# Segmented turning help



## Korosu (Oct 16, 2014)

So I want to make a segmented bowl. I know I want it to be 4" wide but I'm not sure how much wood to leave on the end to turn it round. If I want a 4" bowl should my longest pieces be 5"? 6"?

Also please keep in mind I don't have a bandsaw so just cutting it round would have to be done by hand. 

I've never done segmented turning for me so this is new territory. Any help/tips is appreciated.


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

We have to know how you are going to glue it up. Is it stack laminated. Are cutting segmented rings and then stacking them up. Just draw a circle on paper and then layout how the wood will be oriented. That should show you the lengths needed.


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## Korosu (Oct 16, 2014)

What's easier? For a first time segmenter that is. Stacking? Or making the rings? Seems like making the rings defeats the purpose of hollowing out a bowl but it's good for when you have special wood that you don't want to waste.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

It sounds like you are wanting to make a layered (looks like layers of plywood) type of segmented bowl ... this is also called a stack lamination bowl. If four inches is the maximum diameter, which is usually at the rim of the bowl, then a piece of wood that is at least 5" X 5" would be large enough and it would give you a half inch of wiggle room on all sides to take care of contingencies such as being slightly off center when mounting the board to a glue block.

It is very important to make sure that all of the glue faces are perfectly flat so that you will get a nice tight glue joint without gaps or visible glue lines.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Korosu said:


> What's easier? For a first time segmenter that is. Stacking? Or making the rings? Seems like making the rings defeats the purpose of hollowing out a bowl but it's good for when you have special wood that you don't want to waste.


Stack laminated (layered) turnings and true segmented turnings are two very different things. A layered bowl is very easy and even a newbie who has made a few bowls should be able to do it. Segmenting, on the other hand, is something that requires a much higher level of skill as well as additional equipment. For segmented turners, the sky is the limit, as shown below, on how far things can be taken:

*Fire on the Mountain* by Jerry Bennett

*Coffee Table* by Malcolm Tibbetts


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

Well your comment on "defeats the purpose of hollowing out a bowl" confuses me. If your making a bowl you either have to hollow it, or you can start with an almost hollowed segmented bowl and then finish turning it. either way you have to turn a little. 
A segmented ring bowl assumes that you have either a table saw, or a bandsaw and disc sander to make the segments accurately enough to make the ring. Some testing and skill is involved in doing that. 
The easiest way which is what i did when I first started was to simply glue boards together to get the size you want. Then stack some more on top and glue them to this layer. Keep going until you get the size you want and then turn the bowl. This way you have a solid block to work with. 
Eventually you decide you don't need a solid block so the 2nd and third layers might be glued up like a picture frame or door frame leaving the middle out. After a few dozen of these you decide I could use less wood if I make segmented rings and you figure out a way to do that. 
There are several good books out there on segmented turning. I recommend The Art of Segmented wood turning by Malcolm Tibbets. Fantastic book.


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## Jerry Maske (Dec 29, 2013)

Malcolm's book will take you places you'd never have believed a wood turner could go. It's truly the most inspiring book you'll see, as well as the most frustrating. He makes assumptions, like you already know about cutting well with a band saw, or you know how to set one up, as well as using a chop saw. Is a chop saw difficult to use? Not until you do it the way he does, then you're in an entirely different world, again, than you ever thought you could be.

Google "Laminated Stacked Wooden Bowls" and then Google "Segmented Turned Wooden Bowls" and you'll get a feel for where the process has been and where it's going. You can accomplish stuff in those too processes that defy imagination, but you need to understand the basics and get good at them. Neither is difficult but they are quite different. And then there's the bunch that combine both processes and REALLY confuse the issue.

This coming October there will be a conference for Segmented Turners in Quincy Mass. If you're really interested, you can't do better. The "Giants" will be there, including Malcolm. Seeing them work first hand and having them answer you're questions is beyond beautiful. Guaranteed to make you walk away with your head filled with possibilities you never knew you could approach.

Jerry


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

If your really serious about segmented turning get a Segeasy. It makes it so much easier to get accurate cuts for the segments. It's incredible. You have to click on the various photos of pieces to access the videos but it's well worth it. 
http://segeasy.com/


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