Segmented turning

The process involves gluing several pieces of wood to create patterns and visual effects in turned projects.

The size, grain orientation and colors of the wood, will frame how it can be turned into the target object, such as a bowl, platter, or vase.

By cutting and re-assembling pieces after they are turned, unique forms can be created, crossing over to pure art.

Design and construction of a bowl blank—the wood piece mounted on the lathe for turning a vessel—requires angled miter joints cut to tolerances of as little as a tenth of one degree or better.

Each ring comprises three or more pieces cut and glued to form a triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, etc.

These patterns are often geometric in design and thus are easier to recreate than more fluid forms found in nature.

An incredible variety of visual effects can be achieved as a function of how the boards are constructed before the concentric rings are cut.

But in recent years, many artists use turned pieces as a canvas for carving, pyrography, gold leaf work, inlay, stain and painting.