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chuck1
25th December 2011, 09:20 PM
has anyone used the Woodcut bowl saver or mcnaughton bowl saver? thinking of getting one! and wondering!!!

mkypenturner
25th December 2011, 11:04 PM
hi chuck
i got a woodcut bowl saver use only now and again its good but the shape of the bowls are limited to one shape ,ive also used a mc naughton a couple of times no limit to the shape as a range of cutters , im thinking if you are looking at one go for the mcnaughton as you can also get scraper tips for hollow forms

chuck1
26th December 2011, 09:04 AM
thankyou for the feed back! was thinking of making one but all the trial and error is too time consuming!

orraloon
26th December 2011, 09:05 AM
I managed to get a second hand McNaughten a couple of years back. I dont know if I would ever have seen it as cost effective to buy a new one as I get most of my turning wood from nature. Still it feels good to save some wood for more turning. My set has 3 curved cutters for different size cores. Depending on the approach each cutter can take a range of shaped cores so it is still a bit of a learning curve for me. I also have a strait cutter that in theory lets you core a deep cone shaped core but so far I have only used it as a hollowing tool. I have not used the Woodcut but looking at it I think it would be easier to use up front but far less versitile in the long run.
Regards
John

NeilS
26th December 2011, 11:44 AM
Chuck, I have used both. The Woodcut is the easier of the two to use but the McNaughton is the more versatile.

My lathe is 1.5HP and I find it has only just enough power to do the larger diameter deep cuts. Steven Russell explains a pulse method (http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/center-saver.html) for coring on lower powered lathes, which might work out if you were only going to be doing a limited amount of coring.

Robo Hippy on this and other turning forums is the expert I refer to on all matters to do with coring. Search for his postings on this topic on this forum. He also has a very good DVD on using the McN corer that I can recommend.

Check your toolpost to centre height distance before making a purchase. Some lathes will not work with some systems.

My tip after doing a few hundred cores is to keep your cutters very sharp. Yes, you should do this with all of your turning tools, but even more so with the corer. Unlike the delicate action of a scraper when used to do a finishing cut, the corer uses a heavy duty scraping cut that quickly takes its toll on the edge, which means that it has to be frequently resharpened to minimise the forces that can be generated while coring. At the first hint of vibration... resharpen!
.

Cliff Rogers
26th December 2011, 11:56 AM
I have the woodcut, don't use it much 'cos I rarely have a block of timber to suit.

I mostly use timber that I have collected my self & I tend to cut it shallow if it is a wide piece so it doesn't crack.

dai sensei
26th December 2011, 12:35 PM
I have a woodcut and used it many times, works a treat for me.

rsser
3rd January 2012, 04:37 PM
In terms of value for money, I can see that a corer would work for a production bowl turner or for turners of rare species.

GJ gave his Woodcut its first run at my shed on a lump of Blackwood and the finish was surprisingly good.

In terms of efficiency (ie. just hollowing out): that experience and reading about others, I'm not sure that corers have an edge ... cough :-)

That aside, the Kelton rig is more versatile than the WC as John has suggested but demands more of the user and the lathe. It'd be my choice but it won't fit my lathe.

Grumpy John
3rd January 2012, 05:56 PM
Hi Chuck,
There's some more info on bowl coring here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/bowl-coring-76472/) and a few photos of bowls cored with the Woodcut system here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/timber-storage-part-2-a-126149/). FWIW I ended up buying a Woodcut bowl saver and while I don't use it very often I'm glad I've got it and I'm very happy with the job it does.

HSS
3rd January 2012, 07:54 PM
The Robo Hippy DVD is a really valuable tool in learning how to use the McNaughton system (I borrowed NeilS' copy...still haven't returned it either; sorry Neil!)

I've never used it though; haven't been able to afford yet but it's high on thet list as I've got a stack of wood waiting that's starting to crack.

NeilS
4th January 2012, 10:05 AM
I borrowed NeilS' copy...still haven't returned it either; sorry Neil!



No problems, HSS. I know where it is...:cool:

robo hippy
5th January 2012, 05:41 PM
Well, I was off on vacation.

I prefer the McNaughton. I find it easier to set up and use, and you can take more different shapes from platters to deep open vessels. Most of us who production turn prefer it. It does have a learning curve, and if you get one, the standard set will core about 95% of all the bowls you will ever core.

You are pretty muck limited to standard bowl shapes with the WC. The WC's big blade is a 5 inch radius, so you can remove a core from a 12 inch bowl. It is easy to use.

There is some time savings on removing the bulk of a bigger bowl, in the 12 to 16 inch range. The main time saver is in turning the core. The outside is already shaped, and you have to turn a recess or tenon, and a couple of passes on the outside and it is ready to reverse.

robo hippy

robo hippy
5th January 2012, 05:42 PM
Oh, yea, WC is trying to make a larger blade for their set up. It would most likely not be available as a retrofit.

robo hippy