Laser-Guided Deep Hollowing System

Our new Laser-Guided Deep Hollowing System takes the guess work out of knowing wall thickness when turning a hollow form!

What does it do?

Laser guided hollowing systems allow the turner to easily gauge the wall thickness of a vessel while it is being cut.

How does it work?

A laser pointer is set so the laser light is offset from the cutting tip by the desired wall thickness of the vessel. When the hollowing process is started the laser will point mostly to the middle of the vessel. As the vessel is hollowed and the cutting tip moves outward the laser light follows. Once the cutter reaches the desired thickness, the laser light falls off the vessel.

What lathe(s) can it be used on?

The laser light system can be used on any machine that has flat bed that can support a rear back rest. A rear back rest support is necessary because the laser light must be held square to the bed of the lathe.

What makes our hollowing system unique to other laser systems?

One of the difficulties of laser pointers is that as you move about the form the laser pointer must be constantly adjusted to keep the laser perpendicular to the area of the vessel that is being cut.

The Oneway laser point is designed so that it can be easily adjusted to be perpendicular to the wall of the vessel while the cutter is still inside the vessel.

Why is the Oneway system better?

The Oneway Laser-Guided Hollowing System has been designed to make turning hollow forms easier and safer. Back arresting the hollowing bar reduces the strength needed to control the bar and controls twisting forces which allows the use of offset bars. The backrest is large, and easily adjustable for both overall height and height of the gate.

The bars are stainless steel and 5/8” in diameter. The 5/8” diameter was chosen as it allows easier access around the tight neck of a vessel where vibration is not a problem. For deeper vessels an optional ¾” bar adaptor is available as well as a 1” straight bar.

Because the tips can be rotated, only three bars are required to hollow a 7 inch diameter sphere through a 1 inch hole with a 1 inch long neck.

Which tools are recommended for a basic system?

To make full use of the system you should use all the bars. The most used bars are the straight and single bend. More difficult shapes can be achieved using the double bend. Deeper vessels require the 1 inch straight bar.

How deep can I hollow using this system?

How deep you can go is a hard question to answer. It depends on the type of wood, the kind of lathe, your experience and your patience. Most people will be able to hollow 9 inches deep relatively easily with the standard 5/8” bars.

What is the cutter made from?

The cutter is made from M2 HSS.

How is the Cutter sharpened?

The cutter can be easily sharpened on a grinder. It is ground on the outside like any standard scraper. It can also be honed on the top if required.

Is the Back Rest adjustable?

The Oneway backrest can be adjusted for height with two screw adjusters. This allows you to get the backrest flat and the right height. The height of the opening in the gate is also adjustable with screw adjustment. The gate can also be propped open to allow easy insertion and removal or heavy boring bars; the gate can then be set back shut to the preset height.

The backrest is offset and has a slotted base so it can be set with the wide part of the backrest to the front or to the back and for very large offsets it can be rotated.

Do I have to be an advanced turner to use the system?

Hollow turning is difficult as you are working blind. The Oneway hollowing system removes most of the problems by giving you a visual aid to where the tool is. You still need a basic knowledge of the proper way to hollow a vessel but now execution is greatly simplified.