# Second Segmented Piece (Vase) - Build thread



## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Hey guys. This piece that I'm starting is my second segmented projected, and probably my 7th turning project overall. I tried a segmented piece about a month ago and I LOVED it. I don't have any pictures since I was on a crunch for time for christmas gifts and I didn't snag any pictures before I gave it off. 

So Anyway, I decided for my next project I would try something a little different, and decided to go with a vase. So, here are the plans I came up with...










Here is the plan for the top section of the project. I plan on turning this piece in two separate sections and then at the end bringing it together off the lathe and putting it back on with a steady rest to make the ring where the two halves join undistinguishable. 









Here is the bottom half. I plan on adding a waste block at the bottom and turn this section using that. 









The two sections "combined" for a view of the total profile.









Here is the wood choices I had come up with for the project. The very base section is going to be blood wood. The bulk of the vase will be afromasia. I really like the grain of this wood and think it will complement the "feature ring" well. The ring will be from purple heart and padauk, and the very top zig-zag looking thing is going to be some sort of finishing design of black palm and blood wood. It sounds like a weird combo but they look really nice together.


Let me know what you guys think! I should be able to cut the segment this weekend and get a start on this project! :thumbsup:

- Matt


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

I'll be tuned into this one. I want to try a segmented turning soon myself!!

I know you said your a relatively new turner. I'm a complete rookie myself. I have played around with black palm though. If you havnt turned that before I would definately reccomend playing with a piece before turning it on your final project. That stuff is a bear to turn.


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## dmh (Sep 18, 2010)

Signed up and looking forward to the progress! :thumbsup:


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## BigBull (Feb 10, 2010)

I want to see too.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Bass blaster - I've actually tried some of the black palm before and I was able to get some decent results, but hopefully since there is so little of it in this piece it won't cause me too much grief.

Hey dmh, if my vase turns out half as good as yours did I will be ecstatic! 
Hopefully some progress will be made tomorrow in the afternoon once I am able to get to the woodshop after all my classes!


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

*Here's an update*

Hey guys, so I've had the time to make it to the woodshop over the past day and I have made pretty good progress on cutting the segments. 

Here is the basic setup that is being used for my cuts. It is based off of the design used by Malcolm Tibbetts, if any of you haven't seen his work definitely check out tahoeturner.com. 


DSC02354 by cabomhn, on Flickr

For what I have used so far, the cuts from this little jig have been pretty dang accurate for segmented cuts. Here's a couple rings of the total of 14 that I cut out...


DSC02355 by cabomhn, on Flickr


DSC02360 by cabomhn, on Flickr

The first ring is actually from padauk wood, but the picture gives it a really false color. The second is going to be the very top which is a mix of black palm and bloodwood. It's not the original design I was going for, but I think it will look nice in the end. 


DSC02356 by cabomhn, on Flickr

After running several lengths of padauk through the jig the dust made a MESS. Being in a shop where you have to clean up thoroughly after yourself it becomes really hard when all of your dust is semi-flourescent red! 


DSC02352 by cabomhn, on Flickr

Here is all of the afromasia segments that had been cut yesterday. The total count for yesterday's segments was 162, and today came up to another 90, plus a solid circle to make the base. Quite a few pieces!


DSC02353 by cabomhn, on Flickr

Think I have enough wood stuffed into my room? Normally it's all in the closet, but had to get it out today to vacuum thumb down but decided to take a shot of it all since I had to take it out anyway. 


So, there's what's been done so far. Glue up should start in just a few days but right now it's time to start studying for my Statics/Calculus exam!

- Matt


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## bigcouger (Jan 4, 2012)

Looking good Im paying attention here :laughing:


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## bikeshooter (Nov 5, 2010)

Subscribed - interesting to follow the progress


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

I will be watching as well.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Alright, today I have finally finished my onslaught of homework/tests for the week and I will have a few spare hours today to start work on glue up. Hopefully some update pics tonight!

- Matt


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

*Here is a general layout of my glue-up process*

So, I spent a good bit of time today destressing by hanging out in my ENO with some friends instead of doing a lot of glue-up. If any of you guys are big outdoorsy people like me, seriously look at getting an ENO hammock! It will change the way you camp. Anyway...haha

So I did have some time to get some glue up today, not much, but it's a start. Unlike how most do their's with one band clamp and glue all the components of the ring together, I prefer to do mine individually with clamps...


DSC02362 by cabomhn, on Flickr

This method is definitely not the fast, but I am hoping that it will be more accurate than glueing up an entire circle at once.

So, my general game plane for making some tight joints is to glue up two half rings for every ring, then taking them to the sander to make sure that you have two perfectly flush joints. This does turn it into a very, very slight oval, but only if your joints are off by more than a few degrees, which is a pretty big error on your original cuts. 

Here is a quick pic of the space I have available for glueing, not too much room compared to most you guys! :laughing:


DSC02363 by cabomhn, on Flickr

So since that pic I've glue up the other half of the ring, but that's only one total ring out of 15! I've got a lot more glueing to do. In case anyone is wondering, I am using Titebond III glue for this project. 

And on another note, I got my FBE pepper mill turning blanks today from Kevin over at wood barter! They are definitely some top notch stuff and he's a really great guy to do business with!


DSC02364 by cabomhn, on Flickr

That's all for now, I'll keep adding stuff as time goes by. Thanks! 

- Matt


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

*Update 2-4-12*

So today I was able to get a good amount of work done on the vase. I found a new method of glueing that seemed to be just as good and many times faster. 


DSC02369 by cabomhn, on Flickr

I found on a segmented turning forum the friction rubbing method for glueing segments and I found that the glue joints were just as tight as when I individually clamped them all. So, after all of the half rings were glued, I made a quick trip to the woodshop to put them up on the disc sander and make sure that they were all flush. Got back, and got to work on finishing the rings...


DSC02372 by cabomhn, on Flickr


DSC02371 by cabomhn, on Flickr

So, now, all of the basic glue up has been complete. I wanted to see kind of what I was dealing with in terms of total size so I put them all together to see what to expect...


DSC02373 by cabomhn, on Flickr

Pretty good. One thing is that it is currently much more oblong than my original diagram. I used 4/4 wood here and my original plans called for 3/4". Currently, the rings are right around 14/16", but I hope tomorrow to bring them right down to 3/4" using the drum sander to get the thickness perfectly even throughout, and the tops/bottom flush for glueing. 

Right now I'm hoping to have the time tomorrow to make it back to the woodshop for sanding, then glue up during the week, and then start turning the two halves next weekend. :thumbsup:


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

*Update 2-8-12*

Hello again. I've been able to get a good portion of the glue up down in the past couple of days on and off. For the clamping, I am using 4-50lb hand clamps to clamp each ring individually. So far, all of the joints have been very tight throughout. Here's a few pics..


DSC02376 by cabomhn, on Flickr


DSC02377 by cabomhn, on Flickr

I realized that the two solid rings of Padauk I had made for the bottom were a little bit undersized, so I have to make another quick trip to the woodshop to cut those, but here is the completion of the bottom half segmented rings being completed...


DSC02380 by cabomhn, on Flickr

And here is the top half of the vase completed and glued up. I will be attaching this to the lathe by making a solid circle the same diameter as the top ring and glueing it to the top half bloodwood/half black palm ring. Then, I will glue a waste block in the center that fits into the jaws of the chuck so it can be easily mounted to the lathe.


DSC02381 by cabomhn, on Flickr


As you can tell, the rings are now a significant amount thinner than the original stacked picture that I posted, which now matches my diagrammed plan within 1/32 of an inch. Hoping to get the first half of this on the lathe this Friday or Saturday!

- Matt


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

im anxious to follow this


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

I've been curious to see this process. Thanks for documenting it. Great pics. Can't wait for the next installment.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Bonanza35 said:


> I've been curious to see this process. Thanks for documenting it. Great pics. Can't wait for the next installment.


If I see there is enough interest after this go around, I will do a complete tutorial my next go around so people who have never done it before can give it a go. :thumbsup:


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

I don't know how I missed this. Very good like watching a good movie keep it up. Almost to the good part. Hope this has a good ending I think it will

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## Lancer33 (Dec 9, 2011)

I would have all those little pieces parts so ,mixed up that I would never get them together. Very impressive...waiting for the next installment.


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## ronjboucher (Jun 28, 2010)

*just trying to help \save time\money and aggravation*



cabomhn said:


> Hey guys. This piece that I'm starting is my second segmented projected, and probably my 7th turning project overall. I tried a segmented piece about a month ago and I LOVED it. I don't have any pictures since I was on a crunch for time for christmas gifts and I didn't snag any pictures before I gave it off.
> 
> So Anyway, I decided for my next project I would try something a little different, and decided to go with a vase. So, here are the plans I came up with...
> 
> ...


Matt if I may, I would like to pass on some, I hope, helpful information for you and fellow segmented turners, new and old.

1. Goggle www.marleyturner.com, he has a web site dedicated for segmented turners, all free and he will answer your e-mails.

2. using a compound saw to cut your segments, wow,just wondering why you don't use your table saw and a sled and or a miter gauge?
(Google miter sled I think it has 3 or 4 samples.)

3. Google www.woodturnerscatalogue.com key words (seg easy plate) best 90 bucks I ever spent on learning/doing open and closed segmented turning. I was able to duplicate the fixture showed in his handout on cutting the segments and using the table saw and a miter gauge, the accuracy in the degrees of cuts is un believeable.
----------------------but you need -------------------

4. Google www.Rockler's.com \key word (incra miter v120) this unit is a must,for accurate segmented cutting, using your table saw.

5. I was wondering why you are not using worm clamps and parch paper on your glue up. For me it's faster and more accurate,you can see right away if your angles on all the pieces are correct with a dry run, then mark each piece 1 through whatever, then on a tile plate, (tite bond 1), sets up faster, you do your glue up, so easy. and the bottom is flat to the tile plate, works every time.

6. I hope there a steady rest being used in this project, if not, that scary. Trying to clean the inside of the 12 in.deep vase. Real long reach for that scraper and or sand paper,scary. Even in 1/2 parts.

Matt your photo display, I envy you (all) I wish I knew how to down load , someone was going to show me how, maybe this year I.ll learn

but, in the mean I be watching with great interest.
Ron Marietta Ga


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

ronjboucher said:


> Matt if I may, I would like to pass on some, I hope, helpful information for you and fellow segmented turners, new and old.
> 
> 1. Goggle www.marleyturner.com, he has a web site dedicated for segmented turners, all free and he will answer your e-mails.
> 
> ...


Hey thanks for your comments. To answer most of your questions, I am doing this with a limited budget so I don't have money to go out and buy a lot of the tools and things I would like to have for this project. Also, another thing is that I don't actually have any tools here, and am limited to some extent to what the wood shop has to use. So, all of my projects are based on the idea that to get there, I have to walk a mile carrying all of my wood/jigs with me. 

I am not using worm clamps and am personally preferring to glue up half rings and then put them to a sander because I am not at the skill level at this point that my segments are so spot on accurate that they would have no gap whatsoever. However, I do agree that in general using those type of clamps will create tighter glue joints and are just generally easier to use.

Also, while I know that a lot of turners do prefer a miter gauge/sled, there are many accomplished turners that do prefer using a miter saw...

http://www.tahoeturner.com/

That is Malcolm Tibbet's site. He does almost all of his work with a miter saw, and shows that you can be accurate, well perfect with a miter saw. For me, I like the idea of using a table saw, I just don't have the money to spend making a jig for it and buying the necessary toggle clamps...etc.


And, a quick little tutorial for posting pictures. I personally prefer uploading to Flickr, and then posting here secondly. I was having trouble with getting the upload system to work on the site, so I had to resort to linking to somewhere else. If you upload to flickr and then go to the picture's page there is a link that says "share" and then you can copy what is call BCC code that you can paste directly into your post here on the forum and the picture will pop up.


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

Matt, It looks like you might be a college student. though perhaps you're just living in an apt. I am just curious. I am currently a college student at RIT for their woodworking program. I don't very often come across other young turners such as myself. I am in a very similar position as yourself right now, very, very limited budget and very limited tools, although i do have a lathe which is most important to me.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

tymann09 said:


> Matt, It looks like you might be a college student. though perhaps you're just living in an apt. I am just curious. I am currently a college student at RIT for their woodworking program. I don't very often come across other young turners such as myself. I am in a very similar position as yourself right now, very, very limited budget and very limited tools, although i do have a lathe which is most important to me.


Hey I am a college student! I'm a freshmen at NCSU studying Nuclear Engineering. I am doing a lot of this work in my dorm room in the little space that I do have. I do not have many tools, but I do have access to NC State's woodshop which has almost anything that you could want to have for woodworking, it's just hard sometimes traveling back and forth to work on your projects. Glad to see other people close to my age who love woodworking. :thumbsup:



And also, I am going to turn my first half of the vase tonight, wish me luck!


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

Awesome! nice to see someone else my age. I feel your pain as far as having to lug everything back and forth. I don't even have access to a shop yet! 

Make sure you post pics on how you made out tonight, i'm sure we'll all be curious to see how it looks:thumbsup:


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

A quick update for the day. I turned the top section of the vase today and I'm fairly happy with how it's turning out so far (no pun intended). So here's a couple pics. I'll be returning to the woodshop tomorrow to turn the bottom!


DSC02385 by cabomhn, on Flickr


DSC02386 by cabomhn, on Flickr

I haven't done any sanding yet, but I'm hoping to do that all in one process once the two halves are glued together. 

- Matt


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## bikeshooter (Nov 5, 2010)

Lookin good :thumbsup:. This is very interesting to follow.


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## jlord (Feb 1, 2010)

ronjboucher said:


> 1. Goggle www.marleyturner.com, he has a web site dedicated for segmented turners, all free and he will answer your e-mails


Here is the correct link for Larry's site.

http://marleyturned.com/index.php


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Hey everybody. Just want to let you know that the vase is almost complete. Yesterday and today went without a hitch. Yesterday I finished turning the bottom half of the vase, and left the two halves glueing up together on the lathe over night. Today I was able to put on a coat of sanding sealer, apply some CA and dust to one small gap I had in my joints, sand, part off the waste block that I had at the top, finish turning the very top of the top half that I couldn't reach before. Then finished sanding the vase up to 600, and applied my first coat of poly on. So far it's looking good! 

I'll be posting up the final in probably a few days in the project showcase forum. Thanks for those that have followed along with this! :thumbsup:


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

*Almost Done*

Hey everybody, so after 4 consecutive days at the woodshop I am finally close to finishing this piece. I still need to mount it to the lathe one more time to buff it with a power drill and then part it off from it's waste block. So, without further ado here it was it looks like currently...


DSC02395 by cabomhn, on Flickr

Hope you guys like it! This has definitely taken the most time out of all my projects thus far! 

- Matt


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

That is Absolutely Stunning Matt

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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

woodyo said:


> While I wouldn’t have worded it quite that way, I can see the point being made here.
> I’m a bit of a newbie here, but your post has really helped me. Highly informative. Thanks.


What point being made?


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

that looks really nice man:thumbsup:


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## bmapple123 (Jan 29, 2012)

how do you remove your waste block?


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

Well, this is all just a huge experiment, but from what I've seen a couple guys do only they remount it to the lathe and then carefully, CAREFULLY, use a parting tool at a slight upward angle to part it off from the chuck. THen you can do some hand sanding and finish off your bottom to help match the rest of the vase. That's what I am planning, we'll see how this goes!

- Matt


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## Glidden (Dec 2, 2010)

That looks great, I'm happy to see that people your age are interested in a hobby like woodworking, keep up the great work!


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Matt -- add my voice to the chorus of "that's a fine looking vase" :thumbsup:

(And many thanks for the detailed narrative of design and construction.)


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## bikeshooter (Nov 5, 2010)

"oh wow!" 'bout says it all.
Very nice work :thumbsup:.


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## robbiethewood (Jan 15, 2012)

well done mat you have done a fine job 
thanks for showing us how you made this wonder full piece
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

looks beautiful. what did you finish it with?


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

tymann09 said:


> looks beautiful. what did you finish it with?



Started out with Bull's coat sanding sealer. This allowed me to fill in the few little gaps I had with CA and wood dust. Then sanded and start application of Min-Wax wipe on poly. The picture was shortly after a fresh coat was applied so it doesn't like quite as glossy as that in person. But It has about 7 coats on total, and will be buffed out once before it is completely finished.


On another note, I got my first commission! Someone I met saw my vase and told me that they wanted one, and I will be starting all over again shortly. I will try to put up a thorough segmented tutorial so those who have never done it can give it a go!


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

cabomhn said:


> Started out with Bull's coat sanding sealer. This allowed me to fill in the few little gaps I had with CA and wood dust. Then sanded and start application of Min-Wax wipe on poly. The picture was shortly after a fresh coat was applied so it doesn't like quite as glossy as that in person. But It has about 7 coats on total, and will be buffed out once before it is completely finished.
> 
> On another note, I got my first commission! Someone I met saw my vase and told me that they wanted one, and I will be starting all over again shortly. I will try to put up a thorough segmented tutorial so those who have never done it can give it a go!


I Wanted to ask that as Well looks Amazing in Pictures can't imagine in Person. Also want to thank you for your Quick Responses and a Gorgeous Thread. Really Enjoyed This and you should be very Proud

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

congrats on the first commision! always feels great. make sure you charge enough for your work. that kind of piece you should get a fairly decent amount of money.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

tymann09 said:


> congrats on the first commision! always feels great. make sure you charge enough for your work. that kind of piece you should get a fairly decent amount of money.


This is a guy from my church, so I feel like I'll probably end up doing this mostly for the cost of the wood and then a little. I'm honestly not really concerned with making money on this stuff, it's just something I love to do, so finding someone to buy wood for me makes it perfect!


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

don't steal all of the competition! some of these guys try to do this for a living. it's getting harder when folks like you just love doing it as a hobby and just want to cover costs!:no:


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## dmh (Sep 18, 2010)

Turned out great! Really like the shape.:thumbsup:


Congrats on your first commission. Like others have said be careful of what you charge. It's easy to get burnt out when your doing things just to cover expenses plus a little. You will also find yourself getting real busy. That's when it turns into a very low paying job. Been there with other hobbies.:yes:


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## Bill Wyko (Feb 25, 2011)

Very nice. Also remember, it's easier to drop the price a little than to raise the price a little. Start high and see what the market will demand. You may also want to look into Truncated cones for ring alighment. They work fantastic for aligning one ring to another.


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## tymann09 (Mar 4, 2011)

Bill Wyko said:


> Very nice. Also remember, it's easier to drop the price a little than to raise the price a little. Start high and see what the market will demand. You may also want to look into Truncated cones for ring alighment. They work fantastic for aligning one ring to another.


hey bill, perhaps you're the one to ask. I've been thinking of a way to make a jig to put on the tailstock that allows me to glue up the rings right on the lathe. The only solution i had was to make a cone with a recess that would fit snugly over the ram. The only downfall i see is the shape of the cone really depends on the size of the piece, ie. a 14 inch platter or a 5 inch vase that's 8 inches tall. what do you think? perhaps i should've started a new thread for this but just thought i'd ask


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

The cone method you mentioned is by far the easier way to do this, unfortunately since I am using a school woodshop I don't have the luxury of being able to line up and glue and repeat. They won't allow glueing on their lathes, nor will they let you hold up the lathe for a long time unless it's for finishing. 

I have to resort to measuring and making it as class to possible, then gluing. As of so far this method has been accurate to a point as to when I point it on the lathe there is little to no "wobble" from off center rings. But, looking forward to the day I can just glue up on the lathe!


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