preliminary segmented question

[Joe Melton]

I've become inspired to try some segmented turning. Is this what I need:
http://tinyurl.com/ypygo5
Curt Theobald, in a video he put out, used something similar. That's why I thought this might be ok. If not, advice on what is better would be appreciated. I already have a table saw.
Thanks,
Joe

[Christopher Hunter]

I have only done three segmenteds', so I am in no way an expert, but That would be good to get you started and Probably keep you going for a few years, but a lot of people go for one that is much bigger...
I have a 10" craftsman disc that goes in the table saw, it's not great but it gets the job done...
Good luck,
I would probably buy that one and go with it
--Chris

[Nick Tuzzolino]

YES! I have the same sander on the 12"/6x48 combo. A real workhorse. I followed Curt's DVD and now consistantly make perfect rings. Best Wishes. It only gets better.

[David Walser]

I attended a memo by Malcolm Tibbetts recently. If I recall correctly, a 10" disk was the minimum he said you'd need. He said he has a 20" and would not go smaller.

(I'm cringing while waiting for Malcolm to correct my recollection...)

[Dick Parr]

I have Curt's two videos also and made a sanding sled for my small 9" disk sanding combo from Grizzly. It worked great for the segmented job I just posted but I didn't use it to flatten the rings top and bottom. I have a Performax that I used for that, the disk sanding was not big enough to handle that job. It did sand the two halfs before I glued them together.

I was looking to upgrade to that 12" you are looking at, as most of my power tools are from Grizzly and have no problem with them.

Good luck, it is fun...;)

[Bill Wyko]

You should look at the books from Malcolm Tibbetts and Ray Allen. These two books are all I needed to do the segmented pieces I've done. The Ray Allen book will show you how to do it with a belt/disc sander and a lathe. Both are very informative. These are the 3rd, 4t and 8t pieces I ever turned. I had never touched a lathe before december 2006. By the way, I've squared up my 1/2 rings by holding them together and touching them to my belt sander. Then flip them so they meet perfectly. That gives you about 16 inches of surface to work with.

[Keith Burns]

Joe, the 12" will work just perfectly. I use the Delta 12" but I too use a drum sander to flatten the rings and also us an edge sander on the two halves before glueing them together. When I'm there next month I can take a little time to go thru it with you. Just have to pin down the date.

[Dave Mcintire]

A while ago I got a refurbished 12" delta sander from tool king for about $79. Its as good as new in my opinion. MAybe they still have one or two.

[Randy Rhine]

Another way to square up rings that are too big for a disk sander is to use a tablesaw. Just tack glue (or use doublestick tape, or some other hold down) each half ring to a sled and run it through the table saw.

randy

[Joe Melton]

So, the reason to have a larger sander is just to square up the ends of the half-rings, right? If the single segments are all cut (sanded) precisely, why do the ends of the half-rings need squaring? I assume there are compound errors that accumulate and this sort of corrects for that.
Thanks,
Joe

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Joe, the 12" sander that you posted should work just fine. With careful sanding even the ends of a 20" half ring can be trued up (one end at a time) on a 12" sander. As David said, I sure love my 20" sander, but it's a big ticket item. Whether it's Kurt's dvd or my book, the sanding sled design is very similiar. Precise cutting is also important in order to reduce the actual volume of sanding. Good luck and have fun.

[Joe Melton]

Thanks to all for sharing. I appreciate the advice.
Joe

[Bill Wyko]

I havent tried this yet but I was going to make the last 4 segments at the end of each 1/2 circle a little longer so when I go to the sander I can sand them to actual size. That way there's no deveation on segment size. I think that'll make a more true circle. Good luck. Lets see pics when you're done.

[David Walser]

One last thought, even if the 12" disk is too small for what you want to do some day, you can always make a larger sander by attaching an MDF circle to your lathe. Then, the size of your sander would only be limited by your lathe's swing.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

I havent tried this yet but I was going to make the last 4 segments at the end of each 1/2 circle a little longer so when I go to the sander I can sand them to actual size. That way there's no deveation on segment size. I think that'll make a more true circle. Good luck. Lets see pics when you're done.

Bill, your idea of cutting the half-ring end segments a little longer will work, but the need to do so tells me that your half-rings are not as "round" as they should be. It should only require a light brush against the sanding disc to "perfect" the fit of the two half-rings. If a lot of sanding is required, then you are probably creating a slightly oval full-ring. An oval-ring can have perfect joinery, but when it is "trued" on the lathe, your segment lengths will not be consistent and that will mess up your vertical alignment of the seams. Gluing rings together initially as half-rings insures good joinery, but a dry fit of the entire ring before gluing should display almost 100% perfect joints.

BTW, I never received a personal email reply regarding my chair project.