I tried turning one of those acrylester inlace blanks when I first started and then contemplated suicide. They can be a b**** to turn but they sure hold a beautiful shine.
I hated using Inlace Acrylester to start with but finally got to cutting real smooth after it got round. I turn them round on my 9x20 metal lathe at slow speed and feed. A lot less mess to clean up.