Extremely hard wood

[Michael Stafford]

I turn lots of hard and brittle woods including verawood, lignum vitae, ziricote. cocobolo, blackwood, locust, koa etc. etc. etc. When I am hollowing them I use a Hunter #5 straight and a Hunter #5 swan neck. The carbide cutters love hard brittle woods particularly when you turn them at high RPM. For smaller projects such as birdhouses and hollow globe ornaments I use the #1 Hunter set. That small cutter effortlessly removes wood. With good tool control you can hollow smaller items and leave such a smooth surface that little sanding is needed.

A little over a year ago I had the need for something that would reach deeper for cremain urns than the #5 tools and was directed toward the Jackofsky Hollow-Pro tools. They use a small carbide cutter and with the 5/8" square bar can reach a long way over the rest. The small cutter puts little strain on the entire operation and the only adjustment you have to make is to learn to not depend on the cutting sound while hollowing to know when you are getting thin. The small carbide cutters do not cause the wood to screech as you approach the point where inside diameter equals the outside diameter. I learned this the hard way, more than once.

[Bruce Lewane]

I've been working with the #1 and 2 Hunter Osprey. For rough work I've got the #3 Hercules(along with a full compliment of sharp gouges). My problem is probably patience. After a while of working with dry, very hard wood I long for those long wet curls coming off a fresh blank.

[Michael Stafford]

Love the Osprey's for fine finish work. The Hercules is a great tool for roughing out just about anything. Heck, you can turn a patio block round with it if you want. I haven't done it but Mike Hunter of Hunter Tools did just that.

The larger #4 Hunter removes wood a little faster than the #5 but I agree with you Bruce, that there is nothing more thrilling than throwing long streamers across the shop.

[David Cramer]

Have turned Bolivian Cherry, Snakewood and Verawood...challenging for a rookie like me

David

[Olaf Vogel]

That sounds like what I need. Whats your source for something like that?

Sometching like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-10pc-Met...-/301728855041

Less than $2 each.

these are metal cutting tools. There are better qualities, but even the cheap stuff works well on wood.

you need a long bar, drill a hole in the end.
grind the dull end of the bits to fit the hole.

Tap a set screw into the side to hold the bit.

the handle is anything you like. I usually wrap it in rope and cover that with hockey tape. Not pretty but feels good, works well and can be shaped how you like.

its a bit crude but works beautifully.
NOT suitable for roughing. They break.

[Brad Adams]

Thanks Olaf. Didn't think of using those. I can mount one of those right up on my hollowing system.