McNaughton coring rig.....Standard or Combo

[Neil Bosdet]

Hi everyone,

I need to get a coring system and like the ease and speed of the Oneway but I think it's out of my price range right now. I do like the versatility of the McNaughton system but am a little concerned with how long it will take to learn and how long it will take to core vs. the Oneway. This isn't the main reason for my post though, but comments on these thoughts would be appreciated as I can't stop wondering about it.

The reason for my post, is I was looking at the systems. I have a 16" swing lathe and will get a 24" in the future (several years away :(). I figure the Standard McNaughton system is the appropriate size for my lathe and bowls I can turn with it. I would like to do larger as I have the wood to do so and the desire. I saw mentioned that with the large system you can turn outboard. This would allow me to go larger than 16". I can't find explanations about this. Have any of you tried outboard turning with the McNaughton system? The combo system, Standard and Large, has money savings and provides a much larger tool handle. The handle in the Standard size seems small although I have not used any of the systems. If I buy the larger system later I would need the larger handle too. Another additional cost. Thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Neil

[mike ash]

Neil - I just PM'd you.

[Reed Gray]

I find the McNaughton to be a lot faster to set up and use than the Oneway.

The main advantage to the Oneway is that it is on a pivoting center, and is pretty much idiot proof, and even with the biggest blade, it is rock solid all the way through the cut. The down side is that it mounts with a separate plate and you use a wrench to tighten it. As you core, for about every 2 inches of depth you core, you have to stop the lathe and advance the support finger. That adds to coring time.

With the McNaughton, there is a learning curve because you have to do the aiming. The laser pointer does help let you know where you are. The standard set of blades will do for about 90% of the cores you will ever take. I do recommend starting with the standard blades first, before you even try to use the large set. You can order the handle extension if you feel you need it. Mike Mahoney actually cuts some of his handles in half. I do like the handle extension on when I use the large blades, though it is a mental thing and not really needed. McNaughton used to have a set of left handed or outboard turning coring blades. I don't know if he still makes them or not. With a 16 inch lathe, unless you have 2 hp and a phase converter, you could run into torque problems with the bigger (over 16 inch diameter) bowls, but should be fine with anything under 16 inches. As diameter goes up, so does the resistance. Just a longer lever on the bowl side.

robo hippy

[Neil Bosdet]

Thanks Reed. I have a General lathe with 2 HP and a phase converter so aside from stability issues, I should be OK for larger pieces.

[Neil Bosdet]

You can order the handle extension if you feel you need it. Mike Mahoney actually cuts some of his handles in half. I do like the handle extension on when I use the large blades, though it is a mental thing and not really needed.

robo hippy

Can you add the extension to the middle size handle? I didn't think so. I'm pretty sure the handles are different diameters.

[Russell Eaton]

Neil Reed has a GREAT video on the system as well. You might want to talk to him about getting one. I have watched it several times. I have the standard system and it is very simple to set up and use. Just don't get in a hurry.