Sorby Hollowing Tool

[Tim Thiebaut]

I picked up the Sorby 850H hollowing tool last week so I could start practiseing on some small items, (I have like 4-5 items in various stages of completion) I pulled it out to use it for the first time tonight and the tool was vibrating inside the handle so much it was driving me stark raving mad, not just felt vibration, but audible as well, loudly! It was as if the metal tool was vibrating back and forth inside of the wooden handle. I adjusted the cutting tip to several different angles to try and stop the vibration, but no matter how little presure I used while trying to use this tool it would start vibrating and driving me nuts. Has anyone else had this issue with this tool? I ended up taking the tool apart, knocked the tool out of the handle and sure enough it was just pressed in, no epoxy or anything. I mixed up some 2-part and coated all sides as well as I could and put the tool back together, hopefully after a night of setting up the issue will be resolved. This is the first tool I have that has vibrated even the slightest so it must not be to common, but has anyone dealt with this before?

[Roger Chandler]

Tim,

You might be experiencing the violence of hollowing with hand tools...........not being there, I cannot be sure, but you need to know that hollowing with an angled cutter, or scraper, will create a great amount of torque, which is hard to control with hand pressure alone. I have the Sorby Hollowmaster, with the 3/16" cutter tip, and it fights me every time I use it, and also the Ellsworth hollowing tools.........the straight one is not bad, but the bent tool is a bear to control.

If the tool was loose in the handle, that will accentuate the problem, but just be aware that hollowing is a unique thing when it comes to torque, and it really stresses the hands and arms! For this reason, I just recently ordered an Articulated hollowing system. I can do it with the hand tools, but I am looking forward to getting the system. Hope this helps!

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks Roger, I was barely touching the wood with no torque felt at all, as soon as I presented the tool to the wood it would start vibrateing like crazy. I was useing a light scraping action to try the tool and it was horrible.

[Art Kelly]

Yeah, they vibrate. Sometimes there's just no sweet spot; sometimes there is. Are you keeping the toolrest a scosh below center? Don't forget that one of the variables is handle height. I.e. cutting at around the 10-O'clock position on the piece.

On the bright side: It builds character, and it's usually so miserable that you aren't likely to get the inside bigger than the outside.

Facework is usually a little worse than when the grain is axial to the lathe. I like to have a good burr on mine and make long, light sweeping cuts whenever possible. Keep as much firm contact between your left hand and the tool shaft to dampen the vibration a little.

Enjoy your newfound character.

Art

[Curt Fuller]

In my 4-5 years of owning a Sorby Hollowmaster, which I think is the big brother to your hollower, I can honestly say in my experience it has been the most difficult tool to learn to use correctly. Your problem might be exaggerated by a loose handle, but the swan neck tools in general are prone to chatter especially when hollowing endgrain. In fact, I would guess that it was the concept of a swan necked tool being able to cut underneath the rim of a small opening that gave birth to the captured hollowing systems. For the tool to work properly, it has to overhang the tool rest much farther than most any other tool. So with that much tool out there it magnifies everything at the handle end. I've found that I have better luck removing as much wood as possible from inside a HF with a heavy straight boring bar and then using the swan necked tools just for undercutting the top section. And then it's still usually an unpleasant experience.

[Ryan Baker]

You want screeching vibration, try the Sorby mini hollower (1/4" swan neck tool). It's a nice size but almost unusable.

I'm not fond of the Sorby hollowing tools. Of all the hollowing tools I have used, the Sorby ones are by far the worst and most difficult to use. You can sometimes find a sweet spot, sometimes not, but it's just too much harder than it should be. (And I do all of my hollowing by hand -- I am not comparing them to captured or articulating tools.)

[Harry Robinette]

Tim
I just looked at the sorby 850H.I believe that your getting chatter from the small shaft on that tool,It looks like 1/4 or 5/16 dia. steel about 9inches long.I would think that your tool rest would need to be right at the edge of the opening and the tool would have to be just past the goose neck the hole in your piece must be hollowed deep and wide with a straight tool,try turning the tool down about 10* from 90* and take very very light cuts.also resharpen the tool with a heavy burr.If the burr causes vibration try honing the burr off with a diamond hone flat on top.
Hope this helps
Harry

[Bernie Weishapl]

I got so frustrated with mine I sold it and bought the Monster rigs.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Well I couldnt wait until tomorrow, so I went down a few minutes ago and gave it a shot, there was a difference now that the steel shaft is epoxied in place instead of just pressed in, that being said, yup you are all right as always. I believe that the entire tool is just to light for its intended purpose, short shaft going into a very light handle. I will just get me some ear plugs I guess so that the sound of the vibration dosnt send me over the edge and want to do something like grind the tool into dust or something along those lines. Thanks for all of the information and support and not pointing out how much of a newbie I am!

Here is a question for you all, do you think it would work better if I bought a handle from Thompson, popped the tool out of the wood handle and tried it in a Thompson handle, do you think this would make a significant difference in how it works enough to make it worth while?

I know the hollowing rigs are far and away better, but I only have 3-4 finished projects under my belt as it is, with another 3-4 in various states of work, something like that is a ways down the road for me.

[Thom Sturgill]

I replaced the cutter on mine with a carbide hunter replacement. It is not set at an angle like it should be, but I like it m-u-c-h better now.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks for that tip Thom, I will look into ordering one of those tips today, sounds like it made a good difference for you.

[Ryan Baker]

I wouldn't bother changing the handle. The vibration comes from having too light a shaft on the tool, and a better handle won't help that. A different cutter may help some. A sharp cutter and a light touch will get it as good as it is going to get. If you do a lot of hollowing, you will eventually amass a lot of tools in different diameters because you always want to use the largest diameter shaft that you can fit through the opening and still have enough room to work.

[Neal Addy]

Just get one of these. Problem solved.

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[Steve LaFara]

So what is the best "low cost" tool for hollowing? I'm also a newbie but plan on hollow forms being high on the list of projects.

[Don Alexander]

there aren't any "low cost" turning tools