Planer/Thicknesser

[shedhead]

Can anyone advise me what is the best way to get segments the same size. Also the flat surface needed to make a good glue joint, would it be overkill to buy a bench top Planer/Thicknesser?. I have been looking at the small bench top P/T under £200.

What do others use?????

 

[TEP]

Mornin' Dermot.

Don't know if you looked at the last post you made on this subject, I suggested using a drum sander. (Unless your going into segmented work in a big way). IMO still the least expensive way of going forward unless you want to spend the £200.

You can use a power sander on one side of each ring after gluing. Then glue to the work and turn the top edge clean, but it is no where as accurate as a thicknesser or drum sander.

Also one of the other things that needs thinking about is whether you are doing open segments or closed. If closed you need to be far more accurate in your sizing.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Shedhead,

Will the thicknesser part be so useful for segmented turning? Aren't the segments all cut at angles to make up the round shape? The planer would be more useful but I'm not convinced with such small pieces. I'd say the pieces need sanded or hand planed rather than power-planed.

Of course I've never done any segmented turning so I may be talking rubbish.

This is one of the first sites I've looked up and seems quite useful:

http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/segmented_turning/index.html#jigs

Dave

 

[gasmansteve]

Hi Dermot
I have the base of my segmented bowl or whatever mounted on a face plate in the headstock the surface is lightly scraped with the bowl gouge and then sanded with a block of wood longer than the width of the ring with sand paper wrapped around. The next layer is glued and one side sanded flat on my 12" disc sander. This then is mounted on cole jaws in my chuck in the tailstock which is then used to accurately align with the layer on the face plate glued and held in place with tailstock pressure and then repeated with the next layer and so on. I don`t feel the need to make sure each segment the same thickness as the above procedure takes care of that. One method to make each segment the same size is to make a little jig for the disc sander so when each piece is sanded then they are the same size and also flat for the glue joint. Two books I bought which are highly recommended are `The Art of Segmented Wood turning` by Malcolm Tibbetts and `Woodturning with Ray Allen` by Dale Nish they describe the jig I mention above.
Hope that helps
Steve

 

[shedhead]

Thank for the suggestions. Steve, i have been looking at both of the books you mentioned, but never got round to getting one of them. I will have to drop some hints and see if anyone will take the bait and santa might bring me one of them. :ho2