I appreciate the update! That certainly makes more sense looking back.
An aluminum core would be amazing! Perfect axes every time! I wonder if it would be possible to coat the core and the center piece (where they touch) with Teflon or something else to make it buttery slippery. Teflon on Teflon with Lubix... it would free spin for hours! That setup might actually make a cube legitimately too fast!
One advantage of a aluminum core would be the reusability... you could pop it into any cube at any time. You could unscrew it, clean all the pieces, and screw it back in with no problems. The thing is, the screws would have to perfectly match the threaded holes. I'd probably pay no more than $10 for an aluminum core with the hardware...