clock. Do not rotate it above 9 o’clock: the article warns that a catch may result.
- Start at the edge of the drilled hole. Make cuts about 1/8 inch deep as you enlarge the opening toward roughly 2 inches, then continue in small steps to practise hollowing about 2 inches deep.
- Move the tool rest farther back to simulate the extra overhang of a deeper form. Then practise with the bent tool, keeping its straight section on the rest; reposition the rest as needed.
When the cutter is hidden, use the handle’s orientation mark or setscrew as a reference for its position. Learn to read that reference before relying on it inside a real form.
Hollow a real form without cutting through the bottom
Shape and secure the blank
WOOD Magazine’s example uses a suitable green log, such as soft maple. Begin shaping the outside between centers and leave the base at least half the vessel’s largest diameter to support the work during hollowing. Form a tenon on the base end and hold it in a four-jaw chuck.
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- The hollowing tools allow for a controlled guiding for woodturning novices as well as professionals and require neither adjustment of the cutting depth nor sharpening.
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Establish the depth and opening
Drill to the intended finished depth to create a guide, leaving about twice the intended wall thickness at the bottom. The article’s example uses a 1/2-inch by 12-inch twist bit; that bit size is an example rather than a required specification. Do not use a Forstner bit to do the deep hollowing: the article warns that burrowing into end grain with one creates substantial smoke.
Make the mouth about 30 percent of the vessel’s largest diameter as a starting point, then hollow with the dedicated tools. This proportion is a guideline from the article, not a rule for every design.
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- Designed specifically for end grain hollowing. The dual bevels allow for hollowing of internal curved surfaces and flat bottomed vessels.
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- Handle is 12 inches long with tool being 6 1/4 inches in length
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Remove material in stages
- With the lathe running, begin near the center and work outward, taking cuts around 1/8 inch at a time.
- Stop the lathe often to clear shavings; the article suggests blasts of compressed air.
- After forming the first cavity, withdraw the tool slowly to clean ridges.
- Change to the bent tool for undercuts and places the straight tool cannot reach. Choose the tool and cut sequence to suit the shape.
- When the cutter is hidden, gentle contact with the cavity while the lathe is running can help you feel the bottom and side and reorient the tool to the work.
- Stop hollowing when you reach the drilled depth guide. Cutting deeper risks breaking through the bottom.
How do you check wall thickness?
Aim for generally consistent walls, with the bottom a little thicker so the form stands steadily. There is no single required wall thickness in the article’s method: choose a target, set calipers to that dimension, and check for variation as you hollow.
- Manufactured calipers: Set them to your chosen dimension, place one leg against the inside wall, and compare the opposing leg with the outside surface to judge variation.
- Shop-made wire gauge: Bend stiff wire into a caliper shape with tips meeting at a right angle. For an accurate reading, keep the exterior leg perpendicular to the wall.
Check in several places rather than assuming one reading represents the whole vessel. Keep the bottom slightly thicker than the sides, and use the gauge to identify where more material needs to be removed.
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Best Value
- Beech handle: 15 1/2" | Tool bar length: 6 3/4", 7", 8 1/4" | Tool bar thickness: 1/2" | Overall length: 22 1/4", 22 1/2", 23 3/4"
- The set includes 3 Mid-Size Carbide Hollowing Tools: Straight Hollowing Tool (HTT-420), Curved Hollowing Tool, #1 (HTT-421), Curved Hollowing Tool, #2 (HTT-422)
- Includes: 3 Hurricane 9mm Round Carbide Inserts (HTT-450) and 3 Screws (#4-40)
- Compatible with many popular brands of replacement cutters. Requires a 2mm Allen key (not included).
- Once all edges are used up, the carbide cutter can be replaced
Common decisions and mistakes
- A mouth that is hard to work through: A smaller opening limits visibility and tool access. Choose the opening for the form you want, knowing that a larger one makes hollowing easier.
- Reaching an undercut with the straight tool: Switch to the bent tool instead of forcing the straight tool into an awkward cut.
- Taking a large cut: Work incrementally, around 1/8 inch per cut as in the article’s guidance, and clear shavings frequently.
- Losing track of cutter orientation: Mark the handle relative to the cutting edge and practise interpreting the mark with the cutter out of sight.
- Relying on sight alone: Use a depth guide and check wall thickness with calipers or a wire gauge as well as watching the cut.
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