Elbo vs Jamieson Hollowing System Question

[jcredding]

I’m considering a hollowing system as I do more and larger pieces - getting into 8 - 12” deep solid and segmented vessels, and thinking about going larger. The 2 I’m considering right now are Tim Yoder’s Elbo system and Lyle Jamieson’s captured system. Cost is around $100 difference for the sets I’m looking at, and that cost difference won’t affect my thinking.

Curious if anyone has used both and has thoughts of relative strengths and weaknesses. If you’ve only used 1 of them, would like to know which and what you liked and disliked. I’m going to try and see each in action if possible, beyond watching YouTube, but appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks, John

[badwhiskey]

I have the Jamieson system and I like it okay.  It is very big and awkward to store when it's not in use.  And it takes quite a bit of room at the lathe to get the full access that I need.  But it works as advertised. 

If you get one, order directly from Lyle.  He caught a potential mistake in my order and personally reached out to me to make sure I was getting the right set up for my lathe.

[Arlin Eastman]

I have the Jamieson system and I like it okay.  It is very big and awkward to store when it's not in use.  And it takes quite a bit of room at the lathe to get the full access that I need.  But it works as advertised. 

If you get one, order directly from Lyle.  He caught a potential mistake in my order and personally reached out to me to make sure I was getting the right set up for my lathe.

Yes it is hard to store on the wall for sure.  I am lucky on having both of them since both Lyle and Tim gave me their hollowing systems and this is how I feel about them.

1.  Lyles is awesome for deep turnings and he sells a larger bar to get even deeper and it is very steady to use while hollowing.

2.  Tim's is very easy to use and store and I love it for shallow hollowing of say 7" or less which it excels at, however, he also sells a thicker bar to go deeper.

So to say both work very well together.

[iclark]

For larger vessels, the Carter Hollowing System has always been very impressive when I have seen it demonstrated at symposiums. The downside is that I do not want to even think about storage for that system.

I tried several different captive D hollowing systems during a private lesson and wound up buying an articulating arm system from a company founded by a WNer. Unfortunately, that WNer has passed and his family was unable to keep the company going. So, I cannot recommend buying what I have.

I have often seen Lyle showing his system at woodworking symposiums. He has always seemed very honest and straight-forward about discussing the pros and limitations of his system.

Depending on how much of a hurry you are in, you might want to checkout the vendors list for upcoming symposiums in your area to see if Lyle or someone selling Tim's system will be there.

Like choosing a camera, sometimes it comes down to how well a tool fits your hands.

[Wildwood]

Don’t think would go with either Jamieson or Yoder hollowing systems. Cannot say for sure but pictures on Tim’s site look lot neater or more polished than original Elbo system I remember.

If want to do a lot of deep hollowing Lyle captive system lot better and safer than Elbo’s articulating arm. While larger boring bar will let you go deeper with Lyle’s captive hollowing system not so with Elbo system which cap out at 6” to 8” deep. I haven’t gone over ten inches with my Jamieson & Jordan tools.

You can buy bare bones systems from Jamieson or Yoder and buy boring bars either straight or curved from other people. You can use either HSS or carbide cutters with either system.

I bought D-handle & Back Rest Assembly from Packard Wood works along with 3/4” John Jordan curved & straight boring bars. Made my own laser set up out wood dowels & bunch of small hardware from Lowes. My laser pointer came from staples.

Can buy 3/16” x 2 1/2” square 5% cobalt tool bits from link; 15 @ $2.15 + $11.13 ship ran me $43.38. Cut to length with dremel tool & cut off wheel. For my bent tool have to take to the grinder & round over one end.

https://www.victornet.com/category/Regul...s/862.html

If just want HSS cost even less:
https://www.victornet.com/subdepartments...d=Df2Zq4m7

Like to stay away from which is better articulation or captive hollowing systems just don’t think can do better than Jamieson or now Yoder systems in versatility and price.

[jcredding]

Thanks to all for the replies, and I’m going to try and see the systems in use at some point (beyond the YouTube videos). I also decided to reach out to each of them directly and ask about pros / cons to the systems from their own perspective, as well as amount of space. I currently have the lathe set up reasonably close to a wall and about 2 -3 feet of space at the tail.

[AnthonyYak]

https://trentboschtools.com/

[clovishound]

I made a Jameson style system several years back. Cost was low, not counting time. I actually enjoyed the build. One of my turning buddies and I made ours together. I'm not much of a welder, but the system has held up well. FWIW, I used one of the Harbor Freight $100 flux core wire welders to build them.

The system isn't perfect, but does make deep hollowing much easier than doing it freehand. The ease of guiding the hollowing compared to handheld is amazing the first few times you use it. The laser guide is not as easy to use as it would seem, but works well after some learning. I turned several dozen hollow forms with it before life began to interfere with my turning. I hope to get back to turning at some point.

If you can't weld, getting a welder, accessories, and learning to weld just to build one is probably not worth it. 

If you have access to welding, then consider making one. There is lots of info available on the web on how to build one.

[Arlin Eastman]

John

If you wish I will loan out my Tim Yoder's Elbow tool to you since I am not using it for a few months.  Send me a PM if you want to.