Segmented Stuff!

 As always, click on any photo to enlarge.

Here's what Rudy and I have been up to. Segments! Segmented bowls have captured both of our imaginations, and we are having more fun than is probably legal.

Rudy cuts out the segments on a table saw that he has set aside for this purpose only. He glues each batch of segments into a ring, and then hands the several rings over to me.

Stacking the rings into a bowl must be done on the lathe, so that they are centered with each other. And only one ring can be glued to the next at a time, so this part is very time consuming. Luckily, glue sets up quickly, so I can often glue two or even three rings in a session.

Once the glue has dried completely, it is treated like any other bowl. I turn it, sand it, and finish it. And, as you can imagine, Rudy stays ahead of me by quite a margin.

This little beauty is Ambrosia Maple with a Cocobolo base. Cocobolo is beautiful, but does NOT like to be glued. We won't be doing that again.

Here's a little beauty. Well, not so little, measuring 13 1/2" by 4 1/4". The little black and red thingies are Huayruro Seeds. I brought back a mess of them from our trip to Machu Picchu last year. They are a symbol of good luck in Peru, and you'll find them featured in lots of jewelry. Not being a jeweler, I decided to feature them in a bowl. 

Hat tip to Brendan Stemp, who demonstrated how to set the epoxy resin into the bowl rim. Taking the concept a bit further found me setting the seeds into the rim, the base, and the center.

One of the new territories we are exploring is the making of urns. I made one for our doggie Sydney, and folks liked it so much that more were requested. And so more were made. 

This one is Marblewood and Apple. I'll have another finished in a couple days, and I'll show you!