Natural Edge Maple Vase

[HillClimb]

Practise piece, to try out some unused kit. First use of my gripper jaws and home-made steady-rest, but main objective was to learn how to use my hook-tool for the end grain hollowing (and the oversized Sapelle handle I made to use with it (pictured with a 16" handled gouge for context)) . Very effective - I like it - but not at all intuitive. A Maple branch off of the firewood pile, felled 9months ago, which had numerous checks before I even started including a bark scar, adds interest! so all fixed with CA, but at 18% moisture it will probably continue to crack some more and end up in the wood burner. Vase 135mm (5.5") diameter by 175mm (7") tall. 

[bodrighywood]

Don't see many turners other than pole lathe turners or japanese using a hook tool nowadays.

Pete

[HillClimb]

Yes Pete - it is an end-grain only tool - and even then better suited to turning green wood.  It seems that, that combination will always make it rare in the UK. And unlike most, I do have a ready source of green wood, but not much of greater trunk girth and I only have a midi lathe. So I want to get to be good at, what I have readily to hand - small-med end grain green turning - as well as the seasoned side grain turning that is more common.

I saw the hook tool demo'ed, and in the hands of a master I like the fact that a  peeling cuts is possible (rather than scraping with a carbide); and planing cuts are possible too and it drills well. So it is ideal for peeling cuts where the form is deeper than a gouge can be safely used.

But in my novice hands, so far I have found it to be very effective at removing wood quickly and it feels safe; but I am a long way away the finesse of controlling profiling to get even thin wall turnings and a great finish -- but that is what practise is all about

[Bryan Milham]

I really like the goblet/beaker shape you've achieved here.

Where do you jet a hook tool like that in the UK, please?

That's an interest only question, not actually sure I'd like to try one.

[bodrighywood]

They are mainly made by pole lathe turners Brian. You can get them here

Pete

[HillClimb]

I know Wiedemann make their version of this hook tool that is intended for woodturning lathe machinest (i.e. powered lathes spinning fast rather than slow treadle lathes)  and I when I have visited my local woodturning shop, the Toolpost, over at Didcot, Oxford I saw that they sell the Wiedemann Hook Tool (but I can not find them listed for sale on Peter's website - but then he has loads of stuff in the shop that isn't on the website).

There are a couple of video's on YouTube by Wiedemann demo'ing their use
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyDNAGu0rxU (the profile of Wiedemann straight hook tool is very different to Martel's which I have. With myine I pull from the bottom of the cut - where with this Wiedemann it cuts to the side - but not that

• Although the item being cut is a spindle & end-grain, the cut is peeling side grain
• If you were to hold a hook tool beside a bowl gouge, it has the same cutting tip and cutting edge along one "wing", both with the same bevel
• So the initial cuts shown in the Wiedemann video are identical to presenting a bowl gouge laid on its side with the flute pointing towards the front of the lathe, in a push cut from the middle toward the lathe front when the handle is way over the back of the lathe (as Demo'ed by Stuart Batty at 4:50 here https://vimeo.com/68642331  - but the difference is a hook tool can continue to make this bevel supported cut deeper than a bowl gouge where the side walls of the form would interfere.
  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxmc7pd3kQ explains cranked hook tools - the comments above re. that a hoot tool has the same cutting edges and bevel and the peeling of side grain with bevel support still apply - the rational for the crank in the hook tool is to put the cutting edge back in line with centre line of the shaft and toolrest support

I have the MHT version and there is a full length video of its use and comparison to gouges here https://vimeo.com/82587061

Perhaps you can tell from the above, I am not only interested in how a cut is done (which is often what is demo'ed)  - but why, when done right, it works - hence I like presenters line Andre Martel and Stuart Batty how explain the technicalities

However I can't say I have ever seen a hook being used on a pole lathe, so i have no idea whether they are the same profile or similar, same tool presentation - or whether they simply share a name but are quite different