Homegrown articulated arm hollowers - Steel or Aluminum?

[Clint Bach]

Ummmm.... Just how do you adjust the vertical height for different cutters? Not all cutters need the same height....

c.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Ummmm.... Just how do you adjust the vertical height for different cutters? Not all cutters need the same height....

c.

My system allows for vertical adjustments by moving the 2 set collars on the post. I looked at the post last night, and I am going to cut off about 6" from the top, and make a new tool rest.

[Russell Neyman]

Haven't made one but pondering it. Is this design secured well enough to the tailstock. Are there other options, i.e. an "entrapped/clamped" arrangement? Is a Morse taper enough?

[Mark Greenbaum]

Russell: My system is pretty much like the one I used at JC Campbell, by ELBO, with a mast. I'll be using my toolrest banjo (spare) and resting the end effector (hand) on the actual toolrest. I am trung to use all free materials where possible, and I am shaping a harden steel dowel pin to be my first cutter. Think of it like the post is the shoulder joint of your arm, first pivot is your elbow, 2nd pivot is the wrist, and the hand is the last tube with the tool mounted to it.

[Peter Blair]

Mark a drill bit makes a good cutter. It's already shaped, I just grind a little longer taper. It is the first cutter I used in my first hollowing system the ELBO.

[Adam Petersen]

I finished the art. arm hollower. Thank you everyone for help along the way. I tried it out briefly and it seems to work very well. It is definitely easier to get too aggressive with this tool than by hand. I'll have to practice and get used to the different feed back. I've got John Jordan's 3/4" straight hollower, a Sorby 3/4" slicer tool, their 3/4" multi-tool, a 1/2 Crown multi-tip tool and an Harrison straight hollower which is 5/8" I think. I got Jordan's adapters for the 3/4" bore hole. I think that should give me a good setup for hollowing. NOW I just need to get to work and make some turnings!

Things I learned along the way:

-I wouldn't paint it again, I'd just leave it as is.
-I had a machine shop bore the 3/4" nose hole and I'm glad I did, big bits are expensive and I think it was worth the $$.
-Digi-Key rocks for getting laser parts from. The laser is awesome!
-Buy more washers than you think you need to save trips.
-I'd go one less link than I have. It's pretty long and heavy. Heavy is good though.
-Glad I went STEEL and not ALUMINUM!
-Tapping threads in mild steel is much easier than I thought. I'm excited to use taps more now.
-Metal working is pretty fun. It's not woodturning, but fun in its own right. I enjoy drilling steel much more than wood.

Anyways, pics are below. Thanks again, - Adam1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg

[daryl moses]

Looks very nice. Great build, I think it will work great.

[Dane Riley]

Ummmm.... Just how do you adjust the vertical height for different cutters? Not all cutters need the same height....

c.

I adjust the tool rest height. Only get a few tenth's of an inch, but that doubles or triples at the cutter.