Mike Sellers
PRO Member
When the summary of a bowl is exported to an Excel spread sheet and you look a total inches for a given species, how do you convert that information into how much wood to buy? Example 458 inches of Wenge.
Excel file numbers
- Thread starter Mike Sellers
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Ken Sherwin
PRO Member
I multiply the board length +3" (for a handle during cutting) times the board width for each row to find the area needed for that row. Then I add all the row areas together for total square inches needed. Last, I add about 20% for waste. I pick wood by the square foot and get the thickness to match the rough row height I want. I still have to pay by the board foot, though.
One thing to keep in mind is in WTP the board length is for the ring. You can use excel to develop a formula to calculate the length of board needed for each species within the ring by using the number of (segments * SEL ) +(number of segments * 0.125)
In SP it will give length of board for the ring and it also shows length for each species.
as Ken stated you should add a fudge factor for safety.
In SP it will give length of board for the ring and it also shows length for each species.
as Ken stated you should add a fudge factor for safety.
This vid by Lloyd gives a good overview of WTP vs SP.
04 - Differences between Woodturner PRO and Segment PRO
If you're trying to decide whether to purchase Woodturner PRO, Segment PRO or both, this tutorial will show you the differences in both features and the method by which you design your segmented projects.
woodturnerpro.com
WTP is the oldest of the two programs. It gives you complete control of each ring. You have to do more of the work in using the program. It works in junctions with 3DDesign Pro for the wall profile.
SP is more rules based. You pick a profile, set the bowl parameters and SP does the set up for you. Because of that SP currently limits what you can do with individual rings. It has a great paint feature.
I actually use both. there are times I build a vessel in SP. Take the info from the summary sheet and input it into WTP to tweak the design.
Other than help Lloyd out on the forum I have no ties to his business. For me buying the bundle to get all of the programs. WTP, SP, LP and 3DDesign Pro is the way to go. As you improve your segmenting skills you will find all four programs useful.
Ken Sherwin
PRO Member
I think you'll find that won't take long. It takes me anywhere between 50 and 150 shop hours to complete a vessel from "I wanna make a ...." to "All done and dusted." but it only takes a little while to play with the software to see what an idea might look like. I probably start 3 times as many projects as I actually get to the shop on, just because it's fun. Sometimes I use SP because it's fast but more often use WTP because I want to play. They make great video games.