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View Full Version : What Tools are Needed to Make Segmented Ring Tubes



John Vorberger
06-21-2016, 9:23 AM
Hello,

This is my first post here, but I have been doing forms of woodworking for several years now. I was looking at Malcolm Tibbetts' website, and I noticed he has several projects that look like long tubes of conjoined rings, like this one here: http://www.tahoeturner.com/gallery/100.html. It is clear to me that the rings are assembled, sanded, turned on a lathe, but then I am wondering what tool I would need to angle the whole ring so that if I could create curves by glueing several rings together, something like slide 40 in this PowerPoint: http://www.chicagowoodturners.com/Demo-Handouts/SegmentedTips.pdf. I know eventually I will need a drum sander, but for now, is there any other tool I could use to achieve the same angling effect as shown in the Chicago Woodturners PowerPoint I linked?

As a side note, does anyone know if Malcolm Tibbetts' book includes any instructions on how to make something like what I derailed above?

Thank you,

John

Edited to add: I just realized that some people might not be sure what slide 40 is in the PowerPoint I linked, it is near the bottom and is titled "Angle the Rings", and shows a drum sander with rings being put in it.

Don Jarvie
06-21-2016, 9:38 AM
For this type of project, besides the basic turning set up, a drum sander is a must. I don't have one so I glue sandpaper on a piece of plywood and flatten that way. Doing that piece by hand is be there for a month of Sunday's.

Michelle Rich
06-22-2016, 6:12 AM
drum sander with a jig to run the segmented pieces thru the sander at an angle...a lathe big enough to handle your design

John Vorberger
06-22-2016, 7:43 AM
Ok, so it looks like I will need a drum sander. My lathe should work for what I want, because most of the rings will be under 4 inches in diameter and they are not going to be turned on a lathe once they are assembled because the final project is not circular. Does anyone have any suggestions for a (relative to exotic woods like mahogany) low cost dark and light wood? I was thinking walnut and maple for my project.

Don Jarvie
06-22-2016, 9:33 PM
Soft maple is fairly inexpensive and can have some nice looking grain patterns.