They don't call it the vortex for nothing. I am tempted to try the
Hunter tools as well. Most of them are handled, but the same carbide
cutters. I was talking to Mike Hunter, and he seems like a good guy.
His do have the swan neck.
robo hippy

PS Mac, quoting an old country song, "the Devil made me do it the
first time, the second time I did it on my own."

On Jan 23, 9:37*am, mac davis wrote:
Got the Mega and tried it out yesterday...Holy ****!

It's like the Termite and Supercut tools on steroids..

I used it unhandled most of the time, and with the coring handle for a deep
vase.. It's WAY long with the handle and feels awkward, but I guess ya get used
to it..

I had an ironwood bowl that I'd put aside a few weeks ago.. Just couldn't get
the shape I wanted on the inside because of a very irregular and cracked side
shape on the top half of the bowl..
Touched it a few times with the mega (my first cut with it) and it shaved that
sucker like it was a smooth pine bowl..

Then I put a badly cracked juniper log on the lathe and rounded it into a rough
vase, drilled a 1/2" pilot hole about 9" deep and had at it.. WOW..
I did all the hollowing/smoothing/scraping this morning and what would have been
at least a half day job took 2 hours..
The log had a 1/8" wide crack down the side of the vase and all the mega did was
click as it shaved it clean..
The Supercut might have done it, but I think the flex/vibration would have
damaged the crack.. And the Termite would have caught and blown the vase...
BTW: I never touched a scraper at all.. just the mega on the inside and a sharp
bowl gouge on the outside...
Not having to use scrapers lowered my stress level a lot, since I was doing
walls less than 1/4" thick all the way down...

I'm MORE than impressed... I wish I hadn't let the price tag stop me from
getting it a year or 2 ago...

Thanks for "pushing me over the edge" on this purchase, Reed..

mac

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