Ok I'm on to something new. I must have ADD! Can't stay on one thing for too long.

 

I've been looking @ Youtube videos about making stacked ring bowls after cutting the rings on a lathe as opposed to band sawing the ring sections out. It seems that in order to use the lathe & cut the rings out a "thin parting tool" is used. My experience with a standard parting tool is to work the groove in widths that allow the tool to do its job & not bind in the cut. In the videos the author/presenter just rides the same groove until the ring is cut loose. All w/o binding in the cut.

 

So my questions:

#1 Does anyone know of a source for a "thin parting tool"? All the ones that I've seen seem to be about standard thickness.

#2 The AAW forum has a Q & A that some respondents say to make your own from "sawzall or hack saw blades or a kitchen knife". In my mind all those are too thin and asking for trouble. And not just from SWMBO.

#3 Can I make one from an OLD small file after grinding the teeth off the file and shaping the cutting point. How much of a PIA would that entail?  I'm assuming that a file should be stiffer and less likely to break than a sawzall blade!

#4 Any words of wisdom/caution?

 

Thks

smitty

There is a machine designed specifically designed for cutting bowl rings.  Belonged to a forum and the owner and some of the other fellas were expert with those machines.  I believe Gerald had one at one time but anyhow it is a Ring Master Lathe.  Here is a link.

 

https://ringmasterlathe.com/

 

 

nice machine, but out of my price point.

Can’t call contribute too much except that making the tool from a file,IMHO, isn’t a good idea. The file is very brittle and can shatter if flexed. 
 

I have made parting tools from an old butcher’s knife and from a sawsall blade. I imagine a planer blade could also be used. 

I agree with Lew to start with the file is not the way to go unless you really know how to temper it. The sawsall blade would be the best bet. I made one out of a planer blade and yes it works but I would not call it thin.

      I have a RingMaster and it is a very interesting machine. The angles have to be pretty close so doing it on the lathe is a hit or miss operation. Even on the Ringmaster the rings will sometimes explode if not handled right. Not trying to discourage just note it will be a lot of trial and error.

       I think John Lucas had posted about this on AAW forum aways back.

Just looked up John's posts on AAW and not much help there but he did say he had seen a video on YouTube for making a thin parting tool for this purpose.

On 11/6/2021 at 6:43 PM, HandyDan said:

There is a machine designed specifically designed for cutting bowl rings.  Belonged to a forum and the owner and some of the other fellas were expert with those machines.  I believe Gerald had one at one time but anyhow it is a Ring Master Lathe.  Here is a link.

 

https://ringmasterlathe.com/

 

 

@Smitty  Dan hit the nail right on the head. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures that show the rings that were cut on a ringmaster lathe and then those rings stacked up.

You can make a bowl from a board very efficiently with success.

 

My cheap self was thinking more along this line

 

 

Oh, sorry.

On 11/9/2021 at 3:02 PM, smitty10101 said:

My cheap self was thinking more along this line

 

 

That can be done one one IF you can make that pattern on a flat board.

I made a bowl from a board using a parting tool to cut the rings quite a few years ago.  If I remember right I just widened the gap so the parting tool didn't bind up.  I just guesstimated the angle and went for it.  The rings were no where near the accuracy of the Ringmaster but close enough to glue them together.  I would have been there all day using sandpaper to smooth it out so a used my bowl gouge and worked the sides before sanding.

 

 

 

I used a screw mound to cut the board into rings and then to turn the sides and sand it.  I drilled a .75 recess in the bottom and glued a penny in to cover the hole.  The penny is a 2012 and I am sure that's when I did this.  I don't know why I didn't do the same on the underneath.  At times I have thought to add a flat disc base for weight, drill a hole in the side and make it a yarn bowl.

 

   

2 hours ago, HandyDan said:

I made a bowl from a board using a parting tool to cut the rings quite a few years ago. 

Super! I like the penny idea!