Segmented vase with curved compound miter joints

[Bob Taylor]

I'm new to the forums, so apologies if I'm in the wrong place. If this belongs in off-topic I'll have to wait a month tp get "established"
I spent some time yesterday reading all the threads I could find that mentioned CNC. Most focused on decorating bowls after turning. Some discussed whether using a CNC is "cheating". I freely admit to being a CNC guy who cheats by using a lathe!
I wrote my own software early this year to easily sketch a stave-segmented vase with curved joints. The software create a 3d model for a single stave. I import the model into my CNC software and cut the required number of staves. After the staves are glued together I turn the vase on the lathe.
What I'd like to go through is the making of my prototype. Going in I fully expected the process to fail in some way and I'd go back to the drawing board. I needed some thick wood for the staves, and didn't want to sacrifice anything nice. My daughter was having a house built, and I rescued some 2" thick LVL scraps from the dumpster (laminated veneer lumber, used for engineered beams). Crappy stuff for turning, but heck it's just a proof of concept right? Instead it ended up being a really nice keepsake "made from the house".
At this point I'll tease the end result, and if folks are interested I'll add step-by-step posts. My ultimate goal is to share the process and my software with others, though obviously a CNC machine is required. If there are other geeks out there who'd like to collaborate on developing the process further, even better!

 

[Bob Taylor]

Zoom in on the first pic to see the lovely curved joint. Self aligning, super tight and strong!

 

[Steven Borruso]

Hi Bob ... great stave/CNC project and with the bonus of the personal connection to the piece !! I've been wanting to explore integrating turning and CNC work for awhile and finally pulled the trigger on a Sienci Altmill 4x4 CNC machine last month. Just got it the other day and still in the setup process. Have been woodworking and turning on/off for most of 50+ years along with a 40+ yr software development career .... but new to the world of CNC.

Would love to see your plans/files/etc. and collaborate on things once I get my feet wet with this new (to me) endeavor.

 

[Bob Taylor]

Thanks Steve! I looked up Sienci and your machine looks really awesome. I love the closed-loop motor system, no losing track of position when something stalls! What software will you be using? I have Vectric Aspire.

 

[Darryl Fective]

Cool piece! Yes, CNC might seem like cheating, but it does open so many possibilities. I guess if money were not a limiting factor and I could learn the programming part of it, I could see having one, but until then, (neither of which is likely) I'll remain a "purist" woodturner.

As I falling asleep last night, I was pondering what a segmented piece with compound cuts might look like. The curvature of the piece combined with angled cuts might make some interesting curves.