Woodcut Proforme: (Reference Web site: http://woodcut-tools.com/) My personal favorite. Can be purchased as a set with a straight shaft, a swan necked shaft, two cutting heads and one handle. All for $150 with shipping. It has a thinner blade in a “J” shape, leaving an outlet for shavings. For me, best cut, easiest to use, excellent guard, doesn’t tend to clog (far less than other guarded tools). It is excellent for small (not miniature) to large (not very large) turnings. Biggest limitation is moderate shaft length that limits its use for very deep forms. Shafts are 5/8, but with a 3/4 inch adapter sleeve, works very well with the Stewart Armbrace. Latest heads use brazed on cutters that appear bullet proof. Ken continues to develop this tool and make improvements available to prior owners.
Exocet: (Web Site Reference: http://www.jacquescoulombe.com/index.html, closest source for US buyers) Comes in 3 versions: Standard, Jr. and Super and two different heads, round and elliptical. Very expensive, but made using exceptional attention to detail and quality of materials. Super has thicker (5/8) and longer shafts; all have optional swan necked shafts. I have one Super with long handle and the round head. This tool has been a big disappointment. Though beautifully made, I find it to perform not nearly as well as the Proformes. It clogs more readily and is more difficult to align for a good cut. Still, for very deep forms, it is the best cutting tool available.
Hamlet Big Brother: (Sources: many sources including http://www.packardwoodworks.com/) A guarded ring tool like the two above. Longer shaft than the Proforme but less than the Exocet Super. Now comes in a smaller 1/2 shaft version as well as the standard 5/8 shaft. Straight shaft with head that can be swiveled off axis to make cuts difficult or impossible for other cutting tools, but also makes for potentially strong torsional forces. Good handle of a nice length (26 inches compared to shorter handles for Proformes and 40” handles for Exocet Super and option for Proforme). Head and guard are held to shaft with single bolt, making precise adjustment a nightmare (try adjusting the guard without the head wanting to move). Because of this, I hate this tool. More prone to clog than Proforme but virtually indestructible. Whenever I need to do something abusive, I use this tool (since I don’t care if it dies), but it has held up to the worst things I’ve been able to do to it.
Oneway Termite: (Sources: available from almost every
woodturning supplier.) Smaller unguarded ring tool. Three
interchangeable and replaceable tips are available, from small
to large in size (the 3/8 inch being smallest ring cutter I am
aware of). Supposedly good for hollowing boxes, goblets, and the
like. I just can’t get the hang of this tool.
Berger Viking:
(Sources: several sources including Craft Supplies USA and
Packard Woodworks web site http://www.packardwoodworks.com/) I
suppose people could argue whether this is more of a cutting or
a scraping tool, but I find it to perform most like a cutting
tool. Unguarded but does not tend to catch. Can be used for both
fine and aggressive cuts. Straight shaft only. Standard version
comes with 7/16 unhandled straight shaft, same tip can be
purchased with the 3/4 Viking shaft that will fit in the Stewart
Armbrace. I like these tools. Good clean cuts. Excellent for
making straight sides or flat bottoms, and the transition in
between. Not, at least in my hands, as good for deeply rounded
forms.
Stewart 1/4 gouge cutter placed in Insider Tool for
Omni Shafts or Holder for Bottom Hooker. Small mini gouge used
with other Stewart Components (see below). Packard and other
sources. I can’t get the hang of this tool. I find it clogs very
quickly (it has essentially no flute length in use), is almost
impossible to orient for a gouge cut, and wears quickly.
Kelton Hollowers: (Source: Woodcraft in the US http://www.woodcraft.com/, worth looking into overseas suppliers for much better prices.) These are probably my favorite scraping tools. Come in a set of three different shapes in a range of three different sizes (1/2, 5/8/ 3/4). I just have the smallest size. They leave a fairly good surface and are fairly forgiving in use. The shapes are sized just about perfectly to go from opening up the form to final cutting under a rim. I often use the most angled tool to get areas I can’t get to with a cutting tool. I like these and find them a great compliment to the Pro-formes.
Sorby Multitool: (Sources: virtually every supplier, though CS http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/index.html has the cheapest price by far.) An excellent introductory tool that combines a shear scraper with two 3/16 hollowing cutters in an innovative shaft that is flat on one side and rounded on the other. Limited to small to small/medium forms, it’s rotating head will allow for undercuts and the flat on the shaft will help resist torsional forces. Good also for cleaning up the bottom of smaller forms. Given it’s very cheap price $50 from CS and great flexibility, it’s well worth having one.
The Stewart System: (Sources: the principle woodturning suppliers: Packard, Craft Supplies USA and Cutting Edge.) This is the most comprehensive system of hollowing tools out there. Long shafts, short shafts, swan necked shafts, outrigger shafts, small shafts, extra thick shafts, a variety of tips, and three different handles (including the great armbrace). The hollowing system. Very expensive if you get everything, but there’s little reason to do so. Principally a scraper system (with the exception listed in cutting tools above), with the greater difficulties in obtaining a clean cut and possibility of catches. I find I use some part of this system on virtually everything I make, but virtually never as the primary tool. Also has accessories like the Slicer for coring bowls and use as a heavy duty parting tool. (The Sorby RS-2000 system is basically a licensed version of the Stewart tools, their cheaper armbrace is not quite as comfortable to use as the Stewart original)
Jamieson Boring Bars: (Sources: Craft Supplies USA and Cutting Edge Tools http://www.cuttingedgetools.com/Onlinecat.htm/WebCatalog/Hollow.h tm) Long heavy duty boring bars (3/4 , and 1/18 necked down to 3/4) that will handle long extensions, thus deep boring. All the advantages and disadvantages of the typical scraping tools, except that these will handle very long overhangs, thus deep hollow forms.
Sorby Medium and Miniature Hollowers. (Source: most suppliers) These are handy for miniature to small forms, but are not adequate for medium to large work. Their round handles and thin shafts are not suitable for larger forms, still the miniature hollowing set is a great introduction to small forms and the small shaft sizes will allow them to work through tinier openings than most tools.
Chris Stotts miniature hollowing set. (Sources: Craft Supplies USA (unhandled) and Cutting Edge Tools (reportedly handled).) I don’t think these are a good buy. Very small and thus only suited for miniature forms, they are rather primitive scrapers and IMO could be duplicated cheaply from Allen wrenches and/or screwdrivers.
Sorby Multitool: Good Shear scraper that works well for medium forms that don’t have deep overhangs. Works on both inside and outside of forms. My favorite Shear scraper tip.
Stewart shear scrapers: Used with the hooker tool (and available for their straight shafts), the Steward shear scrapers do a good job, but are smaller than the Sorby version. I usually substitute the Sorby scraper as it will bolt straight onto the standard Hooker shaft.
Sorby shear scrapers: (Source: may be difficult to find but usually can be ordered from Farris Tools http://www.sharptoolsusa.com/) These are dedicated shear scrapers. One four sided shaft has replacement tips oriented at a 45 degree angle. Flat shaft holds scrapers at the correct orientation. Tips come in two versions, a round for interior work and an eased corner square for external. I like these a lot for small to medium forms.
Other Shear Scrapers: Kelton makes a dedicated shear scraper and Hamlet makes a range of six scrapers for its Big Brother shaft, but I haven’t used either. There is also a shear scraper available for the Jamieson Bars.
Hamlet Multitool Handles: (Source: available separately from http://www.toolpost.co.uk/system/index.html). I dislike Hamlet’s behavior with regards to one of their former dealers, and hate their hollowing tool, but I really like these handles. They come in two useful sizes 17 inch and 26 inch, and are standard with a 5/8 inch interior shaft. The shorter comes with 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 inch adapters, the longer just has the two larger sizes. These adapters are really handy. I like the size and rubber covering of the shafts and that they use two set screws to hold the tool shaft (or adapter) in place. The adapters will work in any 5/8 interior shaft or socket.
Woodcut Proforme
Handles: 5/8 inch interior shafts. Short at 13-14 inches
IIRC with a thick foam handle. The foam handle is very
comfortable and allows good resistance to torsional forces.
Single set screw. My favorite shorter handle.
Woodcut Long
Handle: 40 inch long shaft with 5/8 inch interior. Single set
screw. OK if you need a long shaft, but generally I prefer other
solutions for these occasions.
Exocet Super Long Handle:
Essentially the same as above, but with camlock handle
instead of set screws. Has the advantage that camlock will not
munge up your shafts like set screws can, but the handle is very
expensive.
Oneway handles: 12 and 17 inch. Plastic covered
steel handles with 1/2 sockets at one end and 5/8 inch at the
other. 3/8 and 3/4 inch adapters are available. Holes are
slightly oversize and accommodate the 1/2 Kelton tools better
than others because of this. 2 set screws. Heavier for their
size than most, such as the Hamlets or Woodcut. I don’t like the
plastic covering quite as well as the rubber on the Hamlets.
With a short section of 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch rod (as appropriate
for the tool size inserted), the two handles can be joined to
make a 29” handle (or more with additional handles of the same
size). A good highly adaptable handle system.
Stewart Armbrace: I can’t imagine doing larger forms without this. The armbrace has a 3/4 interior socket with single T handled bolt (that can work loose). Short socket (about 1.25 inches, does not allow for variations in tool shaft length). I find it comfortable to use, far less punishing to my body, and that it provides much greater stability to the tool shaft. I regularly use the Woodcut Proforme tools in it with a sleeve adapter to bring them up to 3/4. Very good resistance to torsional forces and allows you to absorb the forces of heavy cuts such as can be achieved with the cutting tools. Sorby 2000 version is essentially the same but its ribbed handle is not nearly as comfortable and its armrest uses semi flexible aluminum rather than solid shaped steel. The aluminum might be of some advantage to those with very large or small arms in that you could shape the armrest to your arm.
Jamieson Handle used with a secondary tool rest: (Sources: Cutting Edge Tools and Craft Supplies USA, but see Lyle’s website as well http://www.lylejamieson.com/). I really like this handle system that allows total control over torsional forces and resistance against other forces generated by long overhangs. Short 3/4 socket with single set screw has same drawback as the Stewart Armbrace. Not the freedom of movement that unrestrained tools allow (so I don’t use it for small to medium forms), but it takes nearly all the strain and punishment out of doing large to very large forms. Comes with instructions to make a wooden secondary rest. I modified a Oneway secondary rest for use with mine, but CS appears to have just come out with a really great looking secondary support in steel.
Hollowing Tool Rest: This is the name given by Craft Supplies to the one they sell. It is a block of steel with a V-shaped notch, which swivels on a one inch steel post that fits in correspondingly sized banjos. It will accommodate a wide range of shaft sizes, from 1/2 inch up to around 1 inch. What this has going for it is that the single point design allows for horizontal stabilization of the tools, letting you lever the cutting point sideways into the wood. Since most of the cutting tools are capable of cutting anywhere from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock (with 12 being the very front of the tool held horizontally), being able to lever the tip to the side is very handy. Such support also tends to prevent bounce back on out of round forms or when a harder section of wood is encountered (more common with cutting tools than scraping tools). The downside of this tool is that its solid metal surfaces can be hard on the tool shaft.
Phil Irons Toolrest: Manufactured and sold by Woodcut http://woodcut-tools.com/. Sometimes called the Irons Tool rest or the Shepid Irons Tool Gate. This is one of my favorites, which I use regularly with almost all the cutting tools, and sometimes with the Omni-tool shafts. It is an flat bar of steel attached perpendicular to a threaded post that fits in your banjo (multiple sized posts are available). It has a nice ring that goes on the post to allow removal and return to the exact same height. The bar has three holes drilled in it where two different sizes of U shaped plastic tool holders can be fitted. These holders have a metal shaft that fits through the hole and are secured with a clip pin, allowing them to pivot freely. This is a very flexible system (in the adaptable sense). The plastic toolrests don’t mar the tool’s shafts, are quieter, absorb some shock, and have held up to very rough use. As described above, they allow one to lever the side of the tool against the work (I generally try to achieve contact around 10:30 to 11 o’clock). Another nice feature of this rest is that for bowls or semi-enclosed forms, you can extend the bar several inches into the form, to reduce overhang. Frankly, I don’t believe you can achieve full performance from a Proforme, Exocet, or Big Brother without this rest.
Oneway Secondary Toolrest: Oneway http://www.oneway.on.ca/index.html has it’s own boring bar system that I have not used. Part of that system is a steel secondary toolrest that is available for lathes in three different spindle height ranges (essentially 8 inches to 24 inches overall). They will sell this toolrest separately for a reasonable cost, though it may require a call direct to Oneway. This steel toolrest will fit almost any flat bed lathe, and works very well with the Jamieson handle. As it comes, it’s flat bars are spaced too wide (top to bottom) for the Jamieson bar diameter, but when the toolrest bars are faced with UHMW tape (like sold in rolls for jigs) and the Jamieson handle is covered with split garden hose, the resultant system works exceptionally well. The Jamieson handle glides easily and the hose dampens vibration and makes for a more comfortable grip. The Oneway tool rest can be pivoted on its post, or the whole system can be pivoted on its attachment point to the lathe bed (though both of these would be tightened during use). This allows for a great range of angles to which the tool handle/boring bar system can be oriented to the wood.
Craft Supplies Secondary Tool Rest for the Jamieson Handle: This has just been released and I haven’t used one, but it looks like a winner. Very similar to the Oneway toolrest described above, but specifically designed for the Jamieson Handle. I don’t think it has quite the same ability for fine vertical adjustment as the Oneway, or the ability to swivel the head separate from the attachment plate, but it looks to have greater width side to side between the bars. They also make a version with combined primary and secondary rests for shortbed lathes.
Wooden secondary tool rests: Instructions for a wooden secondary support to be shop made comes with the Jamieson handle (at least when purchased from Cutting Edge Tools) and is available on Lyle’s website http://www.lylejamieson.com/tool.htm. I haven’t built one, but great detailed pictures of a finished home built rest is available at the Krestel Creek website http://www.kestrelcreek.com/Lathe/OutRig/OutRig.htm
Kelton and Nichols secondary hollowing supports. I haven’t used either of these (the Kelton is just out). Both are designed for use with tools other than the Jamieson handle.
Note: This article was published in the July 2001 issue of More Woodturning. We have not taken the effort to make all of the web addresses links to those sites. The addresses are given so that you may copy them and access them should you wish more information that is given here. This article is provided as an information only article to show the type of material that we publish in More Woodturning.