coring gurus

[Paul St.Onge]

Wanting to venture into bowl coring. What systems do most of you guys use and why? I came across a Woodcut system but haven't seen too much on the internet about many people using them. Thoughts on the One way, McNaughton, Woodcut. Any help steering in the right direction would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Roger Chandler]

I own the Woodcut Max 3, and it does a fine job. Of the ones you mention, I think the Oneway is the best, Woodcut next and the McNaughten, I personally did not like when I used one, but others get along ok with it. The reason I think the Oneway is just a little better than the Woodcut, is that the support arm is moveable into the kerf underneath the knife. The Woodcut is close, and has bigger knives for strength, and feed rate is crucial on all the systems, as you can create problems trying to core to quickly. Different woods will either require you to slow or speed up depending on density, etc. to find the sweet spot.

[daryl moses]

I have the oneway and love it. I only purchased the 11" and 13" knives. I seldom turn any bowls smaller than 10" and have a hard time selling bowls over 13".
I like the fact that the knives can be removed and sharpened and are replaceable.
It's also a very easy system to set up and use.
Some people don't like the Oneway because the shape of the cores are pretty much the same. You can overcome that obstacle by coring a thicker blank and shaping it however you want.

[Dennis Cloutier]

I've had McNaughton and Oneway. I sold the McNaugton. It is a bit more flexible in terms of core shape, it is cheaper and works well, but you really have to be on your toes. It can catch pretty badly. The Oneway is much easier to use. The Oneway is also easier to sharpen and has replaceable cutters.

If you get the Oneway it's a good idea to get a couple extra cutters. There is also a little grinding jig for the cutters that you should get if it isn't already included.

[Richard Casey]

I have the early model McNaughton and it was a pig to use on my old lathe, as it was a steel bedway and flexed. When I bought my new Laguna cast iron bed with the variable speed as Roger said above, you find the best speed for different timbers and now I have no problems.

[Reed Gray]

I prefer the McNaughton as it is much faster to set up and use, once you get past the learning curve... The blades need to be fine tuned to make it stay on course as in the tip needs to be tweaked in, just a hair. You also need to be cutting slightly above center to help avoid catches. I did chat with Mike Mahoney at the Symposium in Portland last summer, and he asked me If I had used the Woodcut, which I have, but only the little one. He likes it.... Not bad from my use of it, but it did chatter a bit with harder woods like osage, but so does the Mcnaughton...

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

I’m with Reed. Once you pass the learning curve the McNaughton is much more versatile. Try cutting platter size blanks or parting off 2” slabs off a thick large half round. The other two coring rigs mostly cut hemispheres. I do like the idea of carbide replaceable tips the Oneway has as an option. Both the Oneway and the Woodcut are fine. The woodcut is cheaper, but the Oneway is refined and proven. If you have a lot of wood to practice on the McNaughton will prove it’s worth.

[Bill Blasic]

I had all three systems but sold the McNaughton. People buy these systems to core out bowls instead of putting chips on the floor. I spent some time with Chris Ramsey this past year and he showed me his process of multiple cores using the Oneway. He cored 9 pieces out of a burl but could have taken probably 14 or 15 had he made them thinner which he could have easily done. The Oneway is a lot more versatile than everyone gives it credit for and you can vary the shapes. The Woodcut also is more versatile in the number of cores but not as much as the Oneway. If you have a hefty budget get the Oneway if a lower budget get the Woodcut. I have the original Woodcut and the Max 3 just adds 1 bigger cutter but seeing I have the complete Oneway there was no sense getting the Max 3. Where I live selling a 15" or bigger bowl is not easy so the bigger cutters of the Oneway or Max 3 are not necessarily needed. It boils down to getting more bowls in hand and less chips on the floor and the ease of doing so.

[Peter Blair]

I have the Oneway and have never tried the others so I can't speak about them but I do like my oneway. I did set up a laser to help with cut location and find the parts for the oneway are great for use in other ways. I use one to support my router jig. Oh, my laser guide info if you are interested is here.
https://woodbowlsandthings.wordpress...ore-laser-aid/

[Paul St.Onge]

Thanks for the info guys!! Much appreciated!