A few weeks ago I bought one of these online, used. So far I had done all my hollowing without and was wondering if the investment really makes sense.
But at full price, it was a bit steep for me.
So when I saw it much cheaper (and it was the largest size) I had to jump on it.
I warmed up a few small test runs to get the feel and then gave it a real challenge: hard, dry hazelnut that was way out of round.
Had lots of chatter. But the 1" boring bar with a small tip worked well. I really like the modular design and being able to swap chisels.
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Once I figured out which tips to use, the rest was very easy. This is definitely going to make my turning life easier.
I originally hollowed this out with a 2" x 48" bar and 1/4" tip. It was a challenge....
Since nothing is standard for my old lathe, I had to build a riser block for the support, but that was not a major issue. 4" of birch ply laminated.
I had a few small quibbles:
- The paint on the horizontal supports does chip and has more friction than I'd prefer. I'll cover it with Lee Valley "Slippery tape" and see how that works.
- The rectangular support bar had a few lumpy welds that kept it from sliding well. A couple of seconds on the grinder solved that issue. It is fairly light and maneuverable, but steady enough.
Overall its a very high quality tool rest and although I've compared it to any others, I can recommend it.
The big question is the laser pointer. It didn't come with batteries (even dead ones) and the AAA don't fit. Maybe several watch batteries?
Does anyone know what size this takes?
Olaf
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