Centering segmented rings

[Dave Bureau]

Do any of you have any tricks for centering rings while gluing? I've been having trouble with the rings moving afrer clamping.

[Harvey Crouch]

After you place the rings together but BEFORE you clamp, put a few drops of hot melt glue along the joint between rings and allow it to cool for two or three minutes before you tighten the clamps. This will prevent the rings from shifting when clamping pressure is applied. The clue is not between the rings and will turn right off.

[Richard Madison]

Dave, I usually build a piece on the lathe and use the tailstock for centering and clamping. Cone center or next ring on jam chuck in a scroll chuck or on faceplate in the tailstock works well and allows you to focus on pattern alignment before applying that last bit of clamping pressure. No need to apply massive clamping pressure (and bad for bearings). Just enough to squeeze out the glue, plus a bit more. You can feel when the glue joint is about to "lock up". Do final alignment and a little more pressure. You are doing great. Press on as if you know what you are doing, and very shortly you will know what you are doing.

[Randy Degen]

I use small blocks of scrap wood glued on with CA glue spaced 90 deg. apart.

[Eric Magruder]

Dave,

I use Randy' method. I mark a circle the size of the next ring while the project is on the lathe. I then remove the project from the lathe, lay it flat and dry fit the next ring to the circle to check it out. If it's OK, I then glue scrap segs in place with one drop of CA glue on each. The new ring can then be removed, glue added, and put back in place and clamped. The scrap segs can be easily knocked off when the ring is dry and reused for the next ring.

Cheers