Newbie segmenting questions

[Amihai]

Hello,
Looking forward to making segmented blanks.

Will a small bandsaw do? I don't have enough space for a tablesaw. If so, which blade is recommended?

Secondly, is there a guide to making some interesting segmented patterns? I bought several books on the subject but they discuss mainly vessels, and I don't seem to understand how to "convert" those plans for pen turning.

 

[randyrls]

Amihai; Yes, bowls and pens are different. Bowls are mostly oriented with the grain running across the bottom of the bowl (vertical to the axis of the lathe), and spindles (pens) are mostly oriented with the grain running the length of the pen (parallel to the axis of the lathe).

Start out simple and as you gain experience your segmenting will become more detailed and precise.

Checkout the Forum "Blank Making", "Segmenting". Look at some of the regular posters there and then go to the Photo library. Bring up the search and type "pen" in the search, and scroll down and type "segmented pen" in the Tag search field.

You can use a bandsaw, but a "fixed" saw is preferred. You need perfectly cut square and true pieces to glue up. There are small "chop saws" that you can use. Please be real careful, the pieces are small and difficult to hold. Use clamps to keep fingers away from sharp metal moving blades.

Hope this helps.....

 

[leehljp]

"Segmenting" is a very wide range and there are several categories, although we don't have separate forums for each type. Are there certain types that draw your interest? There is plenty of help here and we can offer links to each type, plus the talented in each category can offer tips on how to do each.

 

[civilwartalk]

A small bandsaw "can" do segmenting, but you'll probably need to fiddle with your setup to get the blade properly tracking, and get a decent fence and miter gauge or preferably a bandsaw sled setup. Even with all that, you may need to plan for sanding to get a near perfect flat fit with just simple pen blank sized segments.

You want the deepest blade you can install on a benchtop bandsaw, mine maxes out at 5/8", and the more teeth, the better the cut, but it's also much slower to cut, and the blade will drift if you try to force the cut faster than the blade wants to go. Learning to properly feed the blade is an art unto itself. New blades are better than old ones, as you'd expect, because they are sharp.

You can build many various sleds that will help with segmenting on a small bandsaw, but as mentioned above a table saw has given much better, accurate, cleaner, and more consistent results than my bandsaw.

One advantage the bandsaw can give, if properly setup, is a much slimmer kerf cut because the blade is much thinner, meaning you won't loose near as much wood in the cut as a table saw blade. This can be important if you are using very valuable wood, but everything has a trade off.... Great wood doesn't help much if the segment has gaps or visible imperfections!

Where there is a will, there is a way, as they say!

 

[NGLJ]

I have tried on both the bandsaw and tablesaw. In either case they must be setup for accurate cuts. This can be a challenge on a bandsaw of lowish quality. You get what you pay for! The tablesaw is definitely an advantage because you need very precise, repeatable cuts. Some of the small tabletop saws are now pretty accurate, and affordable, and you can find plenty of online material using such saws. if you are going to use a bandsaw using jigs will add to accuracy, as has been mentioned. I make segmented bowls but making quality segmented pens requires another level of accuracy and care because the parts are so small. With bowls you still need to be accurate but you can get away with more with experience.

 

[mark james]

Hello,
Looking forward to making segmented blanks.

Will a small bandsaw do? I don't have enough space for a tablesaw. If so, which blade is recommended?

Secondly, is there a guide to making some interesting segmented patterns? I bought several books on the subject but they discuss mainly vessels, and I don't seem to understand how to "convert" those plans for pen turning.

I use the Byrnes Model Maker Saw and the Byrnes Thickness sander. Both small footprint, and large price tag. I'd buy them again without reservation.

 

[leehljp]

What↑Mark said! I don't have the Byrnes but to me those would be the best overall tools for segmenting different types, except freehand band saw cuts.

Thickness sanders aren't used by many, but they sure help in making uniform thickness across numerous pieces!

 

[TDahl]

I use both a bandsaw and a table saw in my shop, and use small part sleds on both. As previously mentioned above, blade drift on the bandsaw needs to be controlled, and the sled will give you the best option for doing just that. I also use a shop made thickness sander which can be used to even out the small parts giving you square edges to work with. As for learning more on segmenting, go up to the resources tab and navigate to the IAP Library / Segmenting. you will find a great selection of tutorials on pen segmenting. Good luck.