Michael Stafford
02-04-2005, 9:29 AM
In some respects this post could also be in the turning section but because it deals with tooling more than turning I will put it here.
In segmented turning you have to construct rings of segments and glue them together. The pieces are held together during the gluing process with tape and band clamps/hose clamps.
Inevitably after the glue cures there is a certain amount of enevenness/lack of flatness that has to be corrected before the ring is ready for assembly.
I have been flattening my rings in three ways. One is to use a router planing jig. It works very well, gives a very flat surface that is smooth and excellent for gluing to the rest of the segmented assembly. The main drawback is that it is terribly slow to adjust and position everything and make the multiple passes needed for compound mitered rings.
The second method I am using is a safety planer in the drill press. I am a little fearful of this safety planer. I have to try to hold down the ring flat to the table, the rings are occasionally bowed a little, and push it through this whirling disc of steel with sharp blades on its circumference.
The third method is to hold the ring in Cole jaws or by Cole jaws and turn one side flat. This works but is the most dangerous to the assembled ring.
I have considered buying a Performax 10-20 sander to use for this task. A larger version like the 16-32 would be better but I have no space for the larger tool. I need the portability of the smaller version and the largest rings I have to deal with are about 10 inches in diameter.
So all you wise wizards of woodworking, have you any experience with this tool? Is it too much of a hobbyist tool to be used as described? What are the drawbacks to this method? Will it be dangerous to my glued up rings? I have not had any losses with either the router or safety planer method. I have heard that other segmented turners use this method but do not actually know but one that does and he is too far away to visit and see the process he uses.
Your thoughts appreciated.
In segmented turning you have to construct rings of segments and glue them together. The pieces are held together during the gluing process with tape and band clamps/hose clamps.
Inevitably after the glue cures there is a certain amount of enevenness/lack of flatness that has to be corrected before the ring is ready for assembly.
I have been flattening my rings in three ways. One is to use a router planing jig. It works very well, gives a very flat surface that is smooth and excellent for gluing to the rest of the segmented assembly. The main drawback is that it is terribly slow to adjust and position everything and make the multiple passes needed for compound mitered rings.
The second method I am using is a safety planer in the drill press. I am a little fearful of this safety planer. I have to try to hold down the ring flat to the table, the rings are occasionally bowed a little, and push it through this whirling disc of steel with sharp blades on its circumference.
The third method is to hold the ring in Cole jaws or by Cole jaws and turn one side flat. This works but is the most dangerous to the assembled ring.
I have considered buying a Performax 10-20 sander to use for this task. A larger version like the 16-32 would be better but I have no space for the larger tool. I need the portability of the smaller version and the largest rings I have to deal with are about 10 inches in diameter.
So all you wise wizards of woodworking, have you any experience with this tool? Is it too much of a hobbyist tool to be used as described? What are the drawbacks to this method? Will it be dangerous to my glued up rings? I have not had any losses with either the router or safety planer method. I have heard that other segmented turners use this method but do not actually know but one that does and he is too far away to visit and see the process he uses.
Your thoughts appreciated.