Malcolm Tibbetts or Others

[John Terefenko]

I have a few questions that will throw out there and hopefully Malcolm will jump in as well as anyone else.

Is there a book or site that can show design of segmentation??? What I mean is when you join certain woods at certain angles you come up with certain shapes. If you turn the piece concave or convex it changes the shapes. Change angles on the pieces and you have even more different looks. Was wondering if there is a basic chart or something to use as a guide. I have a few books on segmenting and one is Malcolms The Art of Segmenting Wood Turning. It is a very informative book but was wondering is there a good beginners book??? I look at some of these books and they are great with all the eye candy and it does get the juices flowing but I need to start slowly. Right now I am overwhelmed.

Next question is about what is the easiest way to cut segments, bandsaw, tablesaw, disc sander, mitersaw??? I see in Malcolms book he shows a jig for just about every setup but is one more advantages over the other??? I made a jig for my tablesaw that I am trying to make staves for some bottle stoppers but having a hard time coming up with a way to hold the pieces safely and cut them small enough.

Last question is when using different woods and even though they are dry does grain direction play a factor or are the pieces too small to count??? I have noticed when I have done boxes that used inlaying there were times when the surounding wood and in this case maple expanded and is now standing proud of the bloodwood inlay I used. Does this happen and how do you avoid this???

Thanks for the help and the replys.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John.....If you go to Malcolm's profile in the membership list. He has a link to his website. He has published a book and I'll bet he covers it in his book.

I'll check....I'm sure I have a link to a website with that information.

I'm going to get Malcolms book though....

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

John, there is no book that I know of that displays the different effects of turning through layers at different angles, etc. Part of the fun of "lamination trickery" is the discovery as you turn. After you've done a few, you'll be able to somewhat predict the result.

Regarding the cutting of segments, it's a personal choice. I rarely cut segments on my table saw. The chop saw (I have two) is my tool of choice. It's faster, just as accurate, and I think safer. In addition, I can easily "gang cut" which is not so easy on the table saw.

Consistent wood grain direction is ultra important. I rarely glue a cross-grain joint together longer than about a half inch; it just isn’t not worth the risk. Sometimes it's a hassle to avoid cross-grain joinery, but with good planning there are ways to minimize it. Vessel bases are probably the most prone area for cross-grain trouble.

Good luck.

[Bill Wyko]

I use my Miter saw and my table saw. On the table saw I use the INCRA miter 1000-SE. It allows you to make angle cuts down to 1/10th degree incraments. When I'm cutting thin pieces I'll use the Miter for the same rerason Malcolm does, you can cut multiple pieces at once. I use Woodturners studio to get the math needed, it's just faster and easier, plus you get an idea of the look before you start. I found out about this program thanks to Malcolm as well. My advice would be to get this program but use your creative thinking to create patterns. I just ordered some coloring books for 2 to 3 bucks that are all about geometric patterns made with straight lines. The patterns could all be cut from wood. The trick will be to have proper grain orientation. Good luck and post often.

[Jim Underwood]

For cutting short angled segments safely on a table saw, there's nothing that beats a "Dubby" sled as far as I can tell. It's accurate, repeatable, and did I mention "safe"? No I don't have one, but I've seen it demonstrated a lot. Your mileage may vary. I'm working on a "homebuilt" version of it on the CNC router...

The local guy I know - Don Russell - cuts his on a Radial Arm saw after painstaking adjustment. Then he checks the fit every 20-30 cuts or so...

Too tedious for me.

[jack richington]

If you aren't a production person, why not a mitre box?? I've been making lots of bowls, and other items for 15yrs on a good mitre box..accurate, and safe..I made a jig to hold small pieces, when recutting...also cheaper, quieter and less dusty