My First Attempt at Coring

[Harvey Ghesser]

For coring, I decided on the Oneway Easycore and the Glaser 3/4 oval bowl gouge. Both arrived quickly after I ordered them but I must say that work with the Glaser was easier than working with the Oneway. I know, I know, you can't compare the two.

I used the Glaser Screw Chuck to mount the 19 X 8, 100 pound, very wet mulberry blank to the headstock. Worked like a charm!

I will say this about the Glaser 3/4 oval bowl gouge, It was a pleasure working with it on such a large and heavy blank. With a total length of 33 inches and it's handle filled with lead shot, vibration was minimal (I noticed that right away)and It made quick work on the outside of the bowl. Definitely my tool of choice on these large and heavy turnings.

The Oneway Easy Core was my problem child but with any new tool, I always expect a learning curve. It worked better than I expected, considering it was my first time. I only made one funnel! But the largest core came out fine. I've got all four cores soaking in DNA at this time. I'm glad I chose the Oneway because I can see how easy it is to work with it, once I get the hang of it.

[Neil Bosdet]

Cool! It looks like you cored the smallest bowl first then worked out. Is this so? I've often wondered why, in every demo I've seen, it's done the other way (outside-in). In my imagination, as I don't own a coring rig, it would be more efficient to core the smallest to the largest. Thoughts?

[Richard Allen]

The coring experts, including Mike Mahony, indicate that thinner cores can be made from the outside in than from the inside out. I guess having the mass in the center while coring makes for a more stable coring.

I find coring inside out is quicker and less adjustment with the Oneway system. Setup the "tool rest" for the largest core and then start with the smallest core. The support blade will need to be adjusted as you progress with each core and between cores. You won't need to adjust anything else. This will yield fairly thick cores but the cores will all be successful and will have enough wall thickness for drying.

[Roland Martin]

Congrats on the new tooling, very nice. That mulberry looks great and should yield some really nice bowls.

[Bill Wyko]

Very well done Harvey, I knew that gouge would be up for the task, a real animal. It really is amazing that the Glaser chuck is able to man handle that 100lb'er. I'll have to put mine to a test like that when my new PM lathe comes in. Excellent job on the bowl and I look forward to hearing how you like the coring tool once you have some time on it. If there's one thing I hate, it's when I turn the entire center of a beautiful burl into dust to make a bowl. Yet another tool for the "to get" list. Thanks for sharing my friend.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Harvey,
Here's a tip. Draw all your intended cores on the face of your big blank before you begin the first core. Planning your cores makes sure you are within the sizes of each knife. Try not to be at the minimum or maximum. Remember, you will often use the same blade twice in a core, once near the lower end of it's range then again neat the upper end of the range. I draw in and blacken the entire "kerf". Next tip, the blades come sharpened but not to the new shape Oneway now recommends. Sharpen each blade with the sharpening jig. The #1 and #2 knives can usually make two cores before needing a touch up but the #3 will need it every core in hard woods.
Speed is important. Don't core at too high a speed and loser it as you use larger blades.
Make a spacer for each size blade. If you watched the video, you already know what I am talking about. The spacer isn't a bible, just a guide. There are times you will move the base closer or farther as you core. There is a maximum bowl depth you can achieve. Too thick a blank and the tool holders will strike the blank before the baseplate touches the guide board. All that means is your last bowl, the money bowl, will have too thick a bottom and you will finish it "by hand".
Lastly, after you take a core, push your center into the next bowl to be and mark the perfect center. Since you have no tenon on the cores, when you are ready to second turn, you can mount the core concave side toward the tailstock and using your Morse Taper extension find the middle while pushing the outside into a jam chuck (vacuum chuck). Then you can true a spot on the inside so you can safely turn the bowl around. put the trued interior on the vacuum chuck and either finish the outside with vacuum of create a tenon if you prefer.
By the way, beautiful lathe and set up. The Glaser looks like a beast. Good luck with it all. When I get a second I will take a picture of the rack I made to store my blades out of harms way.
Faust

[Bernie Weishapl]

Looks like it is going well for you Harvey. I always start with the smallest and go to the largest so I don't have to keep stopping and putting a tenon on. I pretty much follow Faust with marking each bowl on the face and blackening where the kerf will be cut.

[Mike Spanbauer]

That's a sweet setup for sure. That Glaser chuck is certainly a beaut too. Quick question though as I can't tell from the pics - did you screw chuck the reverse as well or use that tenon I see in pic5? Looks rather small for such a large blank, just want to ensure any looking at these pics who aren't familiar with coring know the safety rules is all

(I use a McNaughton and am a coring fan all the way, considering getting the oneway setup soon too for a different use case).

Pretty wood, should turn out rather nicely (sorry, that pun wasn't intended, but I'll take credit )

mike

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

I core the larger blanks first then I have done the tenon and can finish turn ( green ) the bowl, once the large one is turned I move on to the next size smaller. it helps me to be able to reshape the outside of the largest bowl to remove any defects that might show up between cores.

[Baxter Smith]

Congrats on your first core Harvey. What size jaws were you using on your chuck, the tenon looks a little small for that big a blank? I would have probably ripped it off if I had tried it Were you able to use the tailstock for support on the larger cores?
Great looking tools and setup!

[Harvey Ghesser]

Congrats on your first core Harvey. What size jaws were you using on your chuck, the tenon looks a little small for that big a blank? I would have probably ripped it off if I had tried it Were you able to use the tailstock for support on the larger cores?
Great looking tools and setup!

Hi Baxter,

Thanks for your comments! I used my Oneway Stronghold to hold the blank. I used the Glaser Screw Chuck to turn the tenon and shape the blank. And as far as using the tailstock... I had ordered the tailstock extension but it hadn't arrived yesterday...so I like to live dangerously at times...but fortunately all worked out.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Cool! It looks like you cored the smallest bowl first then worked out. Is this so? I've often wondered why, in every demo I've seen, it's done the other way (outside-in). In my imagination, as I don't own a coring rig, it would be more efficient to core the smallest to the largest. Thoughts?

Hi Neil, You are correct in that I did core smallest to largest. That was the method Oneway recommended it be done in their video done by David Lancaster. This meant that I didn't have to remove and remount for each subsequent core. Worked great for me!

[Jim Burr]

Nice work Harvey! Inspiration for my Oneway purchase soon...McN learning curve, IMHO...is too expensive.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Nice work Harvey! Inspiration for my Oneway purchase soon...McN learning curve, IMHO...is too expensive.

Thanks, Jim...BTW you and I have something in common.

[Harvey Ghesser]

That's a sweet setup for sure. That Glaser chuck is certainly a beaut too. Quick question though as I can't tell from the pics - did you screw chuck the reverse as well or use that tenon I see in pic5? Looks rather small for such a large blank, just want to ensure any looking at these pics who aren't familiar with coring know the safety rules is all

(I use a McNaughton and am a coring fan all the way, considering getting the oneway setup soon too for a different use case).

Pretty wood, should turn out rather nicely (sorry, that pun wasn't intended, but I'll take credit )

mike

Mike, I used the Glaser Screw chuck to turn the tenon and shape the blank. I then reversed it and used my Oneway Stronghold chuck and core the blank.