Barbara Gill
I was fortunate enough to be able to become the owner of three root burl stumps. The two Red Maple were not very large but did yield 6 bowl blanks >16". The Tulip Poplar root burl was 5' in diameter. I spent about 15 hours pressure washing, trimming roots, pressure washing and pressure washing.

Since I do not own a coring rig but know someone who does I made arrangements to take 9 blanks to be cored. Her lathe could handle 15.5" diameter blanks so that was what I tried to keep the size to.

This wood turned out to be quite a challenge; down near the bottom of each cored bowl where the knife made the turn toward the center the burled root wood was fibrous, knarley and tough as the devil. I watched the banjo actually flex when the knife would hit one of the tough places. All of the Allen screws that could work loose on the lathe did because of the vibration.

Now before some of you jump in here with advice and maybe even some BS let me clarify. The owner of the lathe and the coring rig is not a novice and for sure not a beginner. There were two other Kelton owners there. They both took a go at different pieces. One owns a larger more powerful lathe; he too two blanks that were not small enough home and cored them on his General.

Some of my observations. A coring rig is not something a inexperienced turner should use. Anyone who has a coring rig should be very aware of the stress that can be put on the equipment. There are no absolutes in coring. Every variable affects the results. Wood you would not expect to be difficult to core (Red Maple and Tulip Poplar) can be. Root burls can be dangerous to core if you are not careful.

The last observation I will share is if I were to buy a coring rig it would definitely be a Kelton. I had several different shaped blanks, some rounded, some more cone shaped. There was a knife for each. The outcome could be adjusted just by moving the banjo in or out a little.

I am not going to identify the other turners who so kindly helped me out. If they want to add anything or correct anything I have said, please feel free.