When it comes to woodturning, every piece of timber has potential, but much of the timber can end up in wastage on the workshop floor. That’s where the Woodcut Tools Bowlsavers come in. Whether you’re a hobbyist turner or a seasoned professional, these innovative coring systems are game changers in efficiency and sustainability.

In this guide, we’ll compare the Bowlsaver Original and the Bowlsaver Max 4 to help you choose the right system for your lathe, your workflow and your woodworking goals.

The Woodcut Tools Bowlsaver Bowl Coring System and the Woodcut Tools Bowlsaver Max 4 are designed to help you get the most out of your blanks by allowing you to core multiple nested bowls from a single piece of wood. This not only reduces timber waste but also maximises the value of every turning project. In a craft where timber wastage is inevitable, the ability to save material from producing multiple bowls from one blank is a great advantage.

Both the Bowlsaver Original and the Bowlsaver Max4 are excellent tools for reducing timber waste and increasing productivity in the workshop – but each one has its advantages.

Bowlsaver Original

The main difference between the two Woodcut Tools Bowlsavers is capacity. The Bowlsaver Original is ideal for mid-sized lathes and bowls up to 300mm in diameter. It’s great for hobbyists or professional turners who are turning smaller scale projects. It's been helping turners reduce waste and save time since 1995.

Learn more with Colwin Way:

Bowlsaver Max 4

On the other hand, the Bowlsaver Max 4 is built for larger lathes and heavier workloads. It’s ideal for turners making bowls up to 430mm in diameter. Its enhanced support system makes it valuable for pros and serious enthusiasts looking to reduce their waste on a larger scale.

It’s fully cast aluminium platform adds stability during use. Precision machining ensures smooth, consistent cutting across a variety of timber types. The forged Max blade, with dual direction curves follow the bowl’s natural shape. This not only improves control but also adds rigidity where it matters most.

The 20” handle gives users increased leverage and better balance – an advantage that comes into its own during longer sessions.

Watch Colwin and Dan from Woodcut discuss the Max 4 Bowl Coring System:

5 Star review!

Well pleased with the Max 4 as it copes well with coring out live edged bowls which was why I wanted it in the first place. Very well made and I am sure it will give me many years of service"

Axminster Tools customer

Take a look at the table below to easily see how the tools differ

  Original Max 4
Bowl size range   Cores bowls from 75mm to 300mm in diameter, up to 130mm deep  Cores bowls from 75mm to 430mm in diameter 
Tailstock mount   2MT  2MT 
Number of knives   2 knives with stellite cutters   3 knives: includes the 2 from the Original, plus an additional Max knife 
Lathe compatibility  Suitable for lathes with 305mm - 405mm swing   Suitable for lathes with 405mm - 635mm swing  
Knife support  Stellite cutters  Stellite cutters with Max knife featuring a concave shape with roller and post support to prevent twisting 
Handle   12” handle  20" long handle with foam grip. The end of the handle features a spigot to fit an additional handle if needed 
Accessories  User guide and 2 bowl planning templates User guide and 3 bowl planning templates 

Both Woodcut Tools Bowlsavers are designed with the same purpose in mind: to help woodturners make the most of their material. However, the main factors when choosing between the two are lathe size and project scale.

Fancy reading a review?

Browse our reviews from Max Bainbridge and Jack Havelock Bailey of the Max 4 Bowlsaver.

Woodcut Tools Accessories

Want to see what else Woodcut Tools offer? The Woodcut Tools Bowlsaver Max 4 Light Guide is a great addition to the Bowlsaver system. Showing you the path the coring blade will take, you can plan your cut to get the best from your blank.

Plus, from sharpening systems to hollowing tools, Woodcut Tools provide many other innovative woodturning tools to enhance your workflow and project outcomes.

Explore more from Woodcut Tools