• Are you looking for a coupon code to buy my software? You can get one from lots of 3rd party sites but they won't work. My software never goes on sale and has never been discounted. The only coupon codes that are given is when I give a club presentation and I offer a discount to the attendees. Other than that, everyone pays the same price.

Any tips on designing a platter(ish) type of piece?

Jim Grieco

PRO Member
Hello everyone! I have some 1" thick x 3/4" wide stock left over from some wood I was given and I need to make a couple things for them. Since the boards are so narrow I was thinking about some sort of platter. Unfortunately Seg Pro does not have a plan for platters so I am wondering if there are any do's and don'ts I should be aware of.
Will a 1/4 glue area be sufficient?
Do I need to make a floating bottom or can I just make it a solid segmented ring?
Anything else?

Thank you
 
In the past I have glued up left over stock from segmented bowls into a board and then turned a platter.
Depending how you glue up the strips you can have a blank that is 1" thick or 3/4 thick.

Not sure what you are asking by "will a 1/4 glue area be sufficient?" If you are asking if turning down the blank to 1/4 thickness for the platter is adequate thickness, imo yes.

The strips being glued up into a blank will have 1" or 3/4 glue area depending on how you set up the strips.
 
In the past I have glued up left over stock from segmented bowls into a board and then turned a platter.
Depending how you glue up the strips you can have a blank that is 1" thick or 3/4 thick.

Not sure what you are asking by "will a 1/4 glue area be sufficient?" If you are asking if turning down the blank to 1/4 thickness for the platter is adequate thickness, imo yes.

The strips being glued up into a blank will have 1" or 3/4 glue area depending on how you set up the strips.
Thanks Mike. So what you are suggesting to do is better than doing it in a traditional segmented bowl design?
My question about the glue joints is based on designing like a bowl (rings) and if I went with the ring height of 1" and board width of 3/4". I was trying to see how far I could extend each new ring from the previous. If I made the outside diameter of a new ring 1/2" larger than the previous then there would only be a 1/4 glue joint. I could just switch and use the boards as 3/4" high and 1" wide but I am still trying to find out what is the minimum size glue joint that is safe to use when designing anything.
Thanks
 
Thanks Mike. So what you are suggesting to do is better than doing it in a traditional segmented bowl design?
My question about the glue joints is based on designing like a bowl (rings) and if I went with the ring height of 1" and board width of 3/4". I was trying to see how far I could extend each new ring from the previous. If I made the outside diameter of a new ring 1/2" larger than the previous then there would only be a 1/4 glue joint. I could just switch and use the boards as 3/4" high and 1" wide but I am still trying to find out what is the minimum size glue joint that is safe to use when designing anything.
Thanks

Thanks for the explanation. I was not thinking segmented rings for a platter. My suggestion of just making up a solid blank and turn a platter is one option. When someone mentions a platter to me I think of some design along the lines of a plate. For me a platter would be something not very tall 1" by 6,8,10.12 diameter.

The glue surface needed has a lot to do with the vessel profile. Without seeing your design, I would not be comfortable in saying a 1/4 glue surface is adequate or not. If you have an image / drawing of what your trying to build and the dimension. (height and diameter) please post it.

In some cases 1/4 is fine, others it would not.
 
The reason that Segment PRO doesn’t have platters is that it doesn’t do well with platters and here is the reason…

in Segment PRO, you only have to create the outside wall profile and the software creates the inside profile on how you drew the outside. To do this it looks at the change in the slope from dot-to-dot. This works well when the profile is a bowl because the wall is more vertical as opposed to fly as is found in platters. This results in an inside profile that is less accurate and Segment PRO doesn’t give you the ability to override this. This is why I make it known that Segment PRO is for designing standard segmented bowls, not platters.

Fortunately, 3D Design Pro has you draw both the inside and the outside wall profiles and so you are in total control of every dot so you can make any adjustments you like.
Lloyd
 
Thank you both. I think I'll go back to the drawing board and try to figure out something different.

The best I can imagine with your strips of wood (3/4 by 1) would be a V shaped vessel.

As far as platters. I have made and seen platters with a large solid/glued up strip bottom and one or at most two segmented rings added. The profile of the platter walls were pretty much vertical.

It seems for some of your projects that WTP would be a very useful tool. It gives full control over each ring.
There are people here that can help you with WTP and 3DDesign. If you can use SP you can use the other software.
 
The best I can imagine with your strips of wood (3/4 by 1) would be a V shaped vessel.

As far as platters. I have made and seen platters with a large solid/glued up strip bottom and one or at most two segmented rings added. The profile of the platter walls were pretty much vertical.

It seems for some of your projects that WTP would be a very useful tool. It gives full control over each ring.
There are people here that can help you with WTP and 3DDesign. If you can use SP you can use the other software.
I do use WTP more than SP. I just was stumped on how to do a platter. *Maybe what I envision as a platter is different than yours. More bowl than plate but not that high.
I have something started already in WTP that is more of a bowl with a slight V design. I think I'll switch the boards to 3/4" high so I have more wood glued together. The wood is actually short logs they gave me of pecan but they were cracked and parts rotting so I just started cutting them into strips with the bandsaw.
I haven't messed with 3DD yet.
Thanks
 
I do use WTP more than SP. I just was stumped on how to do a platter. *Maybe what I envision as a platter is different than yours. More bowl than plate but not that high.
I have something started already in WTP that is more of a bowl with a slight V design. I think I'll switch the boards to 3/4" high so I have more wood glued together. The wood is actually short logs they gave me of pecan but they were cracked and parts rotting so I just started cutting them into strips with the bandsaw.
I haven't messed with 3DD yet.
Thanks

Sorry. Sometimes I get confused on who is using both sofware programs. Your OP mentioned SP. I just made the leap that it was your program of choice.

If you want a review of your design you can always post the wtp file. More than happy to take a look at it.

Have fun with the project.
 
I do use WTP more than SP. I just was stumped on how to do a platter. *Maybe what I envision as a platter is different than yours. More bowl than plate but not that high.
I have something started already in WTP that is more of a bowl with a slight V design. I think I'll switch the boards to 3/4" high so I have more wood glued together. The wood is actually short logs they gave me of pecan but they were cracked and parts rotting so I just started cutting them into strips with the bandsaw.
I haven't messed with 3DD yet.
Thanks
Jim,

If you don’t start with 3D Design PRO, you’re missing out on the workflow that greatly simplifies the design process. There is an old video tutorial that you should watch that shows how easy it is to use 3D Design Pro. I haven’t updated the video because nothing has changed that needs updating except one thing. Long ago, there was a toolbar button that let you have a grid overlay and that added no functionality but it created problems so I removed it.

Here is the link to the video:

By starting with 3D Design Pro, you get to draw both the outside and inside wall profiles and then refine those profiles by simply moving dots. When you transfer it to Woodturner PRO, you specify how wide or how tall you want it to be and the profile will appear in Woodturner PRO at the size you specify. All you have to do then is to add some rows and then click the ‘Profile SNAP’ button and the diameters of each row will change to match your profile. It is a terrific time saver. Now that the profile is in Woodturner PRO, you can either move the dots inside Woodturner PRO and click the Profile SNAP button again, or you can switch back to 3D Design Pro, move the dots and transfer the profile into Woodturner PRO again and click the SNAP button.

The best thing is that you are in total control of the outside and inside profile and you can simply move the dots and SNAP until you have the results you’re after.

If you like you can start with an image from a Google search of a platter that you like and simply trace the edges of the image. This is also covered in the above video.

Once you do this the first time, you’ll never consider doing it any other way.

Lloyd
 
Sorry. Sometimes I get confused on who is using both sofware programs. Your OP mentioned SP. I just made the leap that it was your program of choice.

If you want a review of your design you can always post the wtp file. More than happy to take a look at it.

Have fun with the project.
Thanks Mike. Here is the file. I believe it is as simple of a design as one can make, but will work for what I need. The person who gave me the wood just wants a remembrance of their tree.
***One question though and I guess maybe I just need to learn about the software more. Anyway, when you look at the screen shot it shows my outside and inside diameter with a 1" difference. However, the board with showing is only .64"! I understand I will be turning some of the width away etc but I just do not understand how I will be starting with the outside and inside diameters at 1" difference when it is telling me the starting board width is .62"- 6.4"?

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • Pecan bowl 4.5h 9.25w.wtp
    2 KB · Views: 9
  • 2021-08-05_LI.jpg
    2021-08-05_LI.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 9
Thanks for the file. Going to be a nice remembrance project for the Pecan tree.
I did notice that Ring 1 is a segmented ring. Are you planning to add a closed bottom?

I will be working on the explanation on the board width calc.
 
Jim:
In some of your earlier posts you said the left over wood is 3/4 by 1" by some length. Why bother to rip down to .62-64 width.
I have attached your file with showing the board width at 1"
The results gives you some more glue surface.
- The actual formula to calculate the board width would have to be answered by Lloyd. I am at a bit of a loss on how WTP does the calc.
What is important is to have a wide enough board to allow for adequate glue surface between rings depending on the profile.

I generally put in the outside diameter I want. modify the inside diameter to get the board width I want . In your case your wood is prepped to 1" wide. I also tend to add .125 to .25 to the diameter when planning. That is if I want a 8" ring I plan for 8.125 in WTP and turn down to 8.0. I just like to have a buffer.
 

Attachments

  • Pecan bowl 4.5h 9.25w mod 1.wtp
    2 KB · Views: 4
Last edited:
Jim:
In some of your earlier posts you said the left over wood is 3/4 by 1" by some length. Why bother to rip down to .62-64 width.
I have attached your file with showing the board width at 1"
The results gives you some more glue surface.
- The actual formula to calculate the board width would have to be answered by Lloyd. I am at a bit of a loss on how WTP does the calc.
What is important is to have a wide enough board to allow for adequate glue surface between rings depending on the profile.

I generally put in the outside diameter I want. modify the inside diameter to get the board width I want . In your case your wood is prepped to 1" wide. I also tend to add .125 to .25 to the diameter when planning. That is if I want a 8" ring I plan for 8.125 in WTP and turn down to 8.0. I just like to have a buffer.
Hey Mike! I didn't want to rip it down to .64. I just do not understand how it came up with a board width of .64 when I designed it so that the difference between the outside and inside diameters is 1".
Thank you for the modified file. I see that the differences between the outside and inside diameter to get a 1" board width is 1.75". It's just confusing to me. *But I'll have a glue surface of .75"!
In reference to your other question about the first ring being segmented; I was thinking about just doing a floating bottom. It probably will not be pecan due to lack of having a big enough piece.
***Just to clarify: if I do a solid disk as the first ring I can glue a segmented ring to it, but if I do a segmented first ring it will have to have a floating bottom and not a solid segmented ring?

Thanks
 
Hey Mike! I didn't want to rip it down to .64. I just do not understand how it came up with a board width of .64 when I designed it so that the difference between the outside and inside diameters is 1".
Thank you for the modified file. I see that the differences between the outside and inside diameter to get a 1" board width is 1.75". It's just confusing to me. *But I'll have a glue surface of .75"!
In reference to your other question about the first ring being segmented; I was thinking about just doing a floating bottom. It probably will not be pecan due to lack of having a big enough piece.
***Just to clarify: if I do a solid disk as the first ring I can glue a segmented ring to it, but if I do a segmented first ring it will have to have a floating bottom and not a solid segmented ring?

Thanks

Hey Jim.
I don't know the formula, but the board width is calculated from the Outside and Inside Diameter inputs. For me what is important is the OD and glue surface.

Can't answer your question regarding the floating base. To date I have not done one. Here is one file I found on the net.


 
Last edited:
Hey Jim.
I don't know the formula, but the board width is calculated from the Outside and Inside Diameter inputs. For me what is important is the OD and glue surface.

Can't answer your question regarding the floating base. To date I have not done one. Here is one file I found on the net.


Wow that's way different than how I do the floating base.
So do you just do a solid disk as the first ring no matter what?

Thanks
 
Wow that's way different than how I do the floating base.
So do you just do a solid disk as the first ring no matter what?

Thanks
I have used a solid disk for the first ring for years with no issues.
Most of my bases are less than 4" is diameter.
I have one bowl that has a 6.5 inch bases that is 10 years old. Not issues of seperation.

I realize there are many ways to do floating bases. I just have not done any.
 
I have used a solid disk for the first ring for years with no issues.
Most of my bases are less than 4" is diameter.
I have one bowl that has a 6.5 inch bases that is 10 years old. Not issues of seperation.

I realize there are many ways to do floating bases. I just have not done any.
That's good to know. Thanks!
I came across this article. It's a good read.
 

Attachments

  • vesselbases.pdf
    2.9 MB · Views: 18
Thanks for the file. Going to be a nice remembrance project for the Pecan tree.
I did notice that Ring 1 is a segmented ring. Are you planning to add a closed bottom?

I will be working on the explanation on the board width calc.
Here are the finished pieces. I used the same cut list for all 4 bowls and just changed the shape a little while turning.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20210815_012358201~2[7417].jpg
    PXL_20210815_012358201~2[7417].jpg
    650.2 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210815_013929593~2[7422].jpg
    PXL_20210815_013929593~2[7422].jpg
    752.6 KB · Views: 1
  • PXL_20210815_020108048~2[7424].jpg
    PXL_20210815_020108048~2[7424].jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 2
  • PXL_20210815_201846077~2[7414].jpg
    PXL_20210815_201846077~2[7414].jpg
    670.7 KB · Views: 5
Back
Top