# woodcut bowl saver



## Dieseldog (25 Mar 2011)

i've been looking around on the net for information on the woodcut bowl saver 
what i would like to know is 

can you use dry blanks?

They have said to use semi green or green wood and once the bowl's have been cut out then to Steam them

How would i Steam them?

Any advice would be great


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## SVB (25 Mar 2011)

You would be best off giving Phil Irons a ring - he is the UK agent as well as a turner and will be able to help.

http://www.philirons.com/

BRgds
S


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## robo hippy (25 Mar 2011)

It is a nice little unit, emphasis on little. The big blade is a 5 inch radius, which means you can get an 11 to 12 by 5 inch deep core max out of any piece. Green wood is a lot easier to cut than dry wood, but it works on both. 

2 weekends ago, I put on a bowl coring workshop for the Willamette Woodturners in Salem, Oregon. I had all 3 systems there, the Woodcut, the McNaughton, and the Oneway. Most interest was on the Woodcut, and the McNaughton. I prefer the McNaughton. There is more of a learning curve with it, but for production purposes, it can't be beat.

robo hippy


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## myturn (25 Mar 2011)

I have the Woodcut bowl-saver and it will core any wood, wet or dry.


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## Dieseldog (25 Mar 2011)

thanks for the info Myturn & Robo Hippy
just one more Question 
what would be the minimum depth blank you could use when using the woodcut bowl saver ?


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## robo hippy (27 Mar 2011)

For production turning, I won't core anything less than 3 inches thick. It can be easily done, but the resulting bowl isn't really worth the time or effort. However, that depends on the wood. If you have a really expensive piece, you want all the cores you can get. If it is a piece of wood that has sentimental value, you will want to get more cores out of it. I figure you can get 1 core per 1 1/2 inch thickness of wood. The Woodcut will take about a 3/8 inch kerf when you core. Then you have to clean up the cut, so you lose a little bit of wood. You then have to form a recess or tenon to remount the bowl, and will lose another 1/2 inch or so of wood. Some say that you can get 1 bowl per inch of wood. Well, if you can core like Mike Mahoney (do look up his site for nested bowl sets) you may be able to get that many. You would need the McNaughton system to do that. Kel has the only coring system that is designed for mini lathes, and those blades have the smallest cutting tips of any coring system out there. 

robo hippy


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## duncanh (27 Mar 2011)

What lathe do you have? Most coring tools need something with plenty of power and are happiest with at least 1hp (I think). I have the McNaughton and my DVR sometimes struggles. I don't use it often though so maybe I just need more practice


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## myturn (27 Mar 2011)

My lathe is a DML 305/VS with a mere 1/2 hp and as long as you advance the coring blade slowly it copes fine.


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## robo hippy (27 Mar 2011)

I have all 3 systems (the Oneway included), and no, I don't have a tool buying problem, well, not really. The McNaughton is my first choice.

As to my lathe, I have a Robust American Beauty, which is American made, steel frame and bed, 25 inch diameter throw, and a 3 hp motor. I agree that for most lathes, you need at least 1 hp, and for your DVR, if you have the 220 volt model, it will work better than the 110 model (or what ever your voltage differences are over there, I am not very technical difference aware). Having more torque really helps. If you only have 1 hp, the Woodcut really works nice. It works fine for the McNaughton, but you probably will want to core at higher speeds. One turner over here suggested a 'pulse' method where you use higher speeds, plunge in GENTLY, and when the lathe slows down a bit, pull the blade back out a bit, let it speed up again, and plunge in again. I also grind my tips down square, doing away with the triangle/spear point. It makes no difference in how the blade tracks in the cut, and you have less surface area cutting the wood. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but it does make some. I do usually core in the 600 rpm plus range, but that is a guess because I don't have any rpm read out on my lathe, or on any other lathe I have owned. 

The McNaughton tends to drift a bit to the outside, and this can cause the blade to bind in the cut, as in blade curve is tighter than kerf curve. This is where you need to open up the cut a bit. Most of the time I will open it up a bit on the inside, but the outside works as well, depending on your aim. Some will just bump the tool rest a bit to the inside as well. If you are getting rubbing/burn marks on the bowl (most common, especially near the rim) or on the core (which is unusual), then the blade is binding in the cut. Time to open it up a bit.

robo hippy


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