Added 31 May 2025

A 10-inch tall vase that has a maximum diameter of 8¾ inches, made mostly from Sycamore with a rim of Padauk, and pattern rings of Padauk and Yew .  The top 4 lattices each have 36 cuts and the lowest has 24.  The 4 pattern rings each have 16 blocks and were made from Sycamore, Padauk, and Yew. 

As a diversion from usual I thought it might be useful to outline the assembly and finishing process.  The vase was made in 2 sub-assemblies, the upper one consisting of the rim, 1 segment ring, and 2 lattice rings.  It was mounted on modified Cole jaws and turned outside then in.  The lower sub assembly was mounted on an adjustable sticky chuck, so that the pattern in the base could be precisely centred before finish turning outside then in.  The 2 sub-assemblies were joined, then supported by a revolving steady so that the inside and outside could be finish turned at the joint, and the whole job given a final complete sanding (120, 180, 240, 320, 400, Webrax 360 and 1500)

The bowl was drenched in one coat of Liberon Superior Danish oil, the surplus removed after 10 minutes and allowed to dry overnight.  The surface was then flatted using 0000 grade steel wool before 3 further Danish oil coats at 8-hour intervals, the last one being overnight, using a ‘French Polishing rubber’.  The surface was gently abraded between each further coat with Webrax 1500 grit.  The final finish was then very gently polished using a very soft buffing wheel before waxing with Chestnut Microcrystalline wax. 

Added 1 December 2024

The 12-inch tall vase above is mostly made from Sycamore.  The pattern segments were made from purple and crimson acrylic mesh pen blanks.  One of the pictures above is of the vase with natural lighting, and the other is lit to show the translucent nature of the pattern material.

Below.  I bought some plastic flowers for the vase and put it with the bowl beneath to make a group.

Added 22 September 2024

This 10¼ inch diameter bowl is made from Sycamore, Yew, and dark blue Acrylic Kirinite (patriot).  It has 2, 18 cut lattices top and bottom.  The black edging is either single (0.02 thou) or double thickness black stained Tulipwood veneer.

Added 30 July 2024

A 10-inch diameter Art Deco, Sycamore, lattice segmented bowl.  The segmented patterns were made from black stained Tulipwood veneer, Maple and Padauk, and the rim was made form Padauk.  The picture to the right is of the base insert.

Added 24 March 2024

This 10-inch diameter, Greek style bowl, is made from Sycamore.  The rim and 2 bands are made form Walnut, and the pattern from Ebony.  It has a bit of a back story.

Added 19 September 2023

This 10-inch diameter Art Deco patterned bowl is mostly made from Maple.  The patterns are of Padauk, Sycamore and black stained Tulipwood veneer in the main body, and Ebony and Maple in the base. 

Added 28 July 2023

A 5¼ inch lidded bowl with the same pattern and timber as the two below, and intended to complete a set of three. 

Design version 1 would have had a larger lattice below the pattern ring in the bowl, and another between the pattern ring and rim in the lid.  Neither turned out to be feasible for different reasons, as was the plan to have a pattern block in the centre of the lid for yet another.   I mention this because everything I make is a prototype (of course) and I sometimes miss design and manufacturing feasibility errors.  This is probably the most frustrating example of missed errors I can think of in recent years

Added 4 June 2023

A pair of similar 5-inch diameter bowls substantially made from Cherry.  The rims are Pommele Sapele, and the pattern blocks are made from Sycamore and deep purple Rosewood, exactly what it is I have no idea.  Originally, I set out to make a pair of rice bowl shapes, but after making the first I decided to make something different, and so the second one is an open form version of the first.  In all other respects they are the same.

Added 24 October 2021

This is an 8.25 inch diameter multi hexagon bowl made from Sycamore and Mahogany.  The 85 hexagons used to make this bowl were made in the hexagon jig.

Added 27 April 2021

An 8" diameter segmented bowl made from Sycamore and Walnut.  The hexagon shapes in the pattern ring were made using the hexagon jig described here.

Added 9 September 2020

This 3.5 inch diameter box was made mainly from Maple; the darker timber is Pommele Sapele.  It has a lattice made using a new method which turns out to be quite straightforward.  The chequer pattern in stained tulipwood and Sycamore.

 Added 28 July 2020

This 10 inch vase is mostly Sycamore, with a Cherry rim.  The hollow cube pattern was made from Yew, Ebony and Sycamore surrounded with black stained Tulipwood.  It has 5 coats of Chestnut Finishing Oil and a couple of coats of microcrystalline wax.

20 Jan 2021. Replaced the lattice and rim above the pattern ring because the lattice angles did not match and it looked dreadful.  Used an adjustable sticky chuck to remount the bowl for the re work.

On this 10-inch diameter chalice shaped bowl the white timber is Sycamore, the rims and ball are Pommele Sapele and the square chequer patterns are Cherry and Walnut, veneered with black stained Tulipwood. The basic design is one that I have used before.

Added 10 October 2019

This is a 10” high Maple vase with an Art Deco pattern ring.  The rim is Rosewood (Dalbergia Oliveri) and the pattern figure is Walnut.  This is the first of mine with a base design that has a base joint which works partly in shear rather than side grain, hence making it more resistant to changes in humidity.

Added 26 January 2019

A 9.25” Maple segmented bowl.  The pattern ring is made form Walnut and Maple, the rim and centre-piece ring are made from Pommele Sapele.  Mostly I make 16 segment rings, but for this bowl I used 20 segments and a matching 20 cut lattice.  The segment size was dictated by the pattern, which for the ring diameter was better with more segments. 

3 August 2020.  I had a joint failure in the base typical of timber having too high moisture content and then drying to a much lower equilibrium level in the house, ie, two fractures on the inside of opposite sides of a segment ring.  I have never had the walls of a segmented bowl or vase fail from this problem, but I have had base joints fail (and rarely a rim).  If there is going to be a problem with this type of turning this is where it will likely be.  I replaced the base with a Sycamore insert which I know to be at a much lower initial moisture content and a hollow cube pattern that I have used before.

There is no such thing as a perfect method for turning timber.  Segmented turning solves some of the problems one gets when turning from a solid blank but creates a couple of its own.  This is one of them.

As a footnote I recently bought a Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art lens for my Sony A7ii full frame camera.  I had been using the stock lens that comes with the camera to take pictures of my woodturning and it is not really suitable.  At f/4 it, like all macro lenses, has a very limited focal range, but what is in focus is tac sharp. 

Added 16 September 2018

This 10” mostly Maple bowl comes after a long gap for a house move and a knee replacement. It has a pattern ring made from Sycamore, black stained Tulipwood veneer and Corian.  The rim is Pommele Sapele.  

(20 October 2018. Revised Inside and rim reworked and the shape of the base modified.)

Added 24 September 2017

This is a 8.6” maximum diameter Maple bowl.  The rim is Burmese Rosewood and the patterns are Walnut.  Each of the lattices is 0.244”, 16 cut and it was made from 1296 pieces of wood.

Update 30 January 2024

Added 3 July 2017

This is an 8” diameter Cherry segmented bowl with a fine grained Rosewood (Dalbergia Oliveri) rim.  The pattern ring and base insert are made from Maple, Corian and black dyed Tulipwood veneer.  I normally choose the rings to be of 16 segments, but in this case I chose 20, and 10 for the base ring, to reduce the width of the blocks in the pattern ring.  

This is the second time I've used Corian (kitchen worktop) for a project.  I used 2-part epoxy resin (the 30-minute version) adhesive instead of Titebond to apply the veneer to the Corian, but otherwise it turns, sands and polishes extremely well.

Added 19 February 2017

This is a 9.1” diameter by 7” tall segmented lattice bowl made mostly from Cherry.  The rim is Bog Oak and the pattern is made from Ebony, Yew and Maple.

Added 29 June 2016 

This photograph is of a 7.75” tall segmented lattice vase.  It is mostly made from Cherry with an Ebony rim.  The diamond pattern is made from African Blackwood with a rectangular insert of Corian.  Each lattice is of 32, 0.135” cuts.  The base insert is a 6 x 6 veneered chequer pattern of African Blackwood and Maple.

Added 2 May 2016

This 8.5” stemmed platter is made from Maple and Indonesian Rosewood, the pattern blocks are black veneered Yew.  There is a 16 cut lattice in the platter and an 8 cut lattice in the stem.  

Added 21 April 2016

 An 8” lattice segmented bowl in Maple and Rosewood with Sycamore and stained Tulipwood veneers. 

Added 16 March 2016

 This is a 9.5” segmented lattice bowl in Maple and African Blackwood consisting of 1025 individual pieces.

Added 9 February 2016

These three pictures are of a 9.5" segmented lattice bowl.  It is mostly Maple with an African Blackwood rim and base.  The diamond and divided square patterns are of Yew and black stained Tulipwood veneer. 

Update, 22 September 2024

I gave this to two friends more than 8 years ago, and I saw it for the first time in all those years at their new house, along with a piece made to a very early design from 2014 that I no longer have a copy of.  I am very glad to report that they are both in apple pie order, although the wood has darkened quite significantly.  

Added 25 August 2015

This 10” segmented lattice (80 cut) bowl is mostly made from Cherry with an Ebony rim and was, like the bowl beneath it, designed with Tunbridgeware in mind.   The 32 segments of the pattern ring each have a hexagonal ‘3D box’ effect feature made from Sycamore, African Blackwood and Goncalo Alves surrounded by Muhuhu.  The remaining 8 rings each have 16 segments for a total parts count of 481.

Added 21 June 2015

This 8” segmented lattice (64 cut) bowl has 977 individual pieces and is mostly made from Cherry with a Mocassa Ebony rim in 16 segment rings.  The 32 segment pattern ring, which has 800 pieces, is made from Maple, African Blackwood and black stained Tulipwood veneer.  The chequer pattern is Maple and Blackwood surrounded by the black veneer.