Will this work?

[Dan Case]

I need to make a footed (elevated) cake plate as a special gift for my daughter. I've had a wild haired-idea of building one using stacked rings, but I've read a few things lately that have led me to question whether that will work structurally in the long term. Here's what I'm looking at doing:

Each ring has 12 segments. The top and bottom "rings" are pie-shaped segmented discs with the centers plugged. I have in mind running a dowel from the bottom to the underside of the top just to aid in alignment and keep everything centered. The top is about 12" across, which doesn't leave much room for error (12 1/2 is the limit for my lathe). I've shown the middle rings as the same size simply because it will be easier to cut that way. My plan is to build all this from one extremely nice 4/4 Cherry board (6" wide, 8' long) that's been in my wood rack for about 14 years waiting for a special occasion.

My area of concern is the pie-shaped segmented discs. I've read some authoritative commentary that suggests that the glue joints in these discs will likely fail in time with the normal expansion and contraction of the wood. I obviously don't want to build it if its destined to fail.

What do y'all think? Is there a better way for me to approach this?

Thanks!

D.

 

[Wayne Miller]

I have had a plan for a 3 tired unit for holding finger pastries. I once made a flat platter with a plug which literally blew up. Since then I have made all of my pieces with a floating bottom. I have since thought of several ways to make the middle but none of them seemed aesthetically pleasing. We found a nice metal piece for this purpose while on vacation so since there is no longer a real need, I have abandoned this project. In your case I would suggest making the base segmented as you show and making the platter from solid stock. If you want to do something exciting with the top them make a multi-generation design pattern in the platter as an inline. I know others will tell you about 1/4 sawn plugs and laminated bottoms that work for them. I just feel that as this piece will be functional rather than purely decorative I would opt for strength and stability. Just my .02

 

[Dan Case]

Thanks, Wayne. I don't think I'm quite ready for multi-generational patterns, though if I go with a solid disk on top I may do a little inlay work if an idea inspires me.

D.