Another option is the Hope hollowing bar - a one-piece square bar with handle, with a carbide tip set at a fixed angle. The square bar helps ensure the disc is presented to the wood at the correct cutting angle. The carbide disc can be rotated to maintain a sharp edge, and replaced when exhausted.

With top and base hollowed, the base was mounted in the chuck and the top jammed on - courtesy of a tight fitting lip expertly cut. Friction was sufficient to allow the top to be shaped and a small hole cut through. Three rings were cut to disguise the join and deflect from the inevitable slight loss of pattern / grain matching.

The piece was not sanded on the night, but would be later on. It was a pretty good finish off the tool, especially given the timber being spalted. This piece would be glued later, probably with PVA. The glue needs to allow some movement to align the grain - CA might set too quickly.

With a few minutes spare, Philip offered a choice of early finish or a quick square bowl. Members voted for their money's worth - the extra piece. Philip started with a fairly thin square blank, with a recess already drilled. It was shaped, a spigot added, and reversed.

To sand the piece, a sanding arbor was fixed in a drill chuck mounted in a shopmade holder. The dish can then be manipulated onto the sander, rather than the more usual other way round. Rotating corners do not work well with normal sanding methods.