I've made a bunch of smaller boxes (3-3.5 inches round) and have been using a half inch spindle gouge to back-hollow the waste out of the middle. I now have some really nice spindle blanks that are 5x5 or a little bigger (pretty dry, about 4 years old) and I'd like to turn some boxes with them. Will I need to use a different method to hollow? Each blank is at least 12 inches long so I can do one large box or cut in half and make 2. I don't like the idea of using a forstner bit because 1) setup time/efficiency and 2) I want a smooth bottom. Thanks guys.
Edit: I guess these blanks would be better suited to larger hollow forms but I don't think I'm there yet (assuming technique is different) and don't want these going to waste waiting on me to build the skills. Unless I'm just underestimating myself but idk.