Bowl Coring tools

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
I'm thinking about investing in a coring tool. What are you using, what are the pros and cons? Recommendations? I have a Powermatic 3520B, and often have blanks in the 12-18" size range.
 

Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
No experience with these type of bowl coring tools, but once you decide what you wanted, I bet you could get a good deal on one at the American Woodturners Symposium in Raleigh (July 11-14?) at Convention center. I believe the vendor area and exhibits are open to public and free.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I'm thinking about investing in a coring tool. What are you using, what are the pros and cons? Recommendations? I have a Powermatic 3520B, and often have blanks in the 12-18" size range.
I am pretty sure Stuart Kent uses one - PM him and may be send him a message here: About the North Carolina Furniture School
I am not sure how often he is on NCWW since he is trying to get the new school set-up
 

Stuart Kent

Stuart
Senior User
I'm thinking about investing in a coring tool. What are you using, what are the pros and cons? Recommendations? I have a Powermatic 3520B, and often have blanks in the 12-18" size range.

I am demonstrating bowl coring at the AAW Symposium in Raleigh in two weeks. I will show the original 2 knife Woodcut Bowl Saver and the new Woodcut Max 3. The original 2 knife system is my favorite because of repeatability and how quick set up. I have owned the Oneway and the McNaughton both are good but they are expensive, require more setup time, are harder to sharpen, and have steeper learning curves - all to achieve the same basic outcome. I am happy to talk to you about it by phone if you want to give me a call.
 

beloitdavisja

James
Corporate Member
Bowl coring tool? Is that just a lathe with a fancier name or specific function? The term is new to me and I'm just curious.


It's a tool to core bowl blanks on a lathe. Search google for "Bowl coring tool" and you'll find it in the first results, and a few videos on how it's used.
 

blackhawk

Brad
Corporate Member
I have used the Oneway Easy Core a couple of times. I don't own one, but I have a woodturning mentor that does. He showed me on a couple of bowls and then let me take over. I cored out about 8 bowls total. The setup and operation was simple. I had no complaints. As Stuart says, the Oneway is expensive, but it would probably last a lifetime, very well built. The thing that I like about the Oneway, is that the cutters are replaceable using a screw. I believe all the other manufacturers use a brazed on cutter tip. Where I live, there is no shop remotely close where I could get the tip re-brazed. Oneway, also sells a carbide cutter.
 

gritz

New User
Robert
A couple of times when I have contemplated turning a large burl I have kinda wished I had a corer. Also, a few times I have admired nested bowls, especially well turned natural edged ones. I even set up an auto-search on e-bay for over a year with no results except for pricey new ones.
I made a decision early on to only turn figured woods, which dictate the final shape and size of a piece by their individual characteristics. So far, I have resisted the urge to turn anything of the same shape and size twice. Bowlsavers do offer predictability, but I guess I just don't like predictability in bowl turning.
Fellow woodworkers have brought me some nice burls lately. One said he would buy the corer if I would share the bowls, but he was quickly sobered by the price. I also have a 22" oak burl and a huge thick cherry-burl slab that keep calling my name, so coring is still a maybe for me.
 

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
No experience with these type of bowl coring tools, but once you decide what you wanted, I bet you could get a good deal on one at the American Woodturners Symposium in Raleigh (July 11-14?) at Convention center. I believe the vendor area and exhibits are open to public and free.
The reason I posted was to get feedback before the AAW Symposium. I'll be working the NCWW booth and hope the vendors have some good deals.
 

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
A couple of times when I have contemplated turning a large burl I have kinda wished I had a corer. Also, a few times I have admired nested bowls, especially well turned natural edged ones. I even set up an auto-search on e-bay for over a year with no results except for pricey new ones.
I made a decision early on to only turn figured woods, which dictate the final shape and size of a piece by their individual characteristics. So far, I have resisted the urge to turn anything of the same shape and size twice. Bowlsavers do offer predictability, but I guess I just don't like predictability in bowl turning.
Fellow woodworkers have brought me some nice burls lately. One said he would buy the corer if I would share the bowls, but he was quickly sobered by the price. I also have a 22" oak burl and a huge thick cherry-burl slab that keep calling my name, so coring is still a maybe for me.

Up until now, I have turned individual bowls and all have been unique. I scrounge all my wood and turn whatever I can get, highly figured or otherwise. Lately I've acquired a couple large logs of green wood. I put one 78 lb blank on the lathe and when I finished rough turning, it was 15 lb. and about 15" across x 7" deep of highly figured wood. I had wasted at least 1 if not 2 smaller bowls in the process, so that got me thinking about coring.
 

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
I am demonstrating bowl coring at the AAW Symposium in Raleigh in two weeks. I will show the original 2 knife Woodcut Bowl Saver and the new Woodcut Max 3. The original 2 knife system is my favorite because of repeatability and how quick set up. I have owned the Oneway and the McNaughton both are good but they are expensive, require more setup time, are harder to sharpen, and have steeper learning curves - all to achieve the same basic outcome. I am happy to talk to you about it by phone if you want to give me a call.
Thanks Stuart. I know you're up to your eyebrows in getting your school ready, so I hate to bother you. I hope to sit in on your demonstration at AAW, and I'll be at the NCWW booth all day Friday 7/12.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Up until now, I have turned individual bowls and all have been unique. I scrounge all my wood and turn whatever I can get, highly figured or otherwise. Lately I've acquired a couple large logs of green wood. I put one 78 lb blank on the lathe and when I finished rough turning, it was 15 lb. and about 15" across x 7" deep of highly figured wood. I had wasted at least 1 if not 2 smaller bowls in the process, so that got me thinking about coring

The idea of bowl coring is new to me and I found some good videos about the method to satisfy my curiosity. It's an interesting way to get more than one bowl from one master blank.

Yes, the One Way system is expensive from top to bottom.
 

decibel

New User
Patrick
I've got the McNaughton and have only used it a few times. Agree the setup is expensive and it has a log of different blades depending on the radius of your curve so it can add it quickly. It seems more of a "zen" like coring tool where you have to see the line in the wood from my usage. And i suck at that so I don't get a ton of cores out of mine because i'm too chicken that I'll go out the side or the bottom :) Definitely less of a learning curve with the Oneway. Just my $.02
 

Stuart Kent

Stuart
Senior User
Thanks Stuart. I know you're up to your eyebrows in getting your school ready, so I hate to bother you. I hope to sit in on your demonstration at AAW, and I'll be at the NCWW booth all day Friday 7/12.
no bother, call if you want to chat - if I don't answer, leave a message and I'll call back when I can talk
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
Rich, also talk with Lloyd at Klingspor in Cary. He has the McNaughton system. I've spoke with him before purchasing my McNaughton system.
 

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