Looking for feedback on McNaughton "Mini" coring blades

[Bill Boehme]

i recently purchased a set of McNaughton Mini coring blades from Craft Supplies with the intention of coming up to speed by coring small bowl blanks. I already own and have been humbled by the jumbo and standard size blades. When I received the mini blades I was surprised and somewhat dismayed to see that the curvature of the blades was hardly different from the standard blades. Here's an iPad shot of the mini blades.



The smallest blade has a radius of 3¼" compared to the small standard blade which has a radius of 3½". While I was expecting a slightly smaller radius, this blade has an acceptable curvature for small bowls.

The curvature of the middle size blade has a radius of 5⅜" which Is "interesting" because that is a slightly larger radius than the middle standard blade. The radius of the middle blade of the standard set is 5¼".

The real surprise is the large mini blade which has a curvature of about 12" radius. It almost looks like a straight blade that has a slight kink. By comparison the largest blades of both the standard and jumbo sets have a radius of 10". I'm not sure how this blade can be used as part of the mini set where the target range of bowl diameters is 10" and under. This has caused me to have second thoughts about also getting the micro blades. After further thought I suspect that this blade has a specialized application for cutting very tall cores and might be useful for something like a set of tall nested natural edge bowls cored from a burl.

The mini blades are slightly thinner than the standard and jumbo blades and are only 3/4" tall vs 1" for the standard blades and 1¼" for the jumbo blades. They also cut a narrower kerf that is only ⅜ inches wide. My thoughts are that the small mini blade would be the most useful of the three. I suspect that I might not ever use the large mini blade, but never say never. I'm still recovering from back surgery so I'm still just mentally turning while awaiting the official "go ahead". I would like to hear about the experiences of others who have used the mini blades.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

That seems very odd. It might be worth asking the manufacturer to comment.

 

[Fred Belknap]

I had a set , gave them away, they were to frail for the way I work.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

I have the complete set including the minis and I have only used the smallest radius mini which in the process of coring a piece of white oak burl twisted to the point it is unusable.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

I have had the complete set for many years. I don’t think I have ever used the mini set. I didn’t know any better when I bought it...

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have had the complete set for many years. I don’t think I have ever used the mini set. I didn’t know any better when I bought it...

Could you check with your friend Andy Cole to see if he uses the mini blades? He did a demonstration at SWAT a couple years ago, but I don't recall if he used the mini blades. I have a friend who took a class on coring from Mike Mahoney and he asked Mike about using the largest blade in the jumbo set. Mike's advice was to not use it.

 

[David Hill]

I too have the coring system, but have not used the miniblades. Back when I bought it I was having issues using it with a Craftsman lathe (that I now NO longer have---good riddance). so I had emailed the maker. Was surprised when I got a phone call from McNaughton himself--very pleasant and helpful.
Or, you could do as a demonstrator did at a meeting I went to once----just stuck it inbetween ways to bend it to what he wanted....

 

[Bill Boehme]

@David Hill have you ever cored dry mesquite? I once had a good supply of green mesquite, but most of it has dried out since I store it outdoors.

.... Was surprised when I got a phone call from McNaughton himself--very pleasant and helpful....

That is surprising considering the time difference between Texas and New Zealand.

.... Or, you could do as a demonstrator did at a meeting I went to once----just stuck it in between ways to bend it to what he wanted....

Now, that is very interesting ... and clever.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Could you check with your friend Andy Cole to see if he uses the mini blades? He did a demonstration at SWAT a couple years ago, but I don't recall if he used the mini blades. I have a friend who took a class on coring from Mike Mahoney and he asked Mike about using the largest blade in the jumbo set. Mike's advice was to not use it.

I will email Andy and ask him...

 

[robo hippy]

Yes, those blades are a bit thin, but then, they are not intended for going deep. You can twist the blades back into shape. The tips of the blades, on all sets go straight rather than follow the curve of the blade. I have chatted with Kel a number of times. He is good about that. He is set in his ways though...

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

Yes, those blades are a bit thin, but then, they are not intended for going deep. You can twist the blades back into shape. The tips of the blades, on all sets go straight rather than follow the curve of the blade. I have chatted with Kel a number of times. He is good about that. He is set in his ways though...

robo hippy

I have done a small amount of grinding on the last 1½" or so of the outer side of a couple of the larger jumbo and standard blades to see if I could add a bit more curve at the tips. I don't want to overdo it so the change isn't very much. If it looks like it is helping I might do a bit more grinding to see if I can get a more circular arc. A couple of the blades that I have don't have a nice circular arc and look like they could get pinched in the kerf unless I do some fine tuning with a hammer and anvil.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

I have done a small amount of grinding on the last 1½" or so of the outer side of a couple of the larger jumbo and standard blades to see if I could add a bit more curve at the tips. I don't want to overdo it so the change isn't very much. If it looks like it is helping I might do a bit more grinding to see if I can get a more circular arc. A couple of the blades that I have don't have a nice circular arc and look like they could get pinched in the kerf unless I do some fine tuning with a hammer and anvil.

Andy Cole was one of our very first demos for our club. He graciously donated his time, knowing that we had no money in the bank yet. We reimbursed him for his airfare. About the kerf... First, Andy starts every cut with the straight jumbo blade. I personally make several cuts with it, make it at least double the size of the blade, even more. I go until you have to start with the curved blade. Since my goal is to make just 3 bowls, not 7 or more like Andy, I spend time making the kerf wide, to allow for shavings removal and to avoid the blade being pinched. I have my air compressor nozzle by me and blow often, if not constant in there to remove shavings. Things that complicate coring: curly Koa, hard to get shavings going. A crotch with end grain in the bowl, the change in grain seems to affect the coring. Sometimes an unseen knot will cause a loud knock and the shavings don't come out as easy. I only try to core green woods, the greener the better. It is possible to core dry Koa, but its harder, dustier, hotter, not fun. I wax my blades often, and I add a drop of oil to the McNaughton piece that holds the blade, makes the blade slide better...

 

[David Hill]

@David Hill have you ever cored dry mesquite? I once had a good supply of green mesquite, but most of it has dried out since I store it outdoors.



That is surprising considering the time difference between Texas and New Zealand.



Now, that is very interesting ... and clever.

Bill--Yes I have done dry Mesquite. It's a bit more of a challenge, slow =not so much shavings as DUST and it does heat up more. If I'm thinking that a blank needs to be cored, I'd rather do it "green"

 

[Paul McGaffey]

Thanks to all for your generous feedback on the McNaughton System - you make my learning curve flatter and smarter. Your info has given me the courage to steepen the radius on one of my Large knives so it will be more useful on my 18" lathe.

 

[Karl Loeblein]

...
The real surprise is the large mini blade which has a curvature of about 12" radius. It almost looks like a straight blade that has a slight kink. By comparison the largest blades of both the standard and jumbo sets have a radius of 10". I'm not sure how this blade can be used as part of the mini set where the target range of bowl diameters is 10" and under. This has caused me to have second thoughts about also getting the micro blades. After further thought I suspect that this blade has a specialized application for cutting very tall cores and might be useful for something like a set of tall nested natural edge bowls cored from a burl.
...

Bill, I like using the straight jumbo blade for making large platters to show off crotch figure or curly woods. If your 12" blade doesn't bend too easily then maybe you could use it to core out some shallow platter blanks from deeper bowl blanks.

-Karl

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Could you check with your friend Andy Cole to see if he uses the mini blades? He did a demonstration at SWAT a couple years ago, but I don't recall if he used the mini blades. I have a friend who took a class on coring from Mike Mahoney and he asked Mike about using the largest blade in the jumbo set. Mike's advice was to not use it.

Sorry it has taken me this long. I just emailed Andy. I will report back ASAP.

 

[robo hippy]

I have the mini blades, but don't think I have used them. They would come in handy on 'precious' pieces of wood where you don't want to even waste shavings. Since I mostly do utility bowls, not too practical for me. As I said above they are thin, and you have to be very dainty with them... I think I need to get my own blades made. I have found that widening the kerf to make up for the blade curves not being dead on, makes for more clogging of the kerf, not less.

robo hippy

 

[John Hicks]

Is there a coring system that isn't HARD to use? It's some sort of problem with each one!

 

[Bill Boehme]

Is there a coring system that isn't HARD to use? It's some sort of problem with each one!

I think that you're really asking if there is a coring system that doesn't have as steep a learning curve as the McNaughton. Once you learn to use the McNaughton it isn't HARD to use. The answer is YES there are other systems that don't have as steep a learning curve. The learning curve on the Oneway coring system is much easier, but the price is considerably greater and it doesn't have the flexibility of getting a wide range of core shapes. For most of us that isn't a big deal. There is also the Woodcut Bowl Saver, however, I know nothing about it other than watching a couple YouTube videos.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

i recently purchased a set of McNaughton Mini coring blades from Craft Supplies with the intention of coming up to speed by coring small bowl blanks. I already own and have been humbled by the jumbo and standard size blades. When I received the mini blades I was surprised and somewhat dismayed to see that the curvature of the blades was hardly different from the standard blades. Here's an iPad shot of the mini blades.

View attachment 28481

The smallest blade has a radius of 3¼" compared to the small standard blade which has a radius of 3½". While I was expecting a slightly smaller radius, this blade has an acceptable curvature for small bowls.

The curvature of the middle size blade has a radius of 5⅜" which Is "interesting" because that is a slightly larger radius than the middle standard blade. The radius of the middle blade of the standard set is 5¼".

The real surprise is the large mini blade which has a curvature of about 12" radius. It almost looks like a straight blade that has a slight kink. By comparison the largest blades of both the standard and jumbo sets have a radius of 10". I'm not sure how this blade can be used as part of the mini set where the target range of bowl diameters is 10" and under. This has caused me to have second thoughts about also getting the micro blades. After further thought I suspect that this blade has a specialized application for cutting very tall cores and might be useful for something like a set of tall nested natural edge bowls cored from a burl.

The mini blades are slightly thinner than the standard and jumbo blades and are only 3/4" tall vs 1" for the standard blades and 1¼" for the jumbo blades. They also cut a narrower kerf that is only ⅜ inches wide. My thoughts are that the small mini blade would be the most useful of the three. I suspect that I might not ever use the large mini blade, but never say never. I'm still recovering from back surgery so I'm still just mentally turning while awaiting the official "go ahead". I would like to hear about the experiences of others who have used the mini blades.

I had a pleasant long phone conversation with one of the world's foremost authorities with the McNaughton system. He demonstrates all over, and I have seen nested sets with 7 Macadamia Nut bowls made by him! It's hard to make one Macadamia bowl survive!
Because he travels and demonstrates he has bought countless sets, people come up to him and ask him if he wants to buy another set, after barely surviving their first coring experience, they want to sell it ASAP.
What he has noticed is that every set comes with different curves. Not two are exactly alike. He says the mini set suppose to go with a straight blade, not a curved one. Sometimes one set does not fit in between the pillars of another set. Around 2009 they started building them thinner, from 7.5 mm to 5.5mm. Or something along with those numbers. He has had a lot of trouble with these smaller blades. He has bent all sets countless times. Sometimes they look like a pretzel! By all means, you can change the angle of your blades if you do like what you got. The mini blades were never intended to be used on a midi lathe. A midi simply does not have the power to do it.

 

[robo hippy]

The blade shape has always been a problem, which is why I am looking into making my own. Getting an exact bend is difficult, but it can be done. I am talking to a blacksmith about using heat to get that final shape. Ideal set of blades, to me would be in 1 inch radii increments from about 3 to 8 inches. The current sets have a bigger gap than that in between the different arcs. It can be made better, problem is if it is financially possible....

Not sure about lathe sizes, which is confusing to me... Mini lathes used to be those that were table top and max throw of about 12 inch, so pen lathes and a little bigger. To me, the 'midi' lathes are the 16 to now the 18 inch lathes, and the maxi lathes are the 20 inch plus. Having a 1 1/2 hp, 220 volt motor is plenty for coring with the Oneway and Woodcut. It can be a bit of a challenge with the McNaughton, but to me, that has more to do with the blade binding in the kerf, since the curves are always off and the blades always drift to the outside. This greatly adds to how much power it takes to do the core. Coring can be done on a 1 hp lathe, but it takes a pro...

robo hippy