Rolly Munro Practise

[wizer]

Had a little play with the Rolly Munro tool today. Things went quite well compared to my first attempt at hollowing. It was the only Ash log in the pile that was free from worm holes.

I'd roughed it down on Sunday, so I just needed to do the shaping and hollowing today. Mark Hancock gave me some good tips for setting the tool up and I managed to get it cutting straight away.

I got a bit carried away and ended up going through the side....

oops. I decided to cut it in half to see how I did:

Not too bad really. It's about 5mm at the thickest part, tapering down to 1mm where it cracked. The bottom is only that chunky because I parted it off further back than I would it it'd turned out well.


During turning i played about with the depth settings and was surprised how fine a finish you can get. Should I use a different tool to get the final finish on the inside?

I did have a couple of problems. Firstly the lathe height. I need it to be a least 2 inches higher and I'd say more for comfort. Might have to look into raising it. Also, towards the end I had a lot of problems with the tool being chucked about. It felt like the work had gone out of true? Was this just because it was flexing as it got thinner?

 

[CHJ]

....Also, towards the end I had a lot of problems with the tool being chucked about. It felt like the work had gone out of true? Was this just because it was flexing as it got thinner?

If this was the case then hollow to desired thickness as you go, leaving more support at the lower sides, do not go back out to the 'thinned' work area.

 

[BMac]

I think you've done superbly well there, I wish my first attempt had looked like that when I cut it in half.

Height issues - I noticed you have the headstock swung towards you. Did you try bringing the headstock right to the end of the bed so that you are straight on to the work? I found that doing that helped some, in that, I was only bending forwards and not twisting as well which I still tend to do when I just swing the headstock.

Brendan

 

[johnny.t.]

Do these tools hollow fast? Did you find it easy?

I made the mistake of buying a sorby rs200kt and its swan necked big brother and I can't get on with them at all(could be sharpened poorly), I now use a gouge on its side for hollowing and just tidy the inside with the swan neck sorby with a round scraper in.

I like doing hollow stuff and splashing out on a Rolly Munro is very tempting.

Well done for nearly hollowing it out in one piece Ash is not going to be the easiest timber to hollow. I can see on the timber what looks suspisiously like wood worm holes :shock: :lol:

JT

 

[wizer]

thanks guys.

Brendan, the headstock does slide to the end but I wouldn't be able to stand there as it's angled into the wall. However, the headstock will rotate a full 90 degrees, so I can stand in front of it and work. There is an out board tool rest arrangement. To do this today I just had it rotated out a little to I didn't have to twist myself over the bed and it went quite well. Last time I tried hollowing on the old lathe I was in agony. I would like the lathe centre to be higher tho. I felt like I was bending my knees to keep the tool horizontal.

Johnny, I have only tried the Woodcut Pro-Forme before this, which I couldn't get to work at all. I tried George's mini munro at the bash and Mark Hancock let me try the standard munro at the show on Saturday. Both times I was able to hog out wood very quickly with complete control. To say it's easy to use is an understatement. If I can use it, anyone can. It doesn't seem to matter how much or little depth you set it at, it will not dig in. If you set the shield with only the tiniest amount of cutter showing, you get a very nice surface which I'd say could be sanded easily.

I think there is a shear scraper set that fits to it, must go research that.

It's not cheap, not cheap at all. But it works really well. I'd guess by the time I'd gone for a couple of cheaper options, then I'd have spent more money in the long run. At the bash, George suggested that the mini munro is quite enough to get you started and will do large work as well as small. The only reason I went for the big one is that was the only one they had left on Saturday and I'm an impatient so and so

 

[johnny.t.]

Hmm now I want one but I've been spending money this week and it may be hard to justify to SWMBO as theres so many things we need at present :evil: Maybe try my luck at Xmas :lol:

 

[wizer]

I can see on the timber what looks suspisiously like wood worm holes :shock: :lol:

JT

That worried me for a minute because you're right, it does look like a worm track in the above pic. But I just went back and check it over. It's just a trick of the camera. I can't actually see anything on the wood.

 

[wizer]

What has surprised me about this tool is how light the handle is. It's just a thin tube of aluminium with an end cap and knob. Can I drill and tap the end to add a weighted extension?

 

[wizer]

B*ll*cks, did it again!

So near...

and yet, so far...

It was a piece of Italian Alder which was given to me at the club. Whilst it was a sealed log with bark on, it was extremely dry and brittle. The intention was just for another practise but it was going so well that I decided to finish it. The hollowing went very well, no errors to speak of. I love the way you can set the shield to take a fine cut which is almost worthy of a finish.

The problem came when I started to refine the outside shape after hollowing. As the wood was so brittle, the only thing that would tame it was the skew and it was leaving a beautiful finish on the wood. Problem is, while I'm ok at planing cuts with the skew I still manage to keep catching it, typically when I got it 'just right'. Each catch left a heft scar in the wood which meant I had to plane it all away with the skew and of course every time I got it where I want it BAM! This happened 3 or 4 times until I just planed right through the side

The skew problems are mainly that of momentary concentration loss. Good job wifey and baby were out and we don't have neighbours, because the cursing was rather audible :lol:

Oh well it's all practise.

 

[Bodrighy]

Using a skew on a curve is very difficult. The pro at or club was showing me the other week and I commend you for even trying Tom. It is possible to use a bowl gouge in the same way, a planing cut and getting almost as good a finish. Try on a solid piece, that's what the pro got me to do

Pete

 

[big soft moose]

if the hole doesnt go all the way round , use the dremel to carve it into a "feature"

 

[CHJ]

I don't think I would have the nerve to try using a skew on something that diameter let alone a hollow form that had the in built ability to flex. It's bowl or stout spindle gouge for me I'm afraid.

 

[wizer]

Yes point taken, it was a choice of desperation. I couldn't get any other tool to give me a good finish. Generally it went very well. I think I just relaxed when it was going well and lost concentration. Must practise some more with the gouges.

Pete, it's very thin in that area and would always be weak. It might be worth cutting it off and plugging it somehow, but I don't think I'll bother. The intention really was for practise and the fact that it failed is no drama. But the wood was looking lovely, shame.

 

[BMac]

Wizer,

I always finish the outside completely before hollowing the inside because I always had problems trying to get a finish cut when the thin walls were flexing.

Brendan