In the original version of this post, I walked through the design and construction of a segmented bell. Two bells were created: one with 8 segments per ring and another with 12 segments per ring. (See Figure 1) In the end, I liked the 12 segment per ring bell better.
I posted the image shown in figure 1 to the https://segmentedwoodturner.org gallery and someone hinted at a suggestion. The individual asked me about the material used for the topper and suggested a plug in the 3/8″ hole instead of the topper.
Figure 2 displays the new design and I prefer the look significantly. Throughout this post, I will note changes I made in the design.
Designing the ornament
First thing I did was to draw out the profile shape of the bell on graph paper. Then I drew 1/2″ thick segments over the diagram. Figure 3 shows the diagram and the inside and outside radii of each segment.
The diagram works for both the 8 or 12 segment bells because they have the same shape.
I used a program called Segment Pro to help visualize the patterns. Figures 4 and 5 show the visualization of the 12 segmented ring ornament.
Before we continue, let’s define a few terms:
Segment Thickness = This is the thickness of each segment; thus, the thickness of the ring.
Segment Width = This is the width of the strip of wood from which you will be cutting the segments.
SEL = The SEL is the length of the front of the segment (also referred to as Segment Length.
In order to calculate the Segment Width and the SEL I created a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet uses the inside and outside radii that were obtained from Figure 3.
8 Segments per ring
Table 1 below displays the calculated details for cutting the segments for the 8 segment rings.
- the SEL is shown as its actual value
- the Distance Between Blade and Stop Block sets up your saw so that the correct SEL is cut.
- the width of the segment is shown in actual inches and 1/16 inches
- the amount of wood needed to cut all the segments in a ring is displayed in inches
12 Segments per ring
Table 2 below displays all the calculated details for cutting the segments for the 12 segment rings.
Preparing the wood
I made these ornaments from maple and bloodwood. Before I could begin cutting segments, I had to plane and joint the wood. It has to be flat and have square edges or the rings will not turn out correctly. I started with raw would that I shaped into boards that were 5/8″ thick, 3″ wide and about 16″ long. I always add 1/8″ to my thickness so that I have enough wood to ensure that I can sand out any issues that occurred during the ring glueing process. Next, I cut the boards using a table saw to the appropriate widths. The widths are shown in the “Board Width” column of Tables 1 and 2.
Cutting and gluing the segments
In this article, I will not discuss how to cut segments. You can watch the video Using a Wedgie Sled or review one of the following articles on my website:
I also will not discuss in this article glueing the segments into rings. You can watch the video Glueing up Segments or review one of the following articles on my website :
These ornaments have 5 segmented rings and a solid top. Figure 6 shows the rings for both ornaments.
Assembling the rings
In the past, I have had trouble getting my rings centered on the base. Since ring #2 had a small diameter hole in the middle, I used a different technique to center the rings on the base.
The first thing I did was to mount a square block of maple that was 1 1/2″ by 1 3/4″ by 1 3/4″ onto the lathe using a jaw chuck. I then turned the block down to approximately 1 3/4″.
After turning the mount block to size, I glued the top piece of 1 1/4″ by 1 1/4″ bloodwood to the block, ensuring that I had centered it. This block of bloodwood will become the top of the bell.
Using my drill chuck mounted in the lathe’s tailstock, I drilled a 1/8″ diameter hole into the bloodwood block. By using the lathe to drill this hole, I was guaranteed that it would be in the center of the block. Next, I placed a short piece of 1/8″ dowel rod into the hole. I did not glue it in. The dowel rod simplified centering the first segmented ring onto the base. (For new design see Update #1 below)
Update #1
The goal of the new design is to not have a hole drilled through the top. I still used the centering technique described above, but I drilled the 1/8″ hole halfway through the bloodwood block. I also applied glue to the dowel rod before placing the ring over it.
All of the rings had a small enough center hole that I used a live cone center to align the rings on top of each other. When I advanced the cone center into the ring and applying pressure, it aligned the ring. See Figure 12. Note: Before pressing the rings tight with the cone center, make sure that the alignment of the segments is such that 1/2 of the bloodwood segment overlaps the previous bloodwood segment.
After placing all the rings in the correct location, I used a face plate mounted to my live center to press the rings together. Because Titebond Speed set only requires a 15 minute clamp time, my lathe was not unavailable for very long.
After the 15 minutes were up, I removed the assembly from the lathe to let it dry completely. However, before I removed the assembly from the lathe, I marked the base at the gap between chuck jaws #1 and #2 on the maple block. When I remounted the block, I made sure to place the marked gap back between jaws #1 and #2. This alignment technique helped to ensure that the assembly’s center did not change, which resulted in very little wobble being introduced when remounted.
I created a YouTube video that shows the ring assembly process.
Turning the bell
The first time that I made this ornament I hollowed the inside out using a gouge, but was a nervous wreck just waiting for a catch to rip the ornament out of the chuck. The second ornament I made, I used my drill chuck and drill three holes. I started with a 1 5/8″ frostner bit, then a 1 1/16″ frostner bit followed by a 3/8″ brad point bit. I drilled the 3/8″ hole all the way through the top of the ornament and the mounting block. (For new design see update #2 below)
Update #2
In the new design, do not drill the 3/8″ hole all the way through. It should be deep enough to hold the clapper. See Figure 17 to see the depth. There will be no topper insert into the hole, as described in the original design.
Once I drilled the holes, I smoothed out the inside of the ornament. I used a gouge and a scraper. You will notice that the very top of the inside is not entirely smooth. When the clapper is inserted into the bell, you will not be able to see this area.
I then turned the outside shape.
To support the bell while I shaped the outside, I used the nose cone attachment that came with my one-way live center. I pushed the nose cone up into the bottom of the ornament but I did not apply a large amount of pressure, just enough to stabilize the ornament.
Figure 20 shows the outside shape of the bell. Every bell that I have made has had slightly different shape.
Note: The waste block shown in Figure 20 is bigger than what I showed in the beginning. I had failed to take a photo of the original. This picture comes from a demonstration that I did for my AAW chapter meeting and the club’s lathe is much larger than mine, so I needed a larger waste block.
I have had trouble separating the bell from the waste block because when it separates; it leaves the lathe a little too fast. To remedy this issue, I now use the 3/8″ hole that was drilled through the top to remount the ornament using a step drive. I then use a gouge to finishing shaping the top till it separates. By using the step chuck, the bell stays attached to the lathe when separated. (For new design see Update #3 below)
Update #3
The new design does not have a hole running all the way through, so using a step drive is not possible. I used a gouge to shape the top of the ornament and worked down to a 1/4″ diameter. At this point I sanded what needed to be sanded, then used a skew to slowly part off the bell making sure to hold the bell with my left hand.
Once I separated the bell, I finished it using spray on polyurethane. I found that if I used wipe on lacquer, it smeared some bloodwood color onto the maple. Thin coats of spray on polyurethane does not have this problem.
I finished the bell by adding a topper and a bell clapper. I turned both the topper and bell clapper from 3/4″ maple. The clapper’s total length was approximately 2″ long. I turned down the base of the clapper and the topper to a 3/8″ diameter and placed them in the hole that I drilled through the top of the ornament. (For new design see Update 4 below)
Update #4
In the new design, I extended the clapper to a length of 2 1/4 inches. I create a ledge at 1 3/4″ and then turn the rest down to 3/8″ to fit in the hole that was drilled part way through the top. There was no maple topper added; instead I took an awe and created a starter hole in the center of the top and threaded a metal eyelet into the hole. See Figure 25 below.
Below is the finished product. Give it a try or you can purchase a finish product at Super Segmented Ornaments
Figure 25 shows the new design for the bells.
