My First Ribbon

[cypher]

This was my first attempt at creating a ribbon. Overall, I am happy about the results. Since this was my first attempt, I choose to keep the pattern simple (no lamination) and I used inexpensive wood. I did not spend a tremendous amount of time fine sanding this piece as I was only constructing it for the learning experience. Throughout the process I did learn quite a few tips on how to make the next one better.

Made of Poplar and Walnut. Measures approximately 10" tall X 8" Diameter. Finished with three coats of poly.


I would like to thank Malcolm J Tibbetts for sharing his techniques with the turning community.
Please check out is book: The Art of Segmented Wood Turning

 

[George Guadiane]

Well Done! :d

 

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Hello Cypher,

I'm glad you found something of interest in my book - thanks for the "plug".

Regarding your ribbon, I'm a little surprised that you chose to orient your wood grain this way. I assume that you've inserted veneer strips in between the segments, which creates a long cross-grain joint. Instead of using horizontal-grain segments, building the initial bowls with vertical grain staves produces side-grain to side-grain joints throughout the entire construction. This allows the wood to "move" without creating joint stress - just something to think about if you attempt another. I'd hate to see a lot of work be spoiled by wood movement.

Good luck,
Malcolm

 

[Charlie Harley]

VERY NICE!

Is there a how-to web site that you could send us to or something like that? I'd love to try a ribbon but don't even know where to begin.

 

[cypher]

VERY NICE!

Is there a how-to web site that you could send us to or something like that? I'd love to try a ribbon but don't even know where to begin.

Not that I know of! I got the info from viewing Malcolm's work and then I bought his book to get a more detailed explination.

 

[cypher]

Hello Cypher,

I'm glad you found something of interest in my book - thanks for the "plug".

Regarding your ribbon, I'm a little surprised that you chose to orient your wood grain this way. I assume that you've inserted veneer strips in between the segments, which creates a long cross-grain joint. Instead of using horizontal-grain segments, building the initial bowls with vertical grain staves produces side-grain to side-grain joints throughout the entire construction. This allows the wood to "move" without creating joint stress - just something to think about if you attempt another. I'd hate to see a lot of work be spoiled by wood movement.

Good luck,
Malcolm

Just want to make sure i understang this correctly. You are saying that side-grain to side-grain construction allows for MORE movement then end-grain to end-grain?

Unfortunetly i did not insert veneer strips in between the segments. It is just bad glue joints. It looked seemless when they were in bowl form but i used a diffrent kind of glue then i normally use (I used Gorilla this time) and i was very unhappy with the results. When i got the bowls thin and was sanding them the joints kept breaking apart on me. I ended up having to re-glue many of the joint with CA glue. To make matter worse i glued a holding block on where the base is attached so i could apply the poly without touching the piece and in the middle of my third coat the hold block snapped in half and i dropped the piece. it sharattered into 5 pieces but only broke at the glue joints. i was able to recover and CA glue the piece back together but all these re-glues created very ugly glue joints.

 

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Cypher, regarding wood movement, whether it's side-grain to side-grain or end-grain to end-end, it probably makes little difference, as long as all the wood is oriented the same. Of course, side-grain to side-grain will always produce a stronger joint. My apologies for assuming that you had placed veneer in the joints. Many segmenters place veneer between segment ends, thinking that the veneer will "give" enough and won't cause a problem. Whether it's a thin veneer or a thick piece of wood, it's still cross-grain, and should be avoided.

If you do another ribbon, I think you'll find that building your initial bowls with vertical-grain staves will make the project much easier. Have Fun.

 

[cypher]

Cypher, regarding wood movement, whether it's side-grain to side-grain or end-grain to end-end, it probably makes little difference, as long as all the wood is oriented the same. Of course, side-grain to side-grain will always produce a stronger joint. My apologies for assuming that you had placed veneer in the joints. Many segmenters place veneer between segment ends, thinking that the veneer will "give" enough and won't cause a problem. Whether it's a thin veneer or a thick piece of wood, it's still cross-grain, and should be avoided.

If you do another ribbon, I think you'll find that building your initial bowls with vertical-grain staves will make the project much easier. Have Fun.

Thanks for all the advice. I wil definetly take this into consideration when building my next one.