It never came out in pieces. When I cut the boar down it was very solid at the base, starting at the 'rim' down. Once I was close to the correct size (this one is 19mm) I finished with sand paper so as not to chip it. I covered the whole base in tape first to prevent any scratching. The hair was held in by some ancient resin that was extremely hard. I drilled into it about a 1/2 inch.