Like a Junior High Garage Band Drummer

[Brian Kent]

I am trying to grow in the use of hollowing tools - John Jordan's today and a captured system next summer. Everything in the past has been through the use of scrapers.

I feel like the Junior High neighbor who got a new drum set for Christmas and is thrilled by the fact that it is loud.
He thinks he is fast because he is hitting drums and cymbals often.

At the moment I feel like I am insanely bad, but had a whole lesson! That's all I need, right. (I found out that I just missed an all day workshop on hollow forms by Mike Jackovsky!)

I have an order coming up for 30 small (8") ornamental pitchers that just need to be drilled out. I will use these to practice the hollowing. The order also includes 10 larger (11'-12") pitchers that I'll make in 2 parts. These need to hold water for a couple of hours per month, so they will be epoxy lined. Hopefully when I get a captured system I will be able to do these in one piece.

Meanwhile, I apologize for the racket coming out of my garage. I'll learn to play music on those drums someday.

[Brice Rogers]

Brian, I too feel like a junior high drummer. But, I was fortunate and went to Mike's all day workshop. It was good and I learned some new techniques. He estimates that he has made 3000 or 4000 hollow forms. I've made 3.

He uses little carbide cutters with a positive rake on the insert (they're kind of like a donut). They are held in a tool with approximately a 30 degree downward slant. I was amazed to see the speed that he was cutting dry wood and the quantity of long stringy ribbons he was getting off of that tiny tool. He works by feel most of the time. When he finishes an inside area with the carbide, he switches to a small scraper tip to even out any ridges. He sells his cutters at the monthly meeting. He briefly sands the interior using a small strip of sandpaper wrapped around a small piece of Harbor Freight floor mat (rubber) held with a long necked hemostat.

One interesting point is that he plans his hollow forms so that the final thinning of the base is done on the outside rather than the inside. He does that to reduce the chance of getting a damaging catch on the inside when the base starts to get thin. Working the last step on the outside is less risky.

BTW, I heard that the David Ellsworth meeting is going to be held somewhere down in Chula Vista to better accommodate the anticipated two or three hundred people. If you are a member, you'll get more info when the time gets closer.