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Coring kiln dried hardwood?

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Jan 22, 2009
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I’ve used the McNaughton coring system several times on green logs successfully and like it.

I tried it once on a glued up blank made from several species of kiln dried hardwoods. I gave up part way in because I was concerned about the safety.

maybe I just need to sharpen the cutter? Do any of you core with the McNaughton system on kiln dried blanks? Or just on green, or somewhat air dried logs?

Thanks,
Ron
 
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What you are coring changes how you are coring, just like what you are turning changes how you turn. Softer woods are generally easier to turn, and you can really hog off a lot of material very fast, same with green woods. Harder woods, and kiln dried woods require smaller and slower cuts. My favorite story about coring hard wood was with my old PM3520A and coring some black locust, which if you don't know, that stuff is harder than woodpecker lips.... The first few 3520's had a cast iron pressure plate on the bottom of the lathe. I cracked mine while coring that black locust. Fortunately I was coring at slower speeds and the headstock just tilted forward onto the bed of the lathe, and I was able to hit the off button really fast. PM switched to a metal plate at that time....

For coring, I generally want a fresh burr on the McNaughton. I use a coarse diamond hone to raise the burr, and sharpen the bevel, not the top of the tool. With some thing hard like the locust, or a glue up (glue is harder and stronger than the wood), you may need to touch up the burr a time or two if you have a very large bowl.

robo hippy
 
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This discussion reminded me of the one time that I turned something out of black locust. The tree fell on our car and I took a chunk of it to turn a revenge piece. That was hardest, toughest, most annoying piece of wood I ever had on the lathe. I finally beat it into submission. I swore I'd never turn black locust again.

IMG_0473.JPG
 
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Robo hippie - thanks for the comments. I’ve never turned black locust, but used it on my workbench; its hard. I’ve used hickory and jatoba in some glue-ups, plenty hard. Not sure I want to tackle that with coring.

Most of the glue-up bowls I’ve made are pieced (side grain glueing) about 6-7”; not segmented. I’m contemplating making some larger ones but would rather get a second or third bowl out of 4-5bdft instead of having to sweep it all up :)

Still not sure if it’s something many have done, and would recommend, or if I’d be better off sticking to the smaller glue-ups and/or making LOTS of shavings if I want to make 10-12“ sizes.

FYI - I recognize that I could do segmenting and save a lot of wood; but coming from flat work I still have a thing about end grain glueing, and really like the curves you get turning pieced glue-ups vs the geometric design segmenting gives.
 

Emiliano Achaval

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Coring green wood is definitely much easier. I core dry Koa often, just have to go slower, I wax the blade often, I make an extra wider kerf. I'm not after 7 cores, I'm happy with 2 or 3. I use my air compressor to blow almost constantly the shavings put.
 
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