[JustinAhrens]

Hey Guys,

Here is my latest bowl. The main rings are cherry, with the bottom ring of alder and the feature ring is purpleheart and holly. I completely winged this bowl with no plans. It was a case where I was never completely satisfied with the shape, but got to the point where it was to thin to go any further (about 1/4"). The bowl did fly off the lathe once when the bond between the bowl and the glue block failed. Luckily, it was pretty thick at the time and it left a nice "key" that let me re-glue it close to the original orientation.

Thanks for looking!

 

[Travico]

WOW! That is super nice! How tall is it?

 

[sawdustfactory]

I have got to do a segmented bowl one of these days.

 

[JustinAhrens]

Thanks guys! It is 3 7/8" tall, 7 1/2" in diameter at the top and 3 1/4" at the bottom.

I forgot to mention that the center plug in the bottom is dyed epoxy. It turned out ok, but under close inspection, you can see some bubbles. I've read here that in order to get rid of bubbles, you need to put the epoxy under pressure. It may also be related to the fact that I used cheap epoxy instead of the more expensive epoxy I have left over from a boat I made. I've had better results with the expensive epoxy.

The finish is 50/50 shellac and butcher block oil.

 

[Dave Paine]

Thanks guys! It is 3 7/8" tall, 7 1/2" in diameter at the top and 3 1/4" at the bottom.

I forgot to mention that the center plug in the bottom is dyed epoxy. It turned out ok, but under close inspection, you can see some bubbles. I've read here that in order to get rid of bubbles, you need to put the epoxy under pressure. It may also be related to the fact that I used cheap epoxy instead of the more expensive epoxy I have left over from a boat I made. I've had better results with the expensive epoxy.

Nice looking bowl. I love contrasting woods. :thumbsup:

I have a piece of a holly tree which my friend cut down. Still has the bark and sealed.

Good to know the dimensions, smaller than I imagined from the picture. Easy to fool the eye without a frame of reference.

The bubbles in the epoxy are likely from the step of mixing the resin and hardener rather than the cost of the epoxy.

Next time try "folding" the two together rather than stirring. Also try slower on the mixing step. You will get a better result if you can avoid creating the air bubbles.

Pressure reduces the size of the air bubbles, but may not eliminate them.

 

[JustinAhrens]

Dave,

Yes, I normally throw in a hot wheels car for a frame of reference. Thanks for the epoxy mixing tip. You are correct, I normally just mix it together as violently as possible, so if I ease up, that may help.

sawdust factory, Once you have the jig made, it is a lot of fun. I have had much better results than I thought possible for me. The thing I love about segmented bowls, is that I can work on them a little at a time when I get a chance to sneak out to the garage.

 

[Hwood]

Torch your epoxy. its the gas that makes bubbles pop not so much the heat so don't let the flame sit in one spot. Heat will help some and makes the epoxy flow a bit more but also sets faster and I use a heat gun if I want heat not the torch then. I find fast set epoxy is hard to work with since bubbles don't have time to rise and pop. Your bowl is a winner. looks great

 

[gus1962]

It's an incredible segmented bowl. Great design, beautiful woods and flawless craftsmanship. Fantastic job.

 

[JustinAhrens]

Yes, this was 5min epoxy versus the very slow hardener that I used for my boat. The slow set works better. I'll try the heatgun trick. Thanks for the nice words

 

[MagGeorge]

Beautiful bowl! Like the shape, attractive wood combo and patterns. Great job!

 

[JustinAhrens]

Thanks! I think since I took the photos, the Cherry has darkened a bit more. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

 

[eznaz]

Great Design.

 

[mchlhgn1]

Nice!

That is a great looking bowl. I have never done a segmented bowl. How many hours do you think it takes to get all the pieces together and ready for turning?

 

[JustinAhrens]

Thanks mchlhgn1!

It is hard to say since I didn't really keep track. It really only takes a few hours, but the time is spread out since you have to wait for the rings to dry. For my last bowl, I planned everything out and cut all the segments in one go and then started gluing them up, but for the bowl in this thread, I cut each ring and then glued it up before cutting the next. Speed wise, the first method is faster, but I also enjoy making it as I go along. If you search the net, you will find tons of methods for making segmented bowls. I guess I settled on my own version using parts of the different methods.

Making the sled to cut the segments is a big part of it. It takes a while to dial it in, but once you do, the rings come together fast.

I glue the segments together using rub joints until I get half rings. Then I use a big hose clamp to clamp the two sides together.
I guess I live on the edge, because I will glue the rings up quickly using titebond II waiting only about 30min or so before gluing the ring to the previous ring.

What I like, is that if I can sneak out to the shop for 30 min (without my wife catching me), I can cut and glue another ring up in that time and feel like I am making progress.

Thanks for looking!