There are a few good "deep hollowing" tools on the market, some OK tools and a fair number of poor ones.  They have some things in common - they are all fairly costly, for one thing and they all demand of their users significant levels of skill and  strength.  The techniques of use require that the user - you or I - understands that in the (almost inevitable) event of a "catch" or "dig-in" the tool will not (or at least ought not) to kill or maim us because of some detail nuance of the design which is designed to prevent, or at least minimise the chances of, such a catastrophe!  All you need, apart from a deep wallet and the physique of a gorilla is a level of faith that would have you believe the Pope look like a potential Protestant convert and you are ready to go hollowing.

Until now, that is.  Good old Frank Steel over at BCT has spent much of his life finding ways to make woodturning less apparently threatening to those learning the skills of the game.  He recently took a good look at the tools available for hollowing, tried them, suffered some of the mishaps and thought long and hard about how to minimise the opportunities for these problems to arise.  The result was the outstandingly simple, easy to use, low cost HolloMate tool which are are proud to illustrate, above.

The tool combines the proven free-cutting principle of the ring cutter, adds to it the well-tried idea of a cover which acts as a supporting bevel to regulate cutting depth and then adds the magic ingredient of the lateral stabiliser developed on the earlier BCT tools and brought to full and effective fruition in the Versatool.  This unique feature  completely eliminates the twisting of hollowing tools which so many of we - especially older - users find so difficult and exhausting.  What that adds up to is an easy-cutting, fast-acting easily controlled tool that even the most timid of turners can use to produce hollow workpieces with complete confidence.

An instruction sheet for this product could be admirably brief - "mount timber; start lathe; point tool at timber; start hollowing; stand back and admire your brilliance as a turner!".  It really is that simple: we have proven it to ourselves, we have members of staff who were previously put off by their attempts at hollowing using other tools who have immediately mastered the craft with this unique tool and we have proven it with clients whom we have introduced to the tool in the shop and who have settled to using it immediately.  This is a tool which inspires confidence in use and lets you concentrate on the things that you should really be thinking about such as the shape, wall thickness, quality of surface etc. etc.  You do the thinking but the tool does the cutting - and no-one need do any worrying.

If you are concerned about the tool's "vital statistics", it measures 9" (225 mm) from the ferrule to the tip.  In its standard position, the stabiliser projects approx. 1" (25 mm) beyond the tip and extends 5.5" (135 mm) to the side.  From the tip to the stabiliser mounting bar measures 6.25" (160 mm) and this could be taken as the maximum comfortable hollowing depth with the tool - sufficient for projects around 7" to 8" tall, allowing for base thickness and a mounting foot.  Should a replacement cutter be required at any time these are available, though the cutter can be simply re-honed with a diamond slipstone.