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bowl coring system, and articulated hollowing rigs advice

S

Scott Austin

Joined
Mar 29, 2012
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English, IN
Howdy gang,

Tax return will be here in a few weeks, and I am considering blowing a good size chunk of it on some woodturning equipment. My shopping list this year includes a coring system, and an articulated hollowing rig. But, having not much experience with either I was going to pick y'all's brains for some useful input.

First of all the coring tool.

I have been looking at the Oneway, and the McNaughton. I was just curious as to which seems to be the better of the two. I am looking at user friendliness, and durability.

And then there is the Hollowing rig. I am really liking the looks of the monster, and I really like the way the Kobra system works. But I have not had the opporitunity to play with either. Those are just two that have really caught my eye, so if there is something else out there that anybody thinks would be worth a shot I would love to hear about it.

As always, any and all input is thoroughly appreciated.
Thanks

Scott
 
Coring and hollowing

I have owned and used both the McNaughton and Oneway coring systems and much prefer the Oneway. The Oneway is easier to set up and learn to use and I can core out up to about 18" bowls. The Oneway website has an excellent video. As far as hollowing rigs, it depends on how big your going. Take a look at Brian McAvoy's hollowing bar. His website is Onegoodturn.
 
I have both coring systems and they both do the job. If I could only keep one I would choose the McNaughton, flexibility and price. But I'm not getting rid of either.
I have both Monster systems and like them a lot but use the articulating for 95% of what I hollow. There are others out there but the Monster Articulating Hollowing System has satisfied my demands for hollowing so well that even a tool horse that I am I do not look for a replacement. The laser on this system is superb.
Bill
 
Scott Austin said:
Howdy gang,

First of all the coring tool.

I have been looking at the Oneway, and the McNaughton. I was just curious as to which seems to be the better of the two. I am looking at user friendliness, and durability.
Click to expand...

Scott, the February issue of American Woodturner will contain a major article by John Giem comparing three bowl-coring systems.

Betty Scarpino, editor, AW
 
Thank you everyone. I will wait till the article comes out and might try to find some one locally to try it out on my own. I love New toys, but I just hate to spend that much money on something I hate to use. Thanks again

Scott
 
Scott, If you use a lot of expensive wood then a coring system might be worth using. For "rescued" wood, I personally see no need. Or, a person could do like Johannes Michelsen and make a straight plunging cut into the wood to get a cone shaped piece of wood. No special coring system required. He uses the small piece to make miniature hats. From the demos that I have seen, the blanks that you wind up with seem to be quite restrictive on what can be turned. It's just me, but I am not too interested in making a bunch of matching bowls.
 
I didn't want to hijack this thread with my question so I started a new one.😱
 
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When I got my "big" lathe (Stubby 1000) I was able to turn large bowls, and reasoned that a coring system was warranted to reduce the amount of mulch coming out of the shop. I bought a McNaughten [sp] Combo set and used it several times with good results. I then realized that bowl-turning, especially in large sizes amenable to coring, was not really where I wanted to be. I turn mostly jars and vases a/k/a "hollowforms", and then there is the problem of waht the devil am I gonna do with bowls to hold salad-for-50?. I got over my lust for large (with the help of Memsahib: "Oh no you're not parking those wash tubs in my living room!"), and therefore sold the set at a nice discount to another turner. I chose the McNaughten for its flexibility and the variety of profiles it would produce.

On the hollowing front, I made my first hollowing rig, based on the Frank Sudol a/o Lyle Jamieson design. It was a nice heavy rig made from 3/4" steel that took up to a 1-1/4" boring bar and had a sliding torque arrester that gave a very wide field of lateral movement to use highly acute angles on the hollowing tools. It was, however, a mostly "finger-controlled" action and I preferred a more full-body control motion. I therefore purchased a Kobra System which, in my view and for my "style" of working, is the best unit available. It's pricey at $1,000 MOL, but because of issues with my left arm and shoulder, it has kept me in the turning game when I thought I might have to quit.
 
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Mark Mandell said:
.... I got over my lust for large (with the help of Memsahib: "Oh no you're not parking those wash tubs in my living room!"), and therefore sold the set at a nice discount to another turner...
Click to expand...

😀 😀

As any fool plainly knows, the proper place for a "warsh" tub is hangin' on a nail on the porch.
 
I am looking forward to the AAW article as I did a tool review of the coring systems at the Symposium when it was in Portland in 2000-something.

Oneway: Biggest advantage is that it is on a pivoting center, which almost makes it idiot proof, and with the support finger under the coring blade it is rock solid (no chatter) all the way to the end of the biggest bowls you will core. Disadvantage, it mounts on a separate plate and you need a wrench to move and adjust it. You have to stop/turn off the lathe and advance the support finger for about every 2+ inches of depth you core, again, bring out the wrench. The tip has to be removed from the blade to sharpen it. It is the most expensive coring system out there.

McNaughton: Biggest advantage, it is by far the fastest to set up and use. With the shallow curve blade, it is by far the most versatile coring system available, coring plate forms to vessel forms. Disadvantage, there is a learning curve. To me it is not an 'intuitive' tool. Since it is not on a pivoting center, you have to aim, and that is not the easiest thing to do. Mike Mahoney, I, and now Dale Bonnert have videos on how to use the tool. I would suggest watching all 3, and/or finding some one who knows how to use it to walk you through it a few times. Any one who has tried to use is has sworn at it, even if you don't say it out loud. Those who know how to use it swear by it. Some people can never get the hang of it.

robo hippy
 
I too like you am in the near future going to buy a new coring system and for me it has to be the McNaughton system, it's the sheer flexibility that swings it for me, the fact that you can add to the system as you need it is what does it (from little tiny bowl/boxes right up to monster bowls
 
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