Having a go at another vase

[mike calabrese]

Given my recent success with spinning things made of wood I may be getting out over my skis a bit with this one..
The pictures here are the current attempt to build a staved bowl. This is the lower portion only, 12 staves in maple, with sapele, maple and black veneer pieces. The plan is to build a feature ring of epoxy resin and top off with some more maple and sapele.
So far it is going OK . Learning to cut the staves I have kind of come up with a method to cut the staves that seems to work for me using a cross cut sled.
In brief I simply mill up the required maple blanks for the staves . On one blank I try to lay out careful pencil lines of the double taper blank. From there the first blank is carefully clamped down and cut on the sled. The layout happens on one blank only and when cut is confirmed good stop and register blacks double taped to the sled are added before the stave is moved. Each successive blank then can be is located exactly the same against the stop and register pieces. The second cut is done the same way with the register and stop blocks reset for cut no 2 . Couple pics of that process here also showing the first cut process.
Keeping my fingers crossed too often I get too happy with the work before it really is "the work"
calabrese55

 

[Darren Wright]

Looks like a fun project.

I personally like the projects that involve jigs and seeing how things got accomplished, thanks for posting this.

 

[mike calabrese]

Looks like a fun project.

I personally like the projects that involve jigs and seeing how things got accomplished, thanks for posting this.

Thanks Darren for looking in. The love lines angles and rhymes of getting the values of the staves is math that is way over my head really.
All experience I find suggests the results are virtually impossible to get exactly on unlike cutting wedges for bowls. I use the chart from a book by Malcolm Tibbettes https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Bo...aMFR1Ll201SQrf3hMS028aYR56kZIanMaAu_rEALw_wcB
the chart in this book eliminates all the fancy math for me from there I can work out the finer details.
Thanks again for looking in.
mike calabrese55

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Interesting setup on the long segments.

It seems like if you saved one as a reference block you could use it to re-jig for basically the same cut (or darn close anyway) later without having to re-do the entire setup...

Your glue up sure looks nice and clean! Looking forward to seeing how it goes turning! I always find deep straight sided stuff like that some of the most challenging.

 

[Tom Baugues]

Wow, looks like a great project.

 

[mike calabrese]

Interesting setup on the long segments.

It seems like if you saved one as a reference block you could use it to re-jig for basically the same cut (or darn close anyway) later without having to re-do the entire setup...

Your glue up sure looks nice and clean! Looking forward to seeing how it goes turning! I always find deep straight sided stuff like that some of the most challenging.

Hi Ryan,
Yes you are correct i do save a pattern block , mark it with all the details and simply trace it out on the next project with the same features. Getting the joints to fit is a real task on the staves as you sound like you know. The miters and the tapers all work out ( from charts) on some real crazy two place decimals example 83.54 degrees on the slope and 13.42 degrees on the blade angle. I dry fit all the staves without the spacer pieces to get a feel for the match or lack there of of the joints. From there it is pretty much hand work on a flat sanding surface. Re check, re sand and literally chase the the pieces to a fit. i can get them pretty close if my pencil lines are accurate . Keeping all in the same association is also a big plus. That is the main reason I number the staves so on the refits everything mates up the same .
it takes some time but it is worth it when I can get a good glue up.
thanks for looking in
mike calabrese55

 

[mike calabrese]

Wow, looks like a great project.

Hi Tom
It is a fun project forces me to think well ahead before I start chopping up wood. The only part I really work out at the last minute is the resin color or colors. I usually have my wife make a recommendation on the colors there .
thanks for looking in.
mike calabrese55

 

[Les Elm]

Looks like an interesting project.
Looking forward to seeing the finished project.

Les

 

[mike calabrese]

Looks like an interesting project.
Looking forward to seeing the finished project.

Les

Hi Les
I am pretty interested to see if I can pull this off too. The stave cutting part is the most interesting for me . This is my second staved attempt. The first one worked out OK and this one is a bit larger than the first standing about 12 inches tall i hope. I am working my way up size wise to some day work on a build that is 36 to 40 inches tall.
Thanks for looking in from far away Red Deer...Oilers or Flames ?????
mike calabrese55

 

[Ryan Mooney]

I am working my way up size wise to some day work on a build that is 36 to 40 inches tall.

Are you using a captive hollowing system? That's getting into "tricky" territory with handheld tools. I've gone about 10" deep with traditional gouges on some cauldron type pieces but had to think about it a bit

 

[mike calabrese]

Are you using a captive hollowing system? That's getting into "tricky" territory with handheld tools. I've gone about 10" deep with traditional gouges on some cauldron type pieces but had to think about it a bit

Hi Ryan.
No I have no hollowing system I chose to take a completely different approach. I build the vase in two pieces, the piece you see posted above here is the larger , deeper bottom piece with a 6 1/2 to 7 inch inch reach if working from the top. The upper portion from the feature ring to the top of the lower vase yet to be glued up will be about 4 inches deep turned individually thereby dramatically reducing the length of the reach and allowing access via the major opening into either piece. I manage without too much effort to get the mating diameters at the feature ring joint pretty darn close. They are then joined turned and sanded to match internally with very little reach in from the smaller top opening.
I do not and can not use bowl gouges, I simply can not avoid the project destroying catch. In that respect I am a square peg in a round hole and at this point in my life I avoid tilting at windmills. I could not care less about the stigma associated with using carbides to produce turning work. I get some heat because I am "not a traditional turner" , I sluff this off as an elitist attitude especially since no one is signing my pay check. My basic point of view is it makes absolutely no difference how a product is made as long at the quality and function is good when the customer gets it home . Sometimes a Freddy Flintstone stone tool is just as good as the finest cutting edge if you know how to apply it.
Lastly I have a series of curved tool rests that actually reduce the reach into the bottom portion you see posted above. Using them actually reduces the reach to less than 2 inches worst case over the rest before the top of the vase is added on.
Thanks for looking in
mike calabrese55

 

[Chas Jones]

If the Top to Bottom taper is not too extreme I do not fuss about the compound stave taper and assemble a rough straight cylinder using thick enough stock to accommodate the top to bottom tapering within the turning. Thus the only angles critical are the segment joints.


Here's a sample of what I mean from 9 years ago when I had to tackle the subject without spending too much time computing the compound angles .

 

[Bob Gibson]

That's way beyond my spinning level. Great job Bro.

 

[mike calabrese]

If the Top to Bottom taper is not too extreme I do not fuss about the compound stave taper and assemble a rough straight cylinder using thick enough stock to accommodate the top to bottom tapering within the turning. Thus the only angles critical are the segment joints.


Here's a sample of what I mean from 9 years ago when I had to tackle the subject without spending too much time computing the compound angles .

Hello Chas
Thanks for the idea, actually I never thought of that method as it sure would make the glue up a bunch simpler. I get pretty lucky with the double taper most of the time. The picture here is the last vase I tried. The current project will have ( I hope) a similar profile but in a slightly larger size but the straight stave concept would certainly work for a different profile even if I needed to stack glue the stock to get the material thickness needed.
Thanks for your suggestion and lookin' in to my madness.
mike calabrese55

 

[mike calabrese]

That's way beyond my spinning level. Great job Bro.

Thanks Bob for looking in. Stave building is a challenge for me too especially as I seem to Rube Goldberg everything but I really like trying to figure out this kind of stuff. It doesn't always go so well but fun to try.
mike calabrese55

 

[Chas Jones]

Hello Chas
Thanks for the idea, actually I never thought of that method as it sure would make the glue up a bunch simpler. ..

I am a lazy individual and not finessing any areas of assembly that are going to be turned away anyway does not bother me, those that see a finished article don't need to know the journey.

My calculator might make determining the 'stock thickness' required easier. if you don't already have similar to hand.

 

[mike calabrese]

I am a lazy individual and not finessing any areas of assembly that are going to be turned away anyway does not bother me, those that see a finished article don't need to know the journey.

My calculator might make determining the 'stock thickness' required easier. if you don't already have similar to hand.

Amazing web site and GALLERY...BEAUTIFUL STUFF
mike calabrese55

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

I am a lazy individual and not finessing any areas of assembly that are going to be turned away anyway does not bother me, those that see a finished article don't need to know the journey.

My calculator might make determining the 'stock thickness' required easier. if you don't already have similar to hand.

I'm always torn on this. I've always sanded the interiors of hollow vessels to at least 220 grit, but only the places that can be seen, or touched with my longest finger. These pieces have always been solid wood, not segmented. On the other hand, I once had a chance to handle and examine a piece by Malcom Tibbets and the inside (non-show) part of the piece was a lot rougher than I'd expect from the master of segmented turning. Similar story with another advanced segmenter who was a friend of my family, Hillard Gerhardt.

 

[mike calabrese]

I'm always torn on this. I've always sanded the interiors of hollow vessels to at least 220 grit, but only the places that can be seen, or touched with my longest finger. These pieces have always been solid wood, not segmented. On the other hand, I once had a chance to handle and examine a piece by Malcom Tibbets and the inside (non-show) part of the piece was a lot rougher than I'd expect from the master of segmented turning. Similar story with another advanced segmenter who was a friend of my family, Hillard Gerhardt.

I have the stuff I try to make on display in a pretty nice gallery. Mostly segmented bowls but I have one vase there at the moment. I believe customers would be put off looking inside and see the inner workings in an unfinished condition. As such I try to get a nice presentation inside turned and sanded at least to 220 then finished with at least two coats of wipe on poly. My thought commercially is that it is like the poorly kept restroom on an airplane , just sends the wrong message. Lastly the gallery owner is the primary sales person and if she is not smiling upon review of my stuff she is not pushing my stuff.
Extra work takes some better planning but for me it has to look and feel finished all over.
mike calabrese55

 

[Chas Jones]

Amazing web site and GALLERY...BEAUTIFUL STUFF
mike calabrese55

Thanks for the comments, afraid the web site is very dated these days, it was started in the days before mobile devices were the norm and coding does not cater for differing display formats.
I'm too old now and getting to the end of my journey to have the drive to recode it all or transfer it to another web design package.