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Segmented turning tablesaw jig?

Matt Meadows

Matt Meadows

Joined
May 13, 2005
Messages
172
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111
Location
Charleston SC
Are there any good off-the-shelf jigs for the tablesaw specifically for cutting parts for segmented turning?

I manage a cabinet shop and we have several saws (Unisaw and a couple Sawstops, all 3-5hp). Thankfully also a 12" disc sander and bandsaw.

However my lathe is at home so I need to be able to set up quickly, make my cuts, and pack back up.

I know these can be made without too much difficulty and may yet do that, but I'm hoping to find something that is going to do it better and be quicker to set up than my attempts to diy this one.
 
We had a demo at our club a couple months ago and the guys that have done segmentation have made a wedgie sled. There are plans freely available but this guy also sells them. I haven't bought one or know anyone that has but they do look pretty slick.

edit: looks like Ron beat me by a hair.
 
@Redfish Off topic - I see you've been a member for a long time. I was under the impression that when joining the AAW Forum you have to use your real name and location. I don't know when, or if, the Forum changed the requirements or if there is a grandfather clause, but I think most of the members would appreciate knowing who you are. I think if you changed your Profile that would remedy the situation ... maybe.
Thanks.
 
Tom Gall said:
@Redfish Off topic - I see you've been a member for a long time. I was under the impression that when joining the AAW Forum you have to use your real name and location. I don't know when, or if, the Forum changed the requirements or if there is a grandfather clause, but I think most of the members would appreciate knowing who you are. I think if you changed your Profile that would remedy the situation ... maybe.
Thanks.
Click to expand...


That's a good point. Yeah I joined a long time ago. Was working on my B.A. and M.Div at the time so was rather occupied, then started having kids lol.

I'll look into correcting it.
 
I'm sure there are some off-the-shelf jigs that are good. However, the Wedgie Sled is extremely easy and inexpensive to make. Plus it works perfectly. I put off making one for awhile, looked for off-the-shelf jigs, and then decided that I'd make the Sled. I did buy an upgraded miter bar from Woodpeckers which works much better than any other miter bar I've tried, but you can get along with a much less expensive bar or make one from UHMW plastic or even plywood or MDF. I bought track from Rockler and invested in a few screws. The base was plywood and the fences were UHMW I had already and knobs on the fences were just regular fixture knobs/bolts. It's an easy project and won't likely even take an afternoon; more like a couple of hours once you have materials gathered. I chose to make the version which has both ends of the fences movable, which is easier to make. I've only used it twice so far, but the segments are flawless and glue together with no gaps or adjustment. The only other thing to purchase would be CNC cut patterns for each angle you will need. You can start out, though, making a 12-segment ring with a 30-60-90 degree drafting triangle; cheap and they are always accurate.
 
I'm not a segmenter but I can do it. Early this year a couple guys in our club taught a segmenting class and I made the sleds.

Think I made about 15 Wedgie sleds. The hardest part is cutting the radius slot. A few pictures.
IMG_1609.jpgIMG_1611.jpgIMG_1624.jpgIMG_1628.jpg

I also made a couple of the "T" track sleds. They are easier to make, but the "T" track is a little more money.

Full disclosure, I use a Hammond Glider with a custom miter gauge that is extremely accurate. The Wedgie sled will make just as good segments if attention to detail is kept during construction and use.
 
The hardest part of making a wedgie sled (assuming one is very comfortable in the flat woodworking world) is getting the working sides of the fence pieces perfectly parallel to one another. Mine are off by approximately 1.5 thousandths of an inch over the length of the fences. This is the best I have been able to achieve on my table saw. This is not much but starts to show up when you get to larger segment counts on larger diameter rings or on very wide segments. The additive stackup of tolerances from the angle being ever so slightly off creates a gap.
I really need some good CNC machined fence components.
 
I have just completed making Wedge Patters for 7 to 35 segments. I made them as right triangles and used trig calculator to get the angles. I selected 3(6, 8 and 10inches) lengths for the base and then the trig calculator to get the height at each point. With the three points the triangle is marked on WP material and then cut on my radial arm saw.
The test WP was placed between the fences on the sled and the number of segments cut. If wedges do not close the ring the fences were adjusted and then segments cut with new setting. When the ring was closed the WP was remarked using the fences and cut so it fit perfect. Some of the WP were dead on the first try, others took several adjustments.
 
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