MyTurningShop - Part 2

The Elbo Hollowing Tool – Review

Elbo Hollowing Tool

This post consitutes my first review of a tool. Let me first be clear in stating that my review is my honest opinion of the product, I am in no way being compensated for this post by the tool maker or any other entity.

Within my first week of turning I had tried my first hollow form but it was only about 4″ tall due to tool limitations.

Several months later I invested in a Sorby HollowMaster which continues to find use but can be a real body beater depending on the application. Only with experience comes skill but you will pay a price in sore muscles and occasional catches that will quickly end the project at hand. For fairly shallow turnings it works great but once you get more than a few inches deep you lose significant leverage due to the large overhang of the tool rest.

Other hollowing options I had considered included the arm brace type like the Don Pencil, or Dennis Stewart arm brace systems. While I could see the potenial improvement in leverage these tools could still leave me fighting against the wood. In the end I just saw these tools as a variation of what I already had at 3 to 4 times the price.

Then I considered the capture systems like Lyle Jamieson Boring Bar. Just looking at his body sculptures make you want his product! You can’t help but imagine making something just as beautiful if you had one of his tools. I especially liked the added feature of the laser guide. Without a laser guide you are left with the need to routinely shutting off the lathe to measure wall thickness.

Lyle Jameison Hollowing Tool

After saving up and getting ready for the big plunge I ran across the Elbo Tool. Upon first sight this approach seemed so much simpler and logical than the captured hollowing approach. A quick trip to Highland Hardware and I was ready for business.

Installation could only be easier if Elbo were to include a quick release mechanism. The overall package however is quit efficient and easy to use.

In about two minutes the tool was set up for use. You simply remove the live center from your tailstock securing about one inch of the quill outside the tailstock. Firmly attach the Elbo tool to the tailstock using two bolts and your are almost done.

The cutter tool is supported by your tool rest. Position the tool rest as close to your piece as possible. The move the tailstock into a good position. Too far back and you may not be able to get a good angle for cutting the inside of the piece, but not so close that the cutter cannot be fully removed.

All that is necessary is to guide the tool with a light touch. The cutter, once set will never come out of ideal position. I simply cannot see how hollowing could be any easier.

The only complaint is with the laser attachment. As you see in their stock photo above the laser is being held with a magnetic base on a square extension bar that did not come with my purchase. The clamp pictured below is what I obtained and when attached does not allow the laser to extend as far as the cutter with the 14″ cutter arm I purchased. I simply made use of an extension from a magnetic base dial indicator I had previously purchased from Grizzy Tools some years ago.

Overall the tool works very well. There is little effort on my part necessary during the hollowing process and set-up and tear down could not be much easier. I am very pleased with the purchase and would recommend it if you are looking for a hollowing system.

A Little Effort Now Saves A Lot Later

Next month MyTurningShop.com will be hosting a contest to win a gift certificate to Highland Hardware. Read below to learn more and check back soon for details.

Are you really as productive in the shop as you could be? On occasion many people suddenly realize that the process they use or the method applied was not the most effective or efficient… after the fact. I would find it hard to believe that anyone has never had the “Wow, I could have had a V8″ moment!

But consider for a moment the little things. Each day you take a few extra steps, or reach further or more often than necessary, maybe you make many trips from one side of the shop to the other.

For years I had kept sandpaper in a large storage bin. While each size and grit would remain in its package they were all just thrown in. Each time I needed a sheet I’d have to dig through the pile, pick up one package to read the grit (wrong one!), throw it back and grab another. Then walk back to the project until I needed more paper or another grit.

Wow, I could have had a V8!

Using a spare piece of 6″ PVC pipe I created a caddy for the D.A. Discs.

Now, when working on a project it is as simple as grabbing the caddy. I have all I need in any grit I need. When done, it is an easy clean up, just take the caddy back to its standard storage location.

Here is another great tip to help you improve your productivity. Buy a pedometer and work. Measure your movement for a week before making changes. Each time you make an improvement you should see a reduction in your movement.

When your not walking your being productive and isn’t that the real purpose of our time in the shop?

What improvements have you made to improve your productivity? Consider the jigs and fixtures you have made and changes to your process. Come back here next month to share them with MyTurningShop readers and you may win a gift certificate to Highland Hardware.

Highland Hardware

MyTurningShop is now an affiliate of Highland Hardware. Why? Highland Hardware has earned my business and my support.

We are all aware of Rockler, Woodcraft, Packard, and PennState to name a few of the many. Honestly, I’ve used them all and will probably use them again… occasionally.

If you have never checked them out however, there is another player you must take a look at: Highland Hardware

I was first acquainted with Highland when I lived in California several years ago. At the time there were not as many vendors selling woodturning tools and few had the inventory breadth that Highland Hardware had.

Yes the big guys had lathes and gouges and a few other accessories. But face it, the woodturning world has exploded in the last few years. Through it all and long before Highland was already there. They have the inventory, the knowledge and the experience to help you turn more and turn better.

What really sold me on Highland was an experience that my wife had, not me.

In 2006, my wife wanted to get me a present for my new hobby of Turning. I had made one excited comment to her about how you could use the lathe to do metal spinning (forming of metal cylindrical components on the lathe).

Wanting to do something special she pulled one of Highland Hardware’s catalogs and made a call. As I understand it, the associate at Highland was not only understanding about her ignorance of turning but he took substantial time to make sure there was understanding of the tools she was expressing interest in, the costs associated and provided the additional guidance to ensure I had samples of metal discs and lubricant necessary to start spinning right out if the box.

To this day I’ve not been successful spinning metal. But I assure you it’s not the tools, it’s all in my technique or lack thereof.

Since then I’ve used Highland many times. They have a great website, superb staff, and a great supply of everything you may need and much more. Most of all, I love their catalog. It’s not one of those overpriced full color regurgitations of the tool suppliers stock photos and ad copy. It’s obvious that Highland’s catalog is built by people that take the time to learn about the tools they sell. Highland’s catalog is entertaining and inspiring; you will love it and learn from it.

Click on any Highland Link from this website. By doing so, you will not only acquaint yourself with the best turning supplier there is, you will also support MyTurningShop in the process.

And… If you ever find yourself in the Atlanta area or even close, I assure you the trip to their store is worth the experience. Crazy, I know, I once flew from Washington D.C. just because I had to see the store personally. It was worth every mile travelled. Part old world small town hardware store atmosphere, part Disneyland for adults that love woodworking. The company’s history dates back to the late 1800’s and played a part in the creation of CocaCola!

Jigs & Fixtures & History

While I am not a “production” kind of a guy, I find the application of Lean in the production environment particularly interesting. For me, I believe, is due to the similarities in woodcraft.

Today’s woodcraft, minus all the fancy power equipment, is much the same as it was in the 1800’s. Individual’s working mostly alone through diverse challenges of how to turn chunks of wood into beautiful artwork, functional furniture or anything else.

This journey of creation often requires the application of an accumulation of skills, a mix of innovation, a variety of tools and a few jigs and fixtures.

Jigs and Fixtures were a natural part of production environments prior to mass production and the industrial revolution. Once the production of products was broken down into individual steps and stretched along a production line the workers no longer had the need to work through development of the product and the natural creative experience of developing the process and the jigs to make it all possible.

It is often in the experience gained building one jig that ideas are sparked and other jigs and fixtures are imagined. Each improvement leads to increased quality. Each new innovation leads to increased productivity.

The mass production environment limits exposure to the opportunities of developing the skills necessary to create, improve and innovate.

How many jobs have you had in your life? How often have you been told to just “do your job”, “nose to the grindstone”, “don’t rock the boat”.

Have you ever had a boss that challenged you to not only do your job but to improve your job each day? Imagine how much more enjoyable a job would be if you were not only allowed but encouraged to figure out how to do your job better, faster and with higher quality.

hmmm… sounds kind of like a day in the shop.

Over 3,000 people just like you have viewed this blog. How about sharing a little? What Jig or Fixture have you felt most proud of? Click on the comments link at the bottom of this post and share with us.

Lost in lean, getting organized is worth it!

For those not familiar, Lean Management is sometimes summarized as: Doing more with less. Fundamentally, it’s the application of several tools and concepts to become more efficient through better planning and organization.

Humans so often develop tunnel vision towards the world around them. Over time they neglect to see the opportunities that exist. We become de-synthesized to problems and opportunities. We begin to accept them as the norm, when to others they may not be. We are blinded to the inefficiency we create for ourselves.

Case in point, while flying home from a business trip the Delta gate agent announced a delayed departure. Not unusual for the routine traveler, but then she went on to say, “You all know how these MD-80’s are prone to these problems. I will update you on the status as soon as I can”.

For the gate agent, spending every workday at the airport handling MD-80’s, maybe this is a routine occurrence. But no matter how much I fly, these are not words I want to hear! If true, this is a big problem for Delta, but it seems their associates simply accept it as the status quo.

Imagine how much Delta has spent trying to market themselves as a safe and reliable airline. In a couple short announcements, one associtate ruined all that effort for hundreds of people within earshot, not to mention how many of those people, like myself, will pass along this story.

This made me reflect however on the things that are wrong or inefficient in my own world. And what has been the impact on my life? How many extra hours have I spend over the decades looking for a specific drill bit because I didn’t have them all organized and stored in a central location?

I use to face this when looking for a drill bit.

Today, I know where to find exactly what I need.

How often did I pull out the wrong lathe gouge?

Now there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

I’m proud of the progress I have made, but there is so much more. The more I improve, the more I organize, the more I find to change and improve. I too have a million more steps to go, but I am glad to be on the journey.

A fellow associate once said that learning to apply lean will “ruin” you. Because the more you learn to see the waste and inefficiency in the way you and others do things the more waste you will learn to see.

Not a day goes by now that I don’t see some form a waste in my life or in companies that I do business with. We are surrounded by waste and inefficiencies.

But given the choice to be ignorant of the opportunity, and being lost in lean; I’ll take lost, but with the ability to see. While all others blindly wallow in their inefficiency, I can enjoy the great benefits to a lean journey and the improvements that are experienced in one’s life, making everything you do more organized, higher quality and faster.

The Elbo Hollowing Tool – Review

A Little Effort Now Saves A Lot Later

Highland Hardware

Jigs & Fixtures & History

Lost in lean, getting organized is worth it!

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