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.  Almost all require a deep wallet, the physique of a gorilla and a level of faith that would have you believe the Pope look like a potential Protestant convert and you are ready to go hollowing.  That was the situation until Frank Steel 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.

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 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", please refer to the accompanying illustration.  Should a replacement cutter be required at any time these are available, though the cutter can be simply re-honed with a diamond slipstone.

To purchase the Hollmate and other fine BCT tools, please go back up one level to the product list .

It is simplicity itself to convert any model in the new BCT range to any other model in that range.  The following specifies the process required in each case.  Please note that these are not upgrades: all tools are created equal – these are conversions to increase the flexibility for the user, maximising his purchase value.

To Convert Versatool II to Supercut II:  Select desired cutter (1/2" or 3/8") and matching stem.

To Convert Supercut II to Versatool II:  Select desired pick cutter diameter (8 mm or 10 mm).

To Convert Supercut II or Versatool II to HolloMate:  Remove Supercut/Versatool cutter head completely. Install HolloMate head complete with cutter.

To Convert from HolloMate to Versatool II or Supercut II:  Remove HolloMate head complete with cutter.  Install Versatool head.  Select Versatool cutter (8 mm or 10 mm) for Versatool II conversion.  For Supercut II conversion, select either ½" or 3/8" Supercut cutter and matching stem.

Please note however, that although the newly-developed range of tools allows complete flexibility with interchangeability of parts between the different models it has NOT been possible to make these new componehnts backwards-compatible, to mount on earlier tools (with the sole possible exception of earlier Hollomate tools.)