Crown hollowing tool question

Are you skewing the cut or cutting at right angles to the rotation? The skewed cut clears the shaving, the other tends to pack. Also, make sure you're cutting downhill, smaller to larger diameter. Sometimes we forget when we're doing the close end, that downhill's still center outward.

I believe that all of the 'shielded' hollowing tools can tend to jam frequently. The line between too aggressive and jaming is tricky to find. Demonstrators of these tools make them look easy to use by turning materials which are known to be friendly. KD padauk and bubinga are not friendly. In fact, I'd guess that no KD wood is friendly.

Further, I think that these tools solve a non-existant problem. Using a well designed scraping tool inside a hollow form is easy, fast and catches are infrequent if you know what you are doing. I believe that you are better off building or spending your money on a trapped system (the Jamieson system, for instance) and using simple tools which cut with a tool steel scraper bit. I use the John Jordan tools most of the time and mount them in a home-built trapped system. I can't remember the last catch I've had.

Bill

Go here:

get the pdf of my article on using the Woodcut Proforme (though labled more like a review, the article is actually on how to use it and other cutting tools). You will also find there a pdf of a review of the Crown hollower where I specifically compare it to other tools in its general price and ability range. I've used almost all the commercial hollowing tools out there (see the articles entitled An Opinionated Survey of Hollowing Tools), and find the tip on the Crown to offer credible performance compared to the others. I'd suggest you use the Proform article to help you make some modifications of your technique and you may well find you become quite satisfied with its performance. If not, there are lots of alternatives, though for very hard, very dry woods, you may well find a scraping tip tool may be more to your liking and have less edge erosion.

Lyn

Larry wrote:

This may sound dumb, but have you tried the cutting tool upside down???? I am not sure of this tool but something I have read about some hollowing tools with cutting edge like a termite tool but the middle was filled and you adjusted the gap between them. I know this sounds disjointed but something is banging around in the back of my head. maybe it has nothing to do with your problem, but I thought I would throw it out there for what it is worth. (probably not much) hope you figure it out.

THanks everyone!!! The information supplied helps a lot.