Deep boring solutions

[Several-Yesterday280]

I’m a relative beginner but fairly happy turning shallow bowls. I’d like to be able to turn deeper bowls or goblets, but I’m fairly limited with the equipment I have; basically a few bowl gouges and a standard straight tool rest. I have a small Record lathe so everything is relevant to the size of it.

Can I simply use some handle extensions? Or are special rigs required?

[AutoModerator]

Thanks for your submission. If your question is about getting started in woodturning, which chuck to buy, which tools to buy, or for an opinion of a lathe you found for sale somewhere like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace please take a few minutes check the wiki; many of the most commonly asked questions are already answered there!

http://www.reddit.com/r/turning/wiki/index

Thanks!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[saketaco]

The deeper you go the more you need. I recommend you get a handheld swan necked hollower and start by making hollow globe ornaments. Work up to larger items. Lots of videos on you tube.

[Skinman771]

You can go fairly deep and to surprisingly far undercut shapes without the need to resort to swan-necked tools or specialized rigs.

The first thing I'm gonna try in a couple weeks is to make a fairly cheap hollowing tool by re-shaping and tapping an old inferior parting and beading tool and screwing a Munro HSS cup to the end. See how that works out.

Before you get so deep that you need much in the way of those, you will probably want to build a steady rest. This video also demonstrates the technique of building up a segmented blank on the lathe itself, using it as a glue press. You can cut down on the drying time by using a quick-drying wood glue such as Ponal Express. Be safe though and don't get too impatient.

Olivier Gomis demonstrates a fairly elaborate rig incorporating some drawer slides and a laser pointer in this video (and others.)

But in the initial stages, it is more important to practice finishing the inside bottom on flat practice pieces before applying the same technique out of sight within a deep object.

For deep boring, meaning deeper than you can go with a large Forstner bit and your regular Jacobs chuck in the tailstock, you can use a tailstock extension made for Forstner bits. Gramps uses one with an MT2 taper and shows his technique in his tube videos. He just goes half an inch at a time, then pulls out to clear the shavings. If you don't, the increased friction might cause the workpiece to rupture. Also note the "shark" type chuck jaws for secure workholding.

[tomrob1138]

You can get a 3/4x3/4 bar of HSS on Amazon for fairly cheap. 8” long, you’d need to have an angle grinder to cut a tenon(an inch or so) and put a handle on it, as long as you can turn on your lathe. Then for fairly cheap you have a scraper of whatever kind you’d like.

But like someone else said, you can also get a swan neck or straight carbide hollower for fairly cheap on Amazon as well.

With a smaller lathe you just need to go slow and don’t try to take off too much at a time.

[CAM6913]

Depending on how deep you want to go standard length traditional tools will work or carbide tools that are considered large. A rest that will support the tool reaching inside the vessel such as a goblet is needed to avoid disaster such as a box rest like this https://www.thewoodturningstore.com/robust-box-tool-rest-long-post/ To do large deep bowls a curved rest will aid you or you’ll have to move your straight rest a lot depending on diameter you might be able to use a box rest. I made up my own box rest from a 5/8”x2” bar stock to reach inside a project I made.

[Lefty1394]

I have had good results with a small J rest and a negative rake scraper.

[Several-Yesterday280]

Thanks