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Branches to Bowls

Unique woodturning artisan. Your source for Vicmarc lathes, woodturning tools and accessories.

11/09/2026

The Vicmarc VL240 ASM EVS Heavy Duty isn’t just a lathe… it’s basically the gym membership your workshop never asked for 💪🪵

With a massive 299kg cast iron build, electronic variable speed from 10–3000RPM, and a swivel headstock that locks at 22.5° increments all the way to 90°, this machine was built for serious bowl turners and vessel addicts alike. The upgraded fully enclosed stand and signature red stop bar mean it’s safer, smoother, and somehow still looks intimidating standing quietly in the corner of the shop.

Perfect zero-position locking?
Absolutely.
Because apparently even the lathe has better alignment than most of us before coffee ☕😂

And let’s be honest… once you turn the headstock to 90°, every visitor suddenly becomes a “woodturning expert”:
“Wow… that thing swivels?”
Yes Gary, and unlike your back, it still locks perfectly into position.

10/09/2026

🕺 SWING AWAY!

Your tailstock has been hogging the dance floor long enough.

The Vicmarc Swing Away Tailstock Support lets you move the tailstock neatly out of the way—without lifting it off the lathe and performing the dreaded tailstock-to-workbench shuffle. Your back may even stop submitting formal complaints. 😄

And it’s no one-trick pony. The 400 mm support bed can also serve as an extension, increasing the distance between centres to:

🔹 V01124 — VL240: 940 mm
🔹 V01125 — VL300: 910 mm

More room over the bed for bowls and vessels. Less wrestling with heavy machinery. And when you need the tailstock again—just swing it back into action.

Because the only thing you should be lifting repeatedly is your coffee mug. ☕🪵

Available from Branches to Bowls. Add it to your quote and let’s give that tailstock somewhere better to hang out.

09/09/2026

🚨 Meet the Vicmarc VL300 EVS Lathe – Built for Serious Woodturners 🪵⚙️

Power, precision, and performance—all in one machine.

The Vicmarc VL300 Short Adjustable Stand Mount EVS is engineered for woodturners who demand smooth control and serious torque. Featuring a powerful 3HP motor and Electronic Variable Speed (EVS) drive, it delivers up to 200% torque at low RPM, giving you the confidence to tackle everything from delicate spindle work to massive bowl blanks.

🔥 Key Features:
✅ 3HP motor with Electronic Variable Speed
✅ Up to 200% torque at low RPM
✅ Three-step pulley system for optimal speed and power:
• 1:1 – Small to medium projects
• 1:1.5 – Medium to large projects
• 1:3 – Large diameter turning
✅ Digital RPM display for accurate speed monitoring
✅ Heavy-duty cast iron construction for maximum stability
✅ 5mm steel stand with a wide 700mm footprint
✅ Built-in wood shaving discharge chute & knee stop bar
✅ Precision-machined bed ends for 500mm or 1000mm extension beds
✅ Hinged headstock door and ergonomic toolrest
✅ Indexing pin safety switch to prevent accidental start-up

Whether you're turning pens, platters, or oversized bowls, the VL300 is designed to grow with your workshop.

Ready to take your turning to the next level? We'd love to show you what the Vicmarc VL300 can do.

08/09/2026

💰 ONE LARGE BLANK—or several useful bowls?

Coring lets a woodturner recover multiple bowls from one valuable blank. The problem is that stopping to sharpen a conventional coring cutter costs time, interrupts the cut and makes the whole process feel like more work than it should.

The Hunter Korpro Coring Cartridge offers another approach.

Designed to fit the Oneway Coring System, the Korpro package includes:

✅ The coring cartridge
✅ An installed indexable carbide cutter
✅ A Torx wrench for rotating the cutter

When an edge becomes dull, rotate the cutter to a fresh section and get back to coring. Once every section has been used, replace the cutter—no trip to the grinder required.

One Branches to Bowls customer reported getting close to 175 cores from a single cutter blade. Individual results will naturally depend on the wood, its condition and turning technique, but that is still the kind of shop story that gets our attention! 👀

The Korpro can help solve:

🔹 Frequent sharpening interruptions
🔹 Lost time at the grinder
🔹 Frustration when coring hard or dry blanks
🔹 The need for a replaceable cutter on an Oneway Coring System

More bowls. Less grinder time. Better use of that special blank. We like that math. 🥣➕🥣➕🥣

Discover the Korpro Coring Cartridge and replacement cutters at Branches to Bowls

07/09/2026

🎄 SMALL OPENING. BIG INTERIOR. NOW WHAT?

You are hollowing an ornament, box or miniature vessel. The opening is narrow, the inside curves in three directions, and your tool can reach approximately…none of them.

This is where the Hunter #1 Taper Tools earn their bench space.

Think of the three-piece system as a tiny hollowing crew:

1️⃣ STRAIGHT TOOL
Opens the form, removes the centre material and helps finish the bottom.

2️⃣ SHOULDER TOOL
Reaches beneath the shoulder just inside the opening.

3️⃣ C-HOOK TOOL
Works around the belly of the hollow form where a straight tool cannot reach.

Each member has a job, and none of them takes an extra coffee break. ☕

Together, they provide a practical solution for:

🔸 Christmas ornament globes
🔸 Small hollow forms
🔸 Boxes
🔸 Miniature vessels
🔸 Other projects with restricted openings

The compact carbide cutters can be indexed to expose a fresh edge, allowing you to concentrate on wall thickness and form instead of sharpening.

Need help choosing individual tools or a set? Contact Branches to Bowls—we’re always happy to talk turning.

06/09/2026

“Everything was going well until I tried to reach under the rim.”

Sound familiar? 🤔

Hollow forms love to hide wood where an ordinary straight tool does not want to go. Extend too far over the tool rest and chatter may join the project—even though nobody invited it.

🦡 MEET THE HUNTER BADGER

The Badger family was developed for boxes, bowls, vases and hollow forms where reach, stability and access matter.

The Badger Straight Tool helps open and deepen the form. The Badger Swan Neck is shaped to reach beneath shoulders and undercut rims that are difficult to approach with a straight shaft.

Why woodturners appreciate it:

✅ A substantial shaft helps reduce vibration and chatter
✅ The tapered end provides access inside smaller openings
✅ Straight and swan-neck options cover different areas of the form
✅ The indexable carbide cutter delivers clean, controlled cuts
✅ Less chatter can mean a cleaner interior and less sanding

Straight tool first. Swan neck under the shoulder. Mystery wood hiding beneath the rim—eviction notice served. 📬

Also Available in Cub Badgers

Shop Hunter Badger tools through Branches to Bowls, a Canadian distributor for Hunter Tool Systems

05/09/2026

😩 ROUGH SURFACE IN. CURLY SHAVINGS OUT.

The problem:
You have finished shaping your bowl or segmented turning—but torn grain and tool marks are threatening to turn your afternoon into a sanding marathon.

The solution may be finding the Osprey’s “sweet spot.”
🦅 The Hunter Osprey is a round-shank carbide tool designed to be presented much like a traditional gouge:

ANCHOR the tool.
FIND the bevel.
MAKE the cut.

Because the shaft is round, you can roll the Osprey into position and let its finely grained carbide cutter take a clean, controlled shaving.

It is especially useful for:
🔹 Fine finishing cuts
🔹 Bowls and platters
🔹 Beads and coves
🔹 Spindle and segmented work
🔹 Turners familiar with traditional gouge technique

And when the cutter eventually becomes dull? Rotate it to a fresh section instead of walking over to the grinder.

Because the best kind of sanding session is a shorter sanding session. 😉

Find the Hunter Osprey in Canada at Branches to Bowls

04/09/2026

🪵 FRIDAY’S WORKSHOP PROBLEM:

That beautiful bowl blank is lumpy, bark-covered and bouncing your turning tool around like it owes the wood money.

You need to remove material—but you also want control.

💪 ENTER THE HUNTER HERCULES

The Hercules combines a sturdy square shank with Hunter’s sharp, round carbide cutter. The square shank sits securely on the tool rest, helping transfer the shock of interrupted cuts into the rest and lathe.

That makes it a solid choice for:

✅ Roughing uneven bowl blanks
✅ Working through hard wood and stubborn burls
✅ Turners who want a stable, easy-to-control tool
✅ Moving from rough cuts into surprisingly clean finishing cuts

For roughing, move the tool along the rest and let its sturdy construction do the heavy work. For finishing, lower the handle and carefully engage the cutter’s bevel for a lighter cut.

No sharpening station required—when one section becomes dull, simply rotate the cutter to expose a fresh edge.

The Hercules might not wear a cape, but it is very comfortable standing beside a lathe. 🦸‍♂️

Available in Canada at Branches to Bowls

03/09/2026

🛠️ MEET THE MAKER: HUNTER TOOL SYSTEMS

Some carbide tools scrape. Hunter tools were designed to CUT.

Hunter Tool Systems is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of premium carbide woodturning tools, founded by lifelong woodworker and turner Mike Hunter. What began with tools sold from a cardboard box at a woodturning symposium has grown into a respected line used by turners for everything from pens and bowls to deep hollow forms.

So, what makes Hunter tools different?

Their razor-sharp, finely grained carbide cutters are engineered specifically for woodturning. They produce clean shavings and excellent finish cuts—often leaving less quality time for you and your sandpaper. 😉

✅ Excellent for roughing and finishing
✅ Indexable cutters—rotate to a fresh edge when dull
✅ Long cutter life compared with traditional HSS
✅ Available with or without handles
✅ Options for bowls, platters, hollow forms, pens and ornaments
✅ Retrofit tools for popular captured hollowing systems
✅ Made in Minnesota, USA

Available at Branches to Bowls

02/09/2026

🌳 WEDNESDAY TOOL TALK: SCRAPERS

The problem: You’re dealing with stubborn tool marks, awkward curves, or an area where the grain keeps fighting back.

The solution: Bring in the scraper!

Carter & Son scrapers can help refine bowl interiors, smooth tricky profiles, shape box projects, and clean up areas that are difficult to reach with another tool. With the right presentation and a properly prepared edge, a scraper can turn a troublesome surface into one that requires far less sanding.

Available in multiple profiles for different turning jobs—and made from edge-holding M42 high-speed steel.

Sometimes finesse works. Sometimes you call in the scraper. 😎

Branches to Bowls proudly distributes Carter & Son Toolworks.

Address

Sundance

T2X1W5

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00
Saturday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

403-830-3049

Website

http://branchestobowls.com/

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