“The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.”
William Blake…English Romantic Poet (1757-1827)
About 3 1/2 years ago I came upon a woodworking magazine at a bookstore that made a positive impact on me and my woodworking. On the cover of this magazine was a unique wood turning sculpture by a very talented segmented woodturner, Malcolm Tibbetts. Immediately, I knew that I was seeing something in the woodworking craft that I had not seen before. This was wood art that was quite extraordinary and it was easy to see that Malcolm was pushing the boundaries of wood turning. If you’d like to learn more about segmented woodturning you owe it to yourself the check out Malcolm’s great instructional book, “The Art of Segmented Woodturning.”
Now, I like challenges when it comes to woodworking because it is a good test of one’s skills and it also allows the craftsman to broaden their abilities. A wood project that provides a challenge also requires inspiration and the risk of failure. This was the time that I decided to tackle segmented wood turning.
My first bowl turning project was a fruit bowl made of beautiful black walnut, cherry, and white oak. It measure 12 1/2″ in diameter and 4-1/2″ high. As I started making this wooden bowl I realized the importance of getting the angles of the saw blade right for accurate compound miters. There are 12 staves for this wood bowl and the angles have to meet dead-on for the bowl to be made successfully. I created more of a challenge for myself by adding vertical spacers of white oak in between the mitered staves for this wooden bowl. Before long there would be other segmented bowls to follow.
Miter joints being cut on a compound miter saw.
Before I cut the staves I always practiced on MDF to see if I had accurate miter angles. This took some time and patience to get it right. Eventually, I got six staves to form the walls of half of a bowl. All miters matched up fine, but the two outsides angles were not quite flat when laid on the surface of the table saw. They were just slightly off. However, I figured that I could sand the outside angles to have the remaining joints meet properly. (Eventually, I started using Wixey digital gauge and digital protractor to set the angle of saw blades when cutting compound miters.)
Segmented turning...a fruit bowl being made.
Segmanted turning...sanding the miter.
As a wood turner I look back on this woodworking project and remember this moment of learning. Handmade bowls are fun and creative. Moreover, the making of these segmented bowls requires total attention to detail along with a commitment to accuracy from start to finish. As I look back I know that I have gained experience from taking on this challenge of lathe work. Between that time and now other woodworking challenges have been created as well to add to my level of skills. However, when you look back at a breakthrough wood project you come to understand who you are as a woodworker just a little bit better. For me, growth can only happen if there is a challenge and the challenge is always easier to take on when there is inspiration.
The Apprentice and The Journeyman University
