Coring systems

[robo hippy]

I did a coring demo for our local club, the Beaver State Woodturners covering how to use the 3 coring systems. One question that came up that I did not expect was "which system would you recommend for a beginner"? Well, for sure, the McNaughton is not on that list. I would guess the Oneway and Woodcut are left. The Oneway if you can afford it, and probably remember that you will need to get the Hunter Korepro to go with the blades, or the Woodcut is better for the beginners, and cheaper. They are ready to go straight out of the box, but I did sharpen the cutter first. I think it is a bit more simple to use than the Oneway.

robo hippy

 

[Donna Banfield]

Having started coring with the McNaughton, and after 3 years of trying (and studying Mike Mahoney’s DVD), I still could not get comfortable using it. I had been turning for 3 or 4 years when I tried the McNaughton. I was given a club member’s Oneway Coring set up to use for a few months. Sold the McNaughton immediately. I agree that Oneway is much easier to use, But I would not recommend attempting to core bowl blanks (using any of the systems) if you are in your first couple of years turning.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Having had all three the McNaughton would not only not be recommended to a beginner but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Up until a year ago my first recommended coring system for a noobe would have been the Woodcut but the Turning Shed brought out Templates for the Oneway Coring System (before I can recommend something I have to own it). Now this comes as a download and you print it out and put it in a three ring binder. If you can afford to buy the Oneway system you can afford to spend $80 on this Template system. It's possible that a blind person could core successfully using this system. So I would recommend the Oneway with the Templates or the Woodcut to a noobe.
Actually $74.99

 

[guy laizure]

Having had all three the McNaughton would not only not be recommended to a beginner but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Up until a year ago my first recommended coring system for a noobe would have been the Woodcut but the Turning Shed brought out Templates for the Oneway Coring System (before I can recommend something I have to own it). Now this comes as a download and you print it out and put it in a three ring binder. If you can afford to buy the Oneway system you can afford to spend $80 on this Template system. It's possible that a blind person could core successfully using this system. So I would recommend the Oneway with the Templates or the Woodcut to a noobe.

The templates from the Turning Shed are well worth the $80 especially for the amount of time that went into developing them.

 

[robo hippy]

When our club first started, we didn't plan for demos. So, the topic came up for the next month and I asked if any one had the McNaughton and knwe how to use it, so that was the next demo. That demo gave me enough clues so that I was ble to have a go at it and figure out how it worked. Well, at least I could make it work. Part of the reason why I made my video about using it. The 2 biggest problems that I could see are one the blades do not follow a "perfect" curve arc. Not hard to see if you look at things the way I do. My guess is that the blades are profiled first, then they are bent. If you want a perfect arc of a curve in metal bending, you have to bend it several inches longer than what you need, and then you snip off the extra length. This is why the system ALWAYS drifts off to the outside of the kerf. The second issue is that there is a lot of "flex" designed into the system. For short cores, not a problem. For deeper cores, a big problem, unless you have figured out that you need to have the blade set at 1/4 inch or so above the center line. What this does is keeps your cutter slightly above center line all the way to the bottom of the cut. Probably the nastyiest of catches I have had with it, and it took a while to figure out why this was happening, was from being below the center.

Funny thing about the Oneway coring system. I e mailed them to ask why they didn't have a laser pointer system for their coring system. I have not had any response. It would be easy to set up. In the demo, my friend Randal, who helped me silver solder the Big Ugly tools together demoed the Oneway system. He bought his spacer templates from home. He has a 3520B, and the club lathe is a 3520C. There was about a 1/2 inch difference for his spacer blocks, the C model being slightly farther away than the B model. One thing I noticed is that with the Hunter Kore Pro, his shavings were 1/2 inch wide. The Woodcut and McNaughton were much smaller. I do grind my McNaughton tips down square rather than the spear points.

Here is a link to the demo if anyone is interested:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBefcwZO6SA&t=


robo hippy

 

[Delbert Goff]

Having had all three the McNaughton would not only not be recommended to a beginner but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Up until a year ago my first recommended coring system for a noobe would have been the Woodcut but the Turning Shed brought out Templates for the Oneway Coring System (before I can recommend something I have to own it). Now this comes as a download and you print it out and put it in a three ring binder. If you can afford to buy the Oneway system you can afford to spend $80 on this Template system. It's possible that a blind person could core successfully using this system. So I would recommend the Oneway with the Templates or the Woodcut to a noobe.

I agree, in my opinion the templates from the Turning Shed are worth the money for someone using the Oneway system for the first time. I bought the Oneway system and the templates from the Turning Shed last January. I was able to get up and running very quickly and have cored several dozen bowl blanks without any trouble.

 

[robo hippy]

Oh, another side note.... I think 2 people in the club mentioned that they had problems coring on the 16 inch Robust lathe, which is one speed. I ALWAYS core on low speed/torque. I do core with the McNaughton on my Robust Liberty lathe which Brent didn't make for very long. Maybe having the tool rest set above center helps. With the 3520A I had, I did try in to core in high speed range, which is where I turned bowls mostly, and it would stall out. This was probably before I figured out I had to start above center. I don't have rpm indicators on my lathes, other then the Vic 240, but I can't see the monitor as I am turning. I would guess that much of the time, my speed is in the 500 to maybe 1000 rpm range. I do use end grain collars on my McNaughton system, ALWAYS!

robo hippy

 

[hughie]

I had a early Mcnaughton, it worked OK once you get the hang of it. Although I wasnt enamoured with the Stellite cutter and the flexing, also had to up grade the yoke to improve the rigidity, eventually so sold it off. I like the Woodcut, although I caught a glimse of a Rolly Munro coring tool with 6mm carbide replacable tip. But most of his gear i hard to come by and these days dont have one.

 

[Wally Crawford]

I went with the Woodcut for cost and simplicity. Works fine on my AB, but I would suggest that if you are going with Woodcut, go with the Series 4. It seems to be heavier built and stronger with less flex. Wish I had known.

 

[robo hippy]

The Woodcut is a nice little system. Only thing I don't like about it is that you have to use the tailstock, and I never have the tailstock on when turning bowls. It is an extra production step. No holes in my elbow from forgetting to remove the live center!

robo hippy