Segmented Bowls are made by piecing together individual pieces of wood, then shaping them into whatever shape you can imagine. Getting the angles correct for each individual piece to align around the circle of the vessel is the key to doing this kind of turning well. I have much practice to get these “right”.
Early attempt at segmented turning. I think that’s maple, walnut, mahogany, and oak.
The American Association of Woodturners had an article on “tangential turning” that looked like fun. It wasn’t! To get the wood to twist like that is a LOT of work! Doubt I’ll ever make another one of these…
This bowl is made from Santos Mahogany and maple. My spacing is a little off (which you can see looking from the top) but overall I really like the look.
I bought my first lathe at an estate auction and the blank for this bowl was already on the lathe in a faceplate, so I vowed to finish it. Now, it’s referred to as “the dead guy’s bowl”… The blank he had mounted wasn’t glued together very well, as you can see from the wide crack in the walnut pieces on the side, and the bottom of the bowl is a thin piece of veneered plywood that he put on in three pieces, without gluing the seam.
This is a “twisted” bowl, made from strips of wood, formed into a board, then cut up and reassembled.
From the top down, the effect becomes more pronounced.
This twisted bowl was the same process, just with much smaller pieces.
I think there’s over 450 individual pieces of wood in this one. Getting the designs to all line up was a real nightmare!
Early attempt at segmented turning. Don’t like the shape, and there are some issues on the inside. My daughter Emily likes it though, so…
Tea light holder, lights on
Tea light holder, lights off
Side view, showing the contrasting santos mahogany.
From the top, hopefully you can get a sense for how big this one turned out.
From this angle, the variance in the coloration of the wood is apparent.
My first attempt at an end grain cutting board. Made from oak, walnut, Santos mahogany, maple, cumaru, and Brazilian mesquite.
