No math is necessary. The mathematics is one of the biggest barriers preventing people from starting segmented turning, and it's not necessary if you use our segments. You could purchase some rings and start sanding, gluing, and turning right away. If you prefer to design with your hands instead of using paper, you could get some extra segments and stack rings in many different ways to be creative without all of the calculations getting in the way.

No, you don't need to worry about cutting any angles. Our segmented rings are made with beginners in mind, so we offer enough sizes that you could complete many forms that you would like with different species of wood.

In some respects, it is easier than turning solid wood. If you make a mistake with a solid piece of wood, you need to start over again, however, that is not true with segmented turning. If you make a mistake, you could remove the parts of the project that you don't like and attach other rings to replace one that was damaged or turned incorrectly. Segmented turning has been avoided by many turners because it requires a great deal of precise calculations and tool calibration, but our segments and bases are already prepared so that you could be creative and turn without being concerned about the calculations and tool calibrations.

The actual turning of the segmented piece should take less time than turning a solid piece of wood. You need to turn off large corners and hollow out a solid piece of wood before you are able to really focus on the form of your piece, but that is not necessary with segmented turning. You are using much less wood, and you start building your form with the segments before you put it on the lathe. Assembling the pieces takes longer than just putting a piece of wood on a face plate to get started, but that's the fun part.

The form of your piece is important. Try some of our suggested projects to get started, or stick with common forms that you see around your house and imitate other pieces of art. There are enough beautiful forms out there that you should not need to reinvent the wheel.

Correctly glued joints will not break if you use PVA glue. Instron machines connected to computers were used to test glue joints, and good PVA glues performed extremely well. Wood failure will occur before a glue failure almost 100% of the time.

Our goal is to make segmented turning accessible to all turners, and to make our products as affordable as possible we chose to limit the number of bases. Turners starting segmented turning can turn solid pieces of wood, so we provide solid discs that fit the scroll chucks of most turners. Some turning may be necessary before gluing the segments to them so that they are the correct size for your project. There are an infinite number of sizes for the diameter of the base, and we provide what is necessary for you to quickly prepare the base for your design.

You could use our bases as solid bases or floating bases, but there are two reasons why many recommend floating bases. First, you do not see any end grain when you use the floating base technique. Second, floating base joints are reliable. Large joints with perpendicular grain could fail if you do not use floating bases for larger vessels. Most turners agree that solid bases less than or equal to 4 inches will not fail, and many turners use solid bases up to 6 inches without any problems. Don't be afraid of floating bases; it's an enjoyable part of the project. Start with small projects that use solid bases that are less than or equal to 4 inches, and then graduate to floating bases. You will find that it's fun, and you will be ready for the challenge after turning a few projects with smaller bases first.