The Oneway coring system is very good. One criticism people have: it is unable to produce different shapes and profiles of cores.The cores are very common and repetitive, producing only one profile of bowl. As I describe using my system, the bowl profiles are limitless.


20" ambrosia blank with an interesting profile and lots of extra wood in the lip is placed in the chuck.

Note the faceplate used in turning the outside is still attached.

ready to turn a tenon... note screw holes

from the faceplate. I ALWAYS use the live centre. There is a lot of bowl being held by a small tenon in the chuck.

a  2 " tenon has been turned. This will be used later to hold the core.

I want a wide rim, so I make a pencil mark 2-3" in.  The mark shows a cut of 14 inches in diameter

my chart recommends that I use a #3 knife for the 14 inch diameter cut

the spacers that I use for the different size knives for proper depth of cut.

how to make spacers- click here

ready to cut the first large core

cut to the top of the notch on the knife

NOTE: the live centre is being used

Important- if not used, the tenon holding the blank in the chuck will likely break off while making the cut

the knife rest has been turned inward and inserted into the cut to support the knife

first core removed

first core ready to be flipped and

remounted on the chuck using the tenon

the rough core is remounted onto the chuck

-note the live centre is again being used

the outside is cut to a new profile along with a new tenon on the base

flipped and now held by the new tenon

#2 knife ready to cut the second core

second core removed

second core mounted using the tenon on its face

outside cut to new profile and a new tenon cut

flipped and held by the new base tenon

-even here work takes place between centres so heavy cuts can be made

finished 20" 14" 10" bowl blanks with nice large  flared rims (they will later allow for a variety of custom rims on the finished bowls)

the inside of the bowl is cleaned up using a gouge

Oneway Coring... My Way

The procedure I use with the Oneway Coring System allows me to create unlimited profile variations.


Instead of following Oneway's method of coring from the centre out (smallest to largest),


I core from the outside in (largest to smallest). It takes longer, but the profiles can be any shape and the finished cuts are clean... thus less tendency to crack during drying.


Please note: I always work between centres using a live centre with a morse extension.