Carole Valentine
Don't be spooked Barb. Yes there is a learning curve, but that is the case with any tool. You would not want to start on wood such as the root burl Barb described, but you don't want to start with stringy junk wood either. Do you remember learning to ride a bike? You struggled for a bit then all of a sudden it was "Ah hah!" and you were flying along? That's what coring is like. Of course you will hit the odd "rock in the road", but don't be afraid of it. You have a substantial lathe with, hopefully, a substantial banjo. My Nova DVR was pushed to it's limits this weekend, but I don't usually core wood that big or with that gnarly interlocking root fiber. Cherry is a good wood to start with, or even red oak.