DIY Hollowing System - Articulated Arms on a mast

[Mark Greenbaum]

My BAD, again. I meant to search for Homemade hollowing systems. So I inadvertently posted this under an old wrong thread.

I know, OLD Thread, but I have an update. I acquired 4 feet of aluminum square tubing 1.5" x .125" wall, square corners, inside and out. I have fashioned an elow style articulated system, with bronze flange and thrust bearings, on shoulder screw pivots. The original banjo from the G0766 id the anchor point, and I am using 1" diameter steel shaft for the mast. The end effector is a Sorby hollowing tool. I finally got it all together tonight, and tried it out. It works well enough, but the Sorby if too short to meet my deep hollowing needs. Back to the drawing board. I'll post pictures tomorrow night, along with the tool rest mod I had a neighbor weld for me. I have about $60 invested in the articulated system (bearings, set collars, shoulder screws, nylox nuts, etc.) and the Sorby was about $50 (birthday gift card for Woodcraft). I think my next bit is to make a long swan neck from 1/2" square steel, and have a cutter attached to it (similar to Harrison Specialties, with out the fancy nickel plating

I was trained using an ELBO system at JC Campbell Folkschool a few years ago. And as promised here's a few pictures of the rig. The coupling is made from solid phenolic bar stock, with 4 5/6" diameter-18 UNC setscrews, and the wand is maple shaped to fit all the way into the last arm, and bored to allow 1/2" copper pipe epoxied in place, also held in place with 2 of the same setscrew. I do need to make a couple of nice 1/2 square tools to get deeper.

It's pretty rigid once the tool is against the rest. Probably need refinement. Lengths of the tubes were from Cap'n Eddie's dimensions, although he used steel.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Looks good, nice DIY project.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Thanks, Dwight. I was lucky enough to have a machinist bore the holes in the aluminum tubes to fit the bronze flange bearings. The extra height on the mast will end up being a new post for a smaller length tool rest with the hardened steel rod on top, and heat treated to ensure even hardness all the way across.

[john taliaferro]

I used the same basic thing but mounted the post on the floor and to the wall so it just swings out of the way .

[Mark Greenbaum]

I did luck out last night at our local TAW club meeting. My mentor teaches at Narrowgate, and he brought a bunch of tools that were donated to the school, but they did not need. Lo & Behold - I acquired an 18" x 5/8 diameter deep hollowing tool similar to my Sorby but really long. Time to make a new coupling fir it to it on the rig. Yippee!!