# Bowl Centre Savers



## paulm (29 Dec 2008)

Am toying with the idea of investing in a bowl centre saver, something like this one 

http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Turning ... elton.html

Has anyone any experience of these, or alternatives ?

Most of the blanks I use tend to be 10" to 12" dia and 4" to 6" deep, not sure if these are big enough to work well with this type of system ?

Like the idea of saving timber rather than turning it all into shavings, and also thinking it gets a bit boring on the larger bowls so may save some time and effort too.

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers, Paul


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## cornucopia (29 Dec 2008)

hello, i do not use them myself but i know a few chaps who do and most of them use the mcnaughton system- mike mahoney does a dvd about it it might be worth getting that before making up your mind.


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## big soft moose (29 Dec 2008)

I have one and it is ace - the only thing i'd say is get the mini system unless your lathe has a lot of power.

mine is 0.5hp and really struggled with a standard - swapped for the mini and it works great

and btw with the mini you can save two centres (ie make a nest of three bowls in total) out of a 4" block - tho the middle one is a bit titchy


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## wizer (29 Dec 2008)

I'm not a turner but I must admit I'd always wondered if there was way not to wast all that timber when making a bowl. Seems like a fantastic idea. Are there any YouTube vids of them in action?


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## PowerTool (29 Dec 2008)

Here's one which _almost_ shows you how to use one.. :wink: 

Andrew


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## paulm (29 Dec 2008)

big soft moose":3uyu39pr said:


> I have one and it is ace - the only thing i'd say is get the mini system unless your lathe has a lot of power.
> 
> mine is 0.5hp and really struggled with a standard - swapped for the mini and it works great
> 
> and btw with the mini you can save two centres (ie make a nest of three bowls in total) out of a 4" block - tho the middle one is a bit titchy



Hi BSM,

With the mini version and the 4" block you mention I guess the 4" is the depth or thickness of blank that you start with ?

So is it the thickness of blank that determines how many bowls you can get from a blank rather than the diameter of blank ?

What is the smallest size bowl and the largest you can do with the mini size if you know please ?

On that link I posted, I am not sure if you have to buy the mini plus all the individual cutter arms or whether the mini comes with some or not and the seperately listed arms are optional ?

Sorry for so many questions !!!

Not so worried about the lathe power as mine has a 3 phase (with invertor) 2hp motor so hopefully wouldn't be the limiting factor, just not clear which version would get the best from the blank sizes I use most :-k 

Thks, Paul


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## Paul.J (29 Dec 2008)

This is the one i like.
Haven't used it nor any other.


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## big soft moose (29 Dec 2008)

chisel":1k0g1jmg said:


> big soft moose":1k0g1jmg said:
> 
> 
> > I have one and it is ace - the only thing i'd say is get the mini system unless your lathe has a lot of power.
> ...



yep its the depth that is the limiting factor - add about 1" thickness per centre saved.

the mini/standard/large are seperate systems each has three blades. I get about 10" dia max on the largest centre.

with your lathe i'd go with the standard - the large isnt necessary unless you have very big timber.

you can also get a deep hollowing system that fits on the kel handle and tool post which is well worth a look.


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## Blister (29 Dec 2008)

As far as I understand it . they only work correctly with wet wood 

I have watched some clips on the net and they are nearly all wet 

Roughed out and left to dry then Finnish turned


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## wizer (29 Dec 2008)

thanks for the links. looks like a bloody economical way to save wood and make sets


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## paulm (29 Dec 2008)

Thanks for the feedback guys, and interesting vid, will do some more research and check out prices further, whichever system it would pay for itself eventually I guess, although it would be better if worked okay with dry blanks too.

Cheers, Paul


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## Richard Findley (30 Dec 2008)

Hi Paul,

I've got the Woodcut and, although I don't use it that much, I am very happy with it. It's totally silly person proof (not questioning your IQ :lol: :wink: ) I guess the only limiting factor is that you can only get one shaped save, rather than the various cones etc you _can_ achieve with other systems but, as I understand it, with a lot of practice!!!

I don't really get wet wood so all mine is done dry. The only difference, as with all turning, is that it's easier when wet. My lathe has 1Hp and as long as I take it easy and listen to what the lathe tells me then I'm ok:



























These 2 bowls were made from a bit of dry Oak, if I remember correctly about 10" x 3". Came out ok!

HTH

Richard


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## paulm (30 Dec 2008)

Thanks Richard, is indeed very helpful.

See what you mean about one shape only, do fancy the idea of bieng able to be a bit more flexible in practice, and with practice ! :lol: 

Been trying to get hold of Peter at the Toolpost yesterday and this morning to ask his advice on the McN, sizes etc and to see what he has in stock, but haven't been able to contact yet on email or phone although their site does say they are open :roll: 

Thanks very much.

Cheers, Paul


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## paulm (30 Dec 2008)

Caught up with Peter eventually and am going for a trip to Didcot in the morning to pick up one of the McN mini centre savers which by all accounts are just the right size to core a 10" blank from a 12" round and then down in size from there, which sounds just right for what I need.

You can buy seperate cutter arms next two sizes up apparently for doing bigger stuff and use with the main system you get withthe mini, although Peter has no stock at the moment.

A bit pricey, but I probably should have got one years ago when I look back at all the good timber turned to shavings for the compost bin :shock: 

Getting some of Paul C's lovely walnut (see avatar :lol: ) was what made my mind up as much to precious to waste as shavings, so it's all your fault Paul when my missus finds out (hammer) :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## paulm (31 Dec 2008)

Had an easy run up the A34 to Didcot this morning, quite pretty in the frost and -2 degrees :shock: 

Got there 10 minutes before opening time but luckily Peter had just arrived also so didn't have to sit in the car waiting.

Had another chat about the McN and we figured that the mini size should do most of what I need, but the addition of the tighter curved cutter from the next size up (standard) should make sure that I can go that bit larger if needed.

Seems a well planned system as once you have the initial system, even the mini that I got, you can use any of the standard or large cutters without any problem, as long as you buy those cutters of course and they sell them seperately, so seems very upgradeable (cost allowing :shock: ).

Invested in the Mike Mahoney dvd as well to see how it should be done, and a new 4" faceplate for the lathe and a bottle of endseal to top up the dunking trough for sealing blanks.

For anybody interested in turning and within an hour or two of Didcot, it's well worth a visit to the Toolpost as Peter has a lot more stock there now than when I last went a year or two ago, and covers everything from turning tools, finishes, blanks etc but also has some hand tools including some LN and Veritas gear, and a good range of dvd's and books etc.

After a similarly easy run back home and some lunch I took an hour out to watch the dvd, noted how easy and straightforward it seemed and went out to the workshop to have a play.

Having wisely decided not to learn using a piece of the best walnut, I chose a modest sized ash blank and turned the outside of that to shape before reversing it and mounting onto the 2" O'Donnell jaws on my larger chuck as I couldn't be bothered changing the jaw set over.

Big mistake :shock: (homer) the cutter is really really aggressive, as it needs to be, and a slightly less than deft touch from me and the bowl blank ripped out of the (very well tightened) jaws and spun across the workshop, luckily missing me (who had in a rare moment of commonsense decided to put a face shield on, just in case), and not doing any damage anywhere. Quite exciting though ! :roll: 

Decided that I might be best advised to try the biggest set of jaws I have after all and a much larger spigot on the blank, and decided that I might retreat back to the house for a cup of tea and another session with the video and perhaps try again in the morning when I feel braver :lol: 

Was thinking of taking some pics but didn't get as far as having anything to snap, though an action shot of the flying blank would have been entertaining :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## big soft moose (31 Dec 2008)

I totally agree about toolpost - i go there a lot (although i live in wiltshire i work in oxford so its quite handy for me) Peter is a top bloke and always ready to have a chat (and quite often a brew if not busy).

Did you buy a diamond slip stone for sharpening as well - if not i'd get one as the kel system blade needs to be kept razor sharp and a diamond touch up is a lot easier than doing it on the grinder.

and yes 2" jaws is not a good idea - I usually put mine on a substantial spiggot held in my 4" jaws on the versa chuck (another top product from tool post  ).

and finally if you are going to use this on relatively green walnut you need to widen the kerf (as per the dvd) as the increased shavings to dust ratio from green wood can clog the cut resulting in a jam and flying tools/bowls or both.


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## paulm (1 Jan 2009)

Thanks for the advice BSM, I was too eager to get started and try out the new toy !

Spent a bit of time this afternoon rescuing the practice blank of ash that went into orbit yesterday :roll: 

Put some sensible sized 4" mega gripper jaws on my versachuck, that I was too lazy to do yesterday and these worked a treat, no danger of coming loose with those and a decent 5mm spigot on the blank.

Forgot to take the camera in with me so only the after shots today I'm afraid, here's the cored out blank











The McN was quite a challenge to use for the first time, even having watched the dvd first. 

Not a lot of fun on the well dried ash and I guess I was a bit nervous after yesterdays events, but the tool is quite aggressive and it is taking a while to be able to manipulate it smoothly enough to avoid sudden lurches and catches. 

That's probably also down to the fact that you need to move it in ways and directions that are totally different to normal turning tools.

Anyway, although only a small practice blank of around 9" x 4" it was immensely satisfying to get the core out eventually, probably too small to do much with, but I was more interested in trying to master the tool before getting going on the better stuff.

Having got a bit more confidence, I used the new 4" faceplate I picked up yesterday and some 1 1/4" coach screws to mount a piece of the walnut around 10" x 5". 






Was great using the faceplate, supported lightly by the tailstock as well, although the still wet blank was very heavy and out of balance it felt very secure on the big Wivamac lathe.











Proceeded to turn a rough outside shape to the blank and put a decent sized spigot on for the chuck. Was a pleasure to turn the wet timber, cut beautifully, nice long ribbons flying everywhere, a real treat after wrestling with the dry and dusty ash earlier.

Won't get anymore done tomorrow unfortunately as off to Paul C's to return some slabbed walnut and pick up some more logs for conversion  

Will have to re-true the spigot again just before I mount in the chuck and use the centre saver as it will probably have gone a bit oval by the time i get to it, but left plenty of meat on it should be fine.

Was slightly annoyed that having been very careful to centre the heartwood perfectly in the blank when cutting out initially, it runs off at an angle through to the bottom of the blank and so doesn't look so well centred there, but should be a couple or more beautiful bowls out of that hopefully, if of course I can tame the beast of the McN centre saver :lol: 






Hoping it should be a bit more forgiving on the wetter timber but we'll see :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul Chapman (1 Jan 2009)

Hey, that's looking good, Paul - almost as much fun as turning screwdriver handles  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## cornucopia (1 Jan 2009)

excellent wip piccys Paul, how much of this walnut have you got? are you going to rough it all out into bowls or is some going for other projects?

always do what you feel safe with but  .............imo coach bolts are a bit over the top for such a small blank you might find pan head sheet metal screws much quicker and still a very strong hold- how many holes has that new faceplate got in it? it looks like 4 or 6? i would increase this to 12 or so- countersunk from behind to make a really usefull plate.
best wish's 
george


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## paulm (1 Jan 2009)

Hi George,

Been enjoying your wip pic's too, have inspired me to get turning again as I haven't been doing too much of late, and good to see you just getting on with it  

There's loads of the walnut, most cut into slabs around 3' long by 11" or so wide and 2 1/2" deep for cabinet making. Once they dry out a bit they can be cut down further as necessary and should make some lovely bookmatched door and box panels for example. So far I think there have been 9 or 10 of those slabs.

I used one half log for cutting some deeper turning blanks like the one in the pic, some bigger and some smaller.

I think Paul C has about the same volume again left from the main trunk, and a pile of branch wood including some nice crotch pieces, so we'll see what we can make of it tomorrow. 

Still to negotiate with Paul how much stays with me for "proper woodworking" as well as spinny stuff :lol: 

The faceplate has eight countersunk holes in total I think. I used only the four closest to the centre so as not to compromise on the bowl potential and the 1 1/4" coach bolts were about right, going around 3/4" into the timber itself (the faceplate bieng around 1/2" or so thick. 

The coach bolts were easy enough to drive in using my Makita impact driver and hex driver bit, they were only around 5mm diameter, just right for the job I think, they went in no bother at all but had a nice coarse thread to give good grip and sufficient core thickness not to need too many of them. I was quite keen to avoid another blank going into orbit :shock: :lol: 

Hope that there aren't any losses due to cracking of the roughed out bowls, not sure whether to end seal them again or not just in case ?

Cheers, Paul


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## cornucopia (1 Jan 2009)

end seal or not? 
when i rough out bowl blanks (which i dont do allot of) i always seal the end grain on the inside and outside of the piece- but not the whole piece- i have found walnut to be vey forgiving- but the batch i have used recently had been laying on the floor for a couple of years which may of made a diffrence. at least you are roughing them out at the perfect time of year.
Where are you storing them once roughed out?
keep an eye on the sapwood as woodworm love it :roll:


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## paulm (2 Jan 2009)

The roughed out blanks will be kept on the metal racking in the workshop George, you can see some of it in the background in some of the photos.

The workshop has a small oil filled elecric rad running all the time to keep the frost and rust at bay, but it's not hot by any stretch of the imagination, although I do turn on the fan heater to warm it up a bit when I'm in there for a session.

Guess that if in doubt, I'll put some end seal on the end grain just in case, would be gutted to lose some of these pieces.

Cheers, Paul


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## cornucopia (2 Jan 2009)

hmmm your workshop wouldint be my first choice Paul but you dont know till you try -best of luck


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## TEP (2 Jan 2009)

Hi *Paul*.

I have been following this thread with a great deal of interest, hope you are going to continue posting about your use of the Kelton centre saver.

All I have used up to now is a home made copy of the 'Sorby slicer' which does leave a great deal to be desired in saving the centres of some nice pieces of timber.


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## paulm (4 Jan 2009)

After a busy day yesterday with Paul C finishing off preparing his last couple of walnut slabs for him, and then moving the next batch (for me this time  ) from my trailer into the woodshed, I end-sealed all the logs that needed it this morning, and then managed to get some turning time in the workshop at last :shock: :roll: 

Used the McN centre saver on the first walnut bowl blank that I had roughed out (see pics earlier in thread) and found it a whole lot easier in the wet wood than in the dry ash I had used previously.

What also helped was that I very lightly greased the mating and swivelling surfaces on the McN toolpost and this helped a lot in keeping movements fluid and smooth and stopped the jerking and grabbing that I had been getting.

The hollowing of this blank, which I think was about 10" by 5" went pretty quickly and easily and I ended up with the large bowl below, about 1" thick and a useful centre core for a second small bowl, the pic was after sealing though which is why they look all white







Suitably encouraged I thought I would tackle the 12" x 6" monster blank which was really heavy. Mounted it on the 4" faceplate again with the same 4 coach screws.






And brought up the tailstock just to make sure there were no surprises while I got the blank trued and balanced.






After a few cuts with the gouge you can see the beatiful heartwood showing in contrast to the rough and sealed outer edge of the blank






A few more cuts and a spigot formed for the chuck






A fair pile of shavings :shock: 






Chuck fitted to spigot






And mounted on the headstock and the faceplate removed 






Then I smoothed off the top of the blank to help avoid catches when starting with the McN and got started






Found it trickier this time trying to get the angles of approach right to not leave the bottom too thick but not cut through either, should become easier with more practice. 

Had to widen the kerf a fair bit in order to get the chosen cutter round at the right angle of approach, and it took a while, but got there in the end  

The pic below is after tidying up the inside bottom a bit with a scraper as it was a little too thick compared to the walls which are about 1" again











So one large 12" bowl roughed out and a second decent sized core about 9" x 4". Was too tired to try coring out the core :roll: but will probably get a further bowl plus a further small useable centre from that






So impressions of the tool. Definately needs a bit of practice to become confident, and while I will use it on dry timber as well it is definately easier to use and learn using wet wood. 

All in all, expensive, but if you use larger blanks and get through a fair few, it will pay for itself pretty quickly, and just as importantly, reduces waste of valuable natural resources, so very pleased with it all round  

Cheers, Paul


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## cornucopia (4 Jan 2009)

excellent  thanks for doing the wip pics paul


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## Paul Chapman (4 Jan 2009)

Looking good, Paul 8) Surprised you had the energy after humping all that timber about yesterday :shock: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## PowerTool (4 Jan 2009)

Interesting and useful set of pictures,Paul - the centre saver might be expensive,but guess you must have saved more than it's cost compared to buying all that beautiful walnut  

Andrew


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## TEP (5 Jan 2009)

Many thanks for a very interesting thread *Paul*. As with any new tool there is sure to be a learning curve, but you appear to be coping very well. After seeing the C Saver at work I am VERY interested now. May have to call on the ToolPost soon once I save up some of my pennies.

What I really thought was good was when you said you had to alter the cut to continue with the save. I wonder how many savers you can do that with?


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## robo hippy (5 Jan 2009)

I missed the origional posting of this because I was out of town. Bowl coring is a specialty of sorts for me. I have posted a bunch about this here in the US, and demonstrated at the 2006 AAW Symposium. I do turn a lot of bowls.

If you sell your work and you are turning bowls, then you need a bowl coring system. Core about 3 to 4 good sized blanks, and you have paid for your coring system. You do save time in removing the core, and when you turn the core, most of the shaping has been done, and you just have to clean it up. The piles of shavings don't seem to have been diminished. I save so much time that I turn a lot more bowls, so the piles seem to be bigger. You know it is time to clean up the shop when you have to get down on your knees to turn.

There are 3 systems out there. The McNaughton, the Woodcut, and the Oneway ( A Canadian lathe, but don't hear much mention of them over there, and they do make a nice lathe). My preference is for the McNaughton. The plus side of it is that it is the most versatile for coring plates, regular bowls, and deeper bowls/vessels. The down side is that the instructions that come with it are not easy to understand, and there is a big learning curve with the tool. It REALLY helps to have some one who knows how to use the tool to show you how to use it, or get a video. You also have to learn how to relax when using the tool. You don't have to force it, and if there is a lot of chattering, some thing is wrong. Most of the time, you have to remember to keep the cutter at or slightly above center height, and let the tool feed itself. There are 2 DVDs out there, one by Mike Mahoney, and one by me (which the Tool Post is carrying). KM also has a micro coring system that is made for the mini lathes.

The biggest problem with the McNaughton in using it is that as you core, the blade/cutter wants to drift to the outside of the cut, away from the planned path. You have to learn how to correct for it. You can come back to the top of the cut and open it up on either the outside, or inside. You can also bump the tool rest to the inside a bit. This is more of a problem with bigger bowls. I use one or two or all 3 methods to correct, depending on the bowl. The other problem is learning how to aim. Since it isn't on a fixed center, you have to aim. I do use the laser pointer which KM makes, and love it. If you don't have one, be prepared to make some lampshades/funnels. There is a lot more to it than that, but this is the simple version. 

The Oneway is interesting. It is also the most expensive (about $800 US). It is a plate that bolts onto the ways of your lathe, and the tool mounts onto it. It is fixed center. There is a cutter blade, and a support finger. You core in about 2 inches, then advance the support finger under the blade. You do have to turn off the lathe to do this. For a big bowl, 18 inches or so, this may be done 5 times or so. The support finger makes the blade very stable when fully extended. They have an unusual cutter. It has a point that sticks out, to break the fibers, and then the sides remove the waste. The bad thing about this is that it that to sharpen it you have to remove it from the lathe and hold it up to the grinder wheel (you can buy a jig for doing this). You can only sharpen the top surface of it, not the face. You can adjust it a bit from side to side for flatter or deeper cuts, but if you go all the way to either side, the support finger can bind in the cut. 

The Woodcut is a nice little system, the emphasis is on little. It is on a fixed center and is almost silly person proof (if you invent some thing that is silly person proof, then some one invents a better silly person). They have 2 blades, and it mounts in your banjo. I think the big blade is 6 inch radius. It isn't too much trouble to change blades, but you do have to handle and move both blades to change. One down side to me is that you have to attach your tailstock to the back of the set up for coring. I never use my tailstock when I turn bowls so this is an extra step for me. They do have a laser pointer for their tool. I don't really find it necessary. I set the tool up with my chuck on the lathe, and swing the cutter through the arc so that it is about 1/2 inch away from the chuck jaws. I them make a plywood spacer to put down on the lathe so I know the distance to put the tool and don't have to measure each time. I do this with the Oneway as well. There is some chatter with it, especially with harder woods, and if you are going as deep as it will go.

For your first efforts, use green wood as it cuts easier, and don't use wood that is hard or that is really special. For mounting, I prefer a recess, but a tenon works just as well. There is no mechanical advantage to either method as long as they are properly made. Mike shows how to form a tenon, I show how to form a recess. General rule here is that the foot of the bowl needs to be at least 1/4 of the diameter, and 1/3 is better. If you use a recess, the angle and diameter of the recess need to match as closely as possible the jaws of your chuck, and I usually go about 3/16 inch deep (sorry about the inches stuff, we are a bit slow about metrics here, and I never learned them well enough to use them). For mounting the bowl blank, I use a recess as well. I drill a recess using a big forstner bit that closely matches the chuck jaw diameter, about 1/4 inch deep. You don't want the chuck to bottom out so that the bowl sits on the face of the chuck. I have a dedicated compass for marking the diameter of the recess, and a specialized dove tail cutting tool. After turning the outside, and making the recess, I reverse it for coring. This way you never have to remove the chuck. With the Woodcut, you would have to remove a face plate for coring. With the other 2 systems, you can leave it on.

I do remove the biggest core first, then finish turn the bowl on the lathe before remounting the core. You can remove the smaller ones first if you want to, and they will still have to be remounted to turn a tenon or recess on for turning, but if there are any errors on figuring out how many blanks you can get from a blank, I would rather make the mistake on the smaller bowls, not on the larger ones. 

Number of blanks you get depends on a few things, mostly on how good you are at cutting close. From a 6 inch blank, I will usually get 3 or 4 blanks. For production purposes, I seldom will core anything less than about 8 inches wide, and 3 inches thick. It is only really worth it if it is a special/rare/exotic piece of wood.

All of the coring systems have cutters that are about 3/8 inches wide. They cut like scrapers. If your lathe will remove a shaving that wide with a scraper, then it can handle most of the coring systems. 1 hp or more is usually recomended. The exception here is the mini and micro McNaughton blades. Their cutters are 1/4 inch wide on the mini, and slightly smaller on the micro. They work well for the smaller lathes. Coring speeds are from about 300 on big (18 inch diameter) bowls to 1000 on smaller ones. It depends on how well the bowl is balanced, and how comfortable you are. On smaller lathes, you do need to turn it up a bit. With the micro system, I tried a high torque slow speed, and the tool didn't work that well, went to mid range, and higher speed and it was fine. You have to experiment to see what works for you. Borrowing another quote from 'Patsfan' "When sphincter tightening exceeds chuck tightening, you have a problem."

For drying, that could be another DVD. I turn green to finish thickness (1/4 to 1/2 inch), and then dry. I love warped bowls. I do soak in 1/2 liquid dishwashing detergent, and half water for 24 hours minimum, remove and rinse, then dry. The soap (and denatured alcohol soak) does nothing measurable for helping the thin turned bowls dry faster, or with less movement or cracking. It may on the thick turned bowls. The soap does make the wood a LOT easier to sand out. For drying, I wrap a couple of pieces of newspaper on the outside and secure it to the rim of the bowl with some film plastic (6 inch wide that is used for wrapping around boxes to keep them on a pallet). I use a couple of wraps, and stretch it out so there is some pressure on the rim. I then cut out the paper on the inside of the bowl. The idea here is that the inside will dry faster than the outside and this pulls everything towards the inside and the bowl drys in a compression mode. I have done this with just the plastic on the outside rim, and have had great results, even with the most difficult woods like Pacific Madrone. Bowls take from one to two weeks to dry. I haven't tried this on thick turned bowls as I don't do that style, but probably should some day. It is also important to round over the edges on the rim of the bowl. The fine sharp edge is more prone to starting cracks than a round one, because it drys more evenly.

robo hippy


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## paulm (5 Jan 2009)

Paul Chapman":3o17vu9b said:


> Looking good, Paul 8) Surprised you had the energy after humping all that timber about yesterday :shock:
> 
> Cheers :wink:
> 
> Paul



It was only because it was the last day of my hols Paul, so I forced myself to get on with it, otherwise would have been happy to collapse on the sofa for the day and recover :lol: 

Also spent a while endsealing all those logs and then turning them over and doing the other ends, and that took a fair bit of effort too, but not worth leaving to chance and losing good timber through end splits.

Was just typing out a reply to you TEP when I saw Robo Hippy's posting and I think he has got the different systems well covered there ! 

I almost bought your dvd RH at the Toolpost but tossed a coin and went for the other one  :shock: . Appreciate all your feedback and thoughts, very interesting and helpful indeed  

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul.J (5 Jan 2009)

Great post Paul,which as brought out some very interesting info on the savers.
Will we be seeing a piece finished :?:


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## paulm (5 Jan 2009)

Paul.J":27a2d78d said:


> Great post Paul,which as brought out some very interesting info on the savers.
> Will we be seeing a piece finished :?:



Sure will Paul, but might be a while before the roughed out bowls are dry enough, probably a few months I think but we'll see how it goes :wink: 

Cheers, Paul


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## miles_hot (6 Jan 2009)

excellent post Robo - thanks for sharing all that!


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## robo hippy (6 Jan 2009)

Paul, 
If I have to lose a sale to some one, I don't mind losing it to Mike. I have talked with him several times, and think he is a really good man and turner. 

robo hippy


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## paulm (31 Aug 2009)

Well, finally got round to turning one of the roughed out walnut blanks today  

Thought I would attach it to this earlier thread for continuity.

Haven't done any real turning for quite a while, mainly due to work and gardening and stuff, and also seem to have developed "turners block" for a while recently :roll: so was a bit rusty and tentative to start with but got back in to the flow quite quickly.

Wanted to keep a simple, functional shape and wall thickness, for use in the home rather than a decorative piece, so nothing fancy like some of you are doing these days :lol: 

Finished size is 9" by 3" and finished in Cheshunt food safe finish with several soakings over a couple of hours. Shame the lighter parts of the wood weren't better balanced visually in the finished piece, but a lovely piece of timber all the same.

Very satisfying indeed, having helped Paul C dismember the tree (as per my avatar pic), converting it, coring it and seasoning it through to finished form, and thanks again to Paul C for the opportunity to get some great timber.

Still have the core from the middle of this one to do also at some stage when I can get back into the shop.





















Here's the original thread about the tree conversion also if interested to follow it from the start :roll: :lol: 

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... ght=walnut

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul Chapman (31 Aug 2009)

Hey Paul, that looks really good 8) Nice to see something useful come out of all our efforts humping those logs about.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Bodrighy (31 Aug 2009)

So simple and yet so effective. A very gentle looking piece if that makes sense, it allows the wood to do all the talking. Love it.

pete


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## CHJ (31 Aug 2009)

Walnut!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 
and to think I'm going to have to suffer many more such outpourings from the North Hampshire hideaway.

As Pete says, simple smooth and lets the wood do the talking.


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## paulm (31 Aug 2009)

Thanks for the kind words guys, it's nice to share with a like minded crowd !

Wouldn't worry too much Chas, my productivity rate is pretty low, and I just have in mind some more of the same for a while, before I move onto some more adventurous pieces :wink: 

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul.J (31 Aug 2009)

Very nice looking bowl Paul  
Seeing the Walnut now and how nice looking it is,it was well worth getting the saver.
Will the lighter wood go darker over time :?:


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## Doug B (31 Aug 2009)

A very nice bowl Paul, but what a stunning piece of timber. :shock: 

Thats set me off now on a search for some Walnut


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## paulm (1 Sep 2009)

Paul.J":1l4erk7t said:


> Will the lighter wood go darker over time :?:



Not sure about that Paul, the stored walnut I have hasn't done that but then it's not been exposed to much sunlight or oiled. More likely that the dark wood might lighten a little over time perhaps, will have to wait and see what happens  

Cheers, Paul


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## Jenx (1 Sep 2009)

Super Bowl Paul .... thats very nice indeed ... a cracker !


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## paulm (4 Oct 2009)

Some more of the same, not all done today, over the last two or three weeks.

The biggest is 5"x11" and the smallest 2"x6", all finished in the same foodsafe finish which I think is essentially liquid paraffin or mineral oil (same thing I think) with added driers, so that they can be used at the table if wanted.

They are from two cored blanks, two from each. To think I would only have got the two larger bowls if I hadn't used the coring system. Also helps with the roughed/cored out blanks air drying and meant I could finish turn these relatively quickly in the end.

Wasn't interested in turning anything fancy still with such lovely timber, wanted to get a few decent functional bowls from the better blanks and leave some different design ideas till later.






















Close up of the largest one, the figuring and colour on this walnut is lovely






Paul C is coming over next weekend hopefully for a go at turning a bowl for himself from some of his tree, so look out for more pics then !

Cheers, Paul


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## Bodrighy (4 Oct 2009)

That really is a lovely set. It's a pity that the coring system is so expensive as I can see that not only does it save moneyth the wood but allows you to do sets like this with the grain pattern running through them all. Lovely, soft looking bowls. 

Pete


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## cornucopia (4 Oct 2009)

Brillant Paul- really nice looking walnut


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## Paul.J (4 Oct 2009)

Those look lovely Paul.
I like the rounded rim  
Beautiful looking Walnut and well worth getting the saver.


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## CHJ (4 Oct 2009)

Good to see the set salvaged from that Walnut Paul, would certainly have been a loss to have wasted the core in shavings.


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## wizer (4 Oct 2009)

GORGEOUS!!!! Walnut is my favouritest of all woods ever, anywhere, of all time, in the universe. ahem, I like walnut. 

I do like the simple forms. Honest to goodness (as my MIL would say).

Now, where do I find me some green walnut.... Need a tame tree surgeon.


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## paulm (5 Oct 2009)

Thanks for the comments guys  

Not entirely happy with the profile of the largest bowl, I had a second go (before the photo) at tigthening the curve at the bottom and making the footprint a bit smaller, but still not quite right. I think the problem is that the bowl is really an inch or so too tall for it's diameter, but I was loathe to see more of the timber reduced to shavings :shock: 

Anyway, it's a good functional size and looks okay from most angles I guess.

Must get on and see if I can core and rough out some more next weekend.....

Cheers, Paul


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## wizer (5 Oct 2009)

it smells edible when turning, doesn't it?


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## Paul Chapman (5 Oct 2009)

They look lovely, Paul.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## paulm (5 Oct 2009)

wizer":kzfksseg said:


> it smells edible when turning, doesn't it?



Not sure about that Tom, haven't really noticed it so far while turning, but must give the shavings a sniff and see when I 'm next in the shop :shock: :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## paulm (8 Jun 2012)

Some more from the walnut stash posted here the-walnut-tree-t28690-60.html

Forgot the original thread was in General Woodworking rather than the Wood Turning forum !

Cheers, Paul


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## CHJ (8 Jun 2012)

Good to see the Walnut seasoning is bearing fruit Paul, although I don't know whether the wood stash walk-by is suitable viewing for us lesser mortals.


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## paulm (8 Jun 2012)

Sorry Chas, had a busy few days in the workshop cutting it all up given the poor weather and temporary hold on gardening duties !

I did keep quite a lot as turning blanks too but easier to store so not in the open workshop in the pics 

Cheers, Paul


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