which hollowing tool is the best?

[Keith Spaniel]

HI,
I,m new to this site and have learned alot from you all already.
I have a rikon mini lathe which i like alot.
I have been turning boxes and been haveing some trouble hollowing them out.
I use a fostner bit then a scraper or skew.

I have seen alot of different tools with carbide tips and the such,

Could you tell me which tool you would recomend for hollowing out boxes???
Thanks, Keith

[Jim Becker]

Boxes are often hollowed with scrapers, but you can certainly use other hollowing tools, especially when they get closer to hollowforms with smaller openings than the body of the piece.

But honestly, there is no "best" tool. Since you're working on a mini, consider trying out one of the small multi-tip tools and see how they work out for you.

[John-Paul Murphy]

I use a tool that probably would not be advisable for use with a mini. Try searching for hollowing tools in the forum search. I remember seeing several threads in the past like this one.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Keith - Welcome to the Creek! Big thing around here is that we like lots of pictures! If you have any of the boxes that you have turned it would help everyone give advice on which tool would work the best for the style of box you turn. That being said, I agree with Jim, in that scrapers are used to hollow out most boxes.

[Keith Spaniel]

Maybe I might be calling this a box when it should be called a vessel.
I was trying to smooth the inside about 4 inches inside with the scraper, it just chattered and could not keep it on the side. I almost had to sit in a chair to see what i was doing
This maple bos was the first maple i,ve used and man is this stuff hard..
The other box ,I dont know what kind of spalted it is ,either elm, or hickory?
any guesses? box1.JPG

box2.JPG

[Bernie Weishapl]

Keith I have a modular tool rest system that has a special box rest. It extends down into the box and will keep your square scraper from chattering. I do most of my hollowing with a hunter tool.

[Fred Floyd]

Donald Derry (Donald Derry Tools) makes a small captured hollowing tool that will work on a mini lathe. He demoed that at the AAW in Portland last summer. I have one and find it to be adequate for hollow forms (like vases up to about 8-9 inches deep.

Lyle Jamieson makes one of the best known captured hollowing rigs, but I've only seen that used on a 16-inch lathe (or larger).

For hollowing boxes, I found that there are a number of tools which will work. My favorite is called "The Eliminator". This is excellent for hollow boxes. It uses one of the round carbide bits, so sharpening is eliminated.

[Burt Alcantara]

Keith,
I suggest you get Richard Raffan's "Turning Boxes," both the DVD and book. Then get Ray Key's 3 DVD set and box DVDs from Chris Stott.

Between these, you will learn everything about boxes. You don't need special tools. A roughing gouge, spindle gouge, 1/2" round scraper, 1/2 square scraper and parting tool are all you really need. Other tools can make it easier.

Raffan favors round bottoms because they are faster to make. Key and Stott prefer flat bottoms because they look better. Raffan and Key offer signature tools. I'm finding I prefer Ray Key's techniques and tools. Some of Raffan's techniques like back-hollowing are very tricky to learn and should be attempted after you get a feel for the tools. However, Ray Key's techniques are designed for success and are easy to use.

I make a lot of boxes and can understand the frustrations. Feel free to PM me.

Burt