Stave Vessel Design & Construction

Tom Kenyon

May 2012

2

The Art of Segmented Wood TurningBy Malcolm Tibbetts

• 10” is too Tall - looking for about 6”

• 6/4 wood required for staves - prefer 4/4

3

First Prototype

• Symmetrically scaled plan to 6” high• Simplified construction

– Eliminated veneer layers– Eliminated multi layers splines

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Revised Design

• Prototype too round• Top out of proportion to the body• Center divider too thick• Created lip for top/body joint• Second prototype looked good

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Parts

Neck

Top

Separator

Splines

Staves

Bottom

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Stave Cutting Jig Based on Replaceable Throat Sled

My Friend!

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Stave Cutting Jig

First Ten Vessels

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Dedicated Segment Cutting Sled

Designed to accommodate Bridge City Tool’s Angle Master

– Large rear fence opening– Removable segment slide

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Vessel Holding Fixture

• Used for;– Initial glue up of staves– Initial turning of the base– Final turning of the base

• Design from PBS TV show and Malcolm Tibbetts book

• Duct tape help donuts slide

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Ring Sanding Jig

• Shown previously in Show-n-Tell

• Descriptive article posted on Segmentedwoodturners.org

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Templates

• Templates cut out of 1/16” plastic on the laser

• Outside only one that proved useful

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Production

• Production of 20 broken into three groups - 10, 5, and 5– Manageable number of parts– Doable task - not overwhelming– Assessed mix after each group

• Wood combinations that worked or didn’t work• Appropriate mix• Available material

• Timeline (best recollection)– Design started late Sep, done by third week of Nov– Lots of time finding material (tops) and making prototypes, jigs,

and templates• Four weeks to the first prototype

– One to two days to prepare material - almost independent of number of vessels

– Two vessels going simultaneously– About a day for each

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Parts Preparation

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Parts Assembly and Glue up

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Top

• Top opening drilled after finishing - fits tailstock plug - helps alignment during glue up

• Inside finished with shellac

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Base/Bottom

• Lots spinning ! Slow is OK

• Watch out for those bolt ends!

• Inside bottom base cut to blend in with bottom plug, also gives reference for turning inside

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Turning Base Inside & Outside

• Trick is getting a tight fit with top

• Inside finished with shellac

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Finishing the Vessel

Last step is to make plug to center vessel’s top on the jig

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All Done !

• Used General Finishes sealer and oil/urethane

• Buffed with brown paper sack after a week