Segmented turning
User manual
1 Table of contents
Segmented turning................................................................................................................................1
User manual..........................................................................................................................................1
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................2
1 Installation.........................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Installation of Scilab..................................................................................................................3
1.2 Installation of the application « Segmented tuning design ».....................................................3
2 The profile editor...............................................................................................................................6
2.1 Launch of the editor...................................................................................................................6
2.2 Editing the exterior profile.........................................................................................................6
2.3 Editing the interior profile.........................................................................................................8
2.4 Backup.......................................................................................................................................8
3 The Rings Editor................................................................................................................................9
3.1 Launch and presentation of the editor........................................................................................9
3.1.1 The menus........................................................................................................................10
3.1.2 Control panels..................................................................................................................10
3.1.3 The viewing area..............................................................................................................10
3.1.4 The notification area........................................................................................................10
3.2 Loading profiles and specifying default properties.................................................................10
3.3 Visualizations...........................................................................................................................12
3.4 Customizing your workpiece...................................................................................................13
3.4.1 Play with wood species....................................................................................................13
3.4.3 Insert spacers....................................................................................................................15
3.4.4 Insert spaces.....................................................................................................................15
3.4.5 Insert / delete rings...........................................................................................................16
3.4.6 Zigzag ring.......................................................................................................................16
3.5 Backup.....................................................................................................................................17
3.6 From conception to realization................................................................................................18
4 Contact.............................................................................................................................................19
Introduction
This segmented turning design tool is an interactive free software Scilab application that
makes it easy to specify a workpiece to be turned from shape specification to production of
the segment cut chart.
This first version allows the creation of segmented pieces with solid or opened segments,
which can include spacers, zigzags and the realization of the decorations by playing on the
wood species used.
The software takes care of all the calculations and allows many visualizations throughout the
design, in particular the workpiece turned in 3D.
This software can be used on most Windows, Linux and Mac OS X systems
1 INSTALLATION
1.1 Installation of Scilab
The Scilab software is a very powerful scientific calculation software. It is "open-source" and free.
It installs very easily on most Windows, Linux or Mac OS X computers It can be downloaded from
https://www.scilab.org/download/6.1.0 The installation of the Windows version is done by
executing the downloaded .exe file The installation of the Linux version is carried out by extracting
the downloaded archive in the directory of your choice with, for example, the
tar xzf <archive name> instruction.
1.2 Installation of the application « Segmented tuning design »
To install this application you have to launch Scilab. We then obtain the main window of Scilab:
Clicking on the icon opens the Scilab application manager:
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By clicking on "Domain Specific" we obtain:
Selecting "Segmented turning design" opens the page describing the tool and allowing its
installation:
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Finally, clicking on the "Install" button starts downloading the application and adding it to
recognized Scilab applications. To complete the installation, quit and relaunch Scilab.
When Scilab is launched, the window below is then obtained:
This application is bilingual French / English, by default the language used is that of the system.
It is possible to force English by entering following a "setlanguage en" instruction followed by the
enter key at the "->" prompt of the Scilab window.
The "Segmented turning" menu that appears in the menu bar is used to launch the two components
of the application: the "Profile editor" and the "Rings editor".
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2 THE PROFILE EDITOR
2.1 Launch of the editor
This component allows you to draw the exterior and interior profiles that the workpiece will have
when turned. Selecting the "Profile editor" sub-menu opens a graphics window. The user must first
specify the dimensions of the workpiece he wishes to make (height, diameter and default wall
thickness). To do this, select the "Tools" menu then the "Workpiece dimensions" sub-menu which
opens a dialog window which allows you to enter these values:
Once these values have been entered, the "Ok" button resizes the graphics window in which the
user will draw the profiles starting with the external profile.
2.2 Editing the exterior profile
The profile is defined by a Bézier curve, which is constructed by entering a sequence of points
(nodes) with left clicks of the mouse. The blue crosses represent the Bézier nodes and the red curve
that emerges as more nodes are added corresponds to the profile. The position of the mouse is
reported in milimeters in the information zone at the bottom of the window (see the figure below).
Note that the graph only represents the right profile.
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The profile can be modified at any
time:
• Either by moving the nodes:
press the left mouse button on
the node and move the mouse
while keeping the right button
pressed. During movement the
node and the profile are
updated. To end the movement,
all you need to do is release the
right button.
• Either by inserting nodes: left
click at the place where you
want to add the node.
• Or by deleting nodes: Click with
the middle button on the node to
delete<.
It is possible to undo an action (add,
delete, move a node) using the CTRL-z
key combination.
To have a view of the profile only, you
can hide the nodes with the “Hide
nodes” sub-menu of the “Tools” menu.
and display them again with the “Show
nodes” sub-menu. Mouse coordinates
Installation of Scilab
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2.3 Editing the interior profile
Once the exterior profile has been created,
you can specify the interior profile. To
begin with, you can display the interior
menu by default with the "Show default
interior profile" sub-menu.
This profile is calculated so as to maintain
a constant wall thickness, equal to the
value provided in the initial dialog
window.
If this profile is fine with you, you can
leave it there and move on to specifying
the rings.
Otherwise you can edit the interior profile
as you did for the exterior, having
previously activated the "Toggle profile"
sub-menu. the default profile can then be
used as a guide. Default
profile
2.4 Backup
The "File" menu provides access to saving and reloading profiles: To save the current state of your
profiles use the "Save as ..." sub-menu which allows you to specify the location and the name of the
file or the "Save" sub-menu which saves the data in the previously specified file or in the default
Untitled.pf file.
This backup is essential to be able to move on to the next step, but can also be useful if you wish
to modify the profiles later, you must then reload the backup in the editor with the "Open ..." sub-
menu.
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3 THE RINGS EDITOR
This interactive application allows you to specify the properties of each ring and each segment
constituting the workpiece to be turned.
3.1 Launch and presentation of the editor
Selecting the "Rings editor" sub-menu in the menu bar of the Scilab software opens a graphic
window comprising a menu bar, control panels, a viewing area and a notification area.
Menu bar
Viewing area
Notification area
Note that you can open multiple editors at the same time.
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3.1.1 The menus
They are located in the menu bar at the top of the window, they are:
• the "File" menu which, as its name suggests, contains sub-menus allowing the import and
export of data from system files,
• the "Tools" menu with 2 sub-menus allowing the addition and deletion of rings,
• the “Help” menu, this menu opens the help page which contains the information in this
document in detail,
• the "Demonstration" menu which offers design examples made with the tool.
These menus and sub-menus will be explained later as they are used.
3.1.2 Control panels
They are located in the left part of the window, they are made up of a set of input areas and drop-
down lists allowing you to specify the properties of the rings and segments.
3.1.3 The viewing area
It is located on the right side of the window. This is where the views of the rings or the workpiece
are displayed. You can select the view type in the bottom control panel.
The displayed view is automatically updated when modifying a property. In the case of 3
dimensional display you can change the point of view with the mouse by pressing the right mouse
button in this area and moving the mouse.
If necessary, this view can be exported to a standard Scilab graphic window with the “Export view”
sub-menu of the “File” menu. For example, from this graphics window you can export the view to
image files (pdf, svg, etc.)
3.1.4 The notification area
This is the area at the very bottom of the window. This zone is used by the software to explain the
input errors in the control panels. In the event of an error, the corresponding entry area highlighted
in red and the explanation is displayed in this notification area.
3.2 Loading profiles and specifying default properties
To start the design of the part, you must load the profiles made with the profile editor with the
"Import profiles" sub-menu of the "File" menu. A dialog box allows you to enter the name of the
".pf" file, then a second dialog box opens where you must enter the default properties of the rings:
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In the "Height of the rings" input zone, you can:
• either give a single value, if you want all the
rings to have the same height. In this case the
system will deduce the number of rings taking
into account the height of the profiles,
• or give a sequence of values, separated by
spaces (as in the figure opposite) one for each
ring, the first value corresponding to the
ring of the base. In this case, the sum of the
heights you give must be greater than or equal
to the height of the profiles.
The “Fudge factor" entry area corresponds to a safety
margin added on either side of the raw segments. A
zero margin corresponds to the minimum amount of
wood to be removed during turning.
The "Rotation Angle" defines the rotation to be
applied to ring n with respect to ring n-1. This value
should be given as a ratio of 360 ° / N where N is the
number of segments of the ring.
The drop-down lists "Segments wood" and "Spacers wood" allow you to choose the values that the
essence of the segments will have at initialization. Note that all of these values can be changed later
to refine your design. When you validate your data with the "Apply" button, a sectional view of your
blank with its rings is drawn in the viewing area. The fields of the control panels are initialized.
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The notion of "Fudge factor" is explained by the zoom
opposite.
Fudge
factor
3.3 Visualizations
The "View type" drop-down list located in the bottom control panel allows you to choose the
display of the workpiece or the current ring that you want to see in the display area.
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If, for example, you select "Rotated part"
instead of the "2D View" used above, you
will get in the display area a three-
dimensional view of how your workpiece
will look in its current state when rotated.
You will also be able to view the blank as
well as different views of the current ring.
These visualizations allow you to follow
the effect of your choices on the
workpiece.
3.4 Customizing your workpiece
Most of the changes you may need to make to your initial design apply to the "current ring". This
ring is selected in the top control panel by choosing an index from the "Ring index" drop-down list.
In this same panel you can also modify the
height, the number of segments of the current
ring as well as its rotation in relation to the
previous ring.
3.4.1 Play with wood species
There are several ways to assign wood species to certain segments:
• To change the wood species of the segments of a ring, you can select the current ring by
choosing its index in the "Ring index" drop-down list, then enter, in the "Segment indices"
input box the index sequence of the segments to which you want to assign an essence and
finally select the essence in the drop-down list “Essence of segments”.
• The index sequence can be entered with Scilab syntax. For example for a ring of 12
segments entering 1:12 designates all segments of the ring, entering 1: 2: 12 designates
every odd segment of the ring and entering 1,3,5 designates segments 1, 3 and 5.
• To obtain the figure below we have specified that a segment on 2 of ring 6 would be in
Walnut.
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• To create more complex patterns, you can select the "Unrolled" view in the "Select the type
of view" control panel, which schematically represents all the segments of the part as if it
had been unrolled.
• To modify the wood species of
a segment, just right-click in
the rectangle representing the
segment. A dialog box opens
where you can choose the
essence. To assign the same
essence to other segments,
click with the middle button in
the rectangle of the segments
to which you want to assign
the same essence.
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3.4.2
3.4.3 Insert spacers
Another way to enrich your workpiece is to insert contrasting wood essence spacers between the
segments. To do this select the ring on which you want to insert spacers and then enter the number
of spacers you want to enter in the "Number of spaces" input box. Note that this number must be a
divisor of the number of segments N because the spacers will be distributed evenly around the ring.
You then specify the space angle as a ratio of 360 ° / N which will determine the thickness of the
spacer, you select "Spacer" as "Space type" and the wood species to assign to all the ring spacers.
Here is the visualization of ring 4 of the
example above for which we inserted as many
walnut spacers as segments.
This display is produced by the "3D Rotated
Ring" view, other displays can also be used to
visualize the effect.
3.4.4 Insert spaces
For a workpiece in open segmented turning, you can proceed as for inserting spacers but selecting
"Open" as "Type of space".
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In case you want a number of spaces / spacers different from the number of segments the realization
of the ring will require two lengths of segments: one used on either side of the spaces / spacers and
the other elsewhere.
3.4.5 Insert / delete rings
The "Insert a ring ..." sub-menu of the "Tools" menu allows you to insert a ring above the current
ring and to specify its height. If adding a ring results in the top ring being beyond the height of the
part, an error message is displayed and the operation fails. You must then reduce the size of other
rings or remove another ring before doing the operation. A warning can then be displayed if the
cumulative height of the rings is less than the height of the workpiece.
The "Delete a ring" menu of the "Tools" menu deletes the current ring. Removing a ring may result
in a warning message if the cumulative height of the segments is less than the height of the
workpiece.
3.4.6 Zigzag ring
You can design a ring with a zigzag pattern, for this select the index of the ring and then the ring
type "Zigzag" instead of "Standard" in the "Ring properties" control panel.
The second configuration panel then changes to allow you to specify the zigzag properties:
• The “Zigzag height” gives the distance
between "points" of the zigzag. This
size must be less than or equal to the
height of the segment
• The “Layers thickness” corresponds to
the thickness of the layers of wood
forming the laminated board from
which the segments will be cut. The
stratification is symmetrical so the first
value corresponds to the central layer, the second to those on either side of the central
layer….
• For the outer layer, it suffices to give a sufficiently large value, the height actually necessary
will be calculated automatically.
• To assign a wood species to the different layers, you must give the stratum index, then
choose the species from the drop-down list.
For a ring of 6 segments, a height of 22mm, a zigzag height of 20mm and 3 strata (Cherry: 4mm,
Sycamore: 4mm and Alder) i.e. a laminated board with 5 layers we obtain the views of the raw ring
and shot below. Note that each segment is made up of 2 sub-segments.
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For "zigzag" type rings there is an additional "Zigzag Design" view type which provides the
dimensioned description of the construction of the laminate board and a segment of the zigzag:
The red lines represent the cuts to be made.
3.5 Backup
The "File" menu provides access to saving and reloading your design:
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To save the current state of your work use the "Save as ..." sub-menu which allows you to specify
the location and the name of the file. The "Save" sub-menu saves the data in the file previously
specified in a previous "Save as ..." or in the default Untitled.ts file.
It is always prudent to make backups during the design of your work, so that you can possibly
go back or guard against the risk of a crash. Reloading a save in the editor is done with the
"Open ..." sub-menu.
3.6 From conception to realization
When you are satisfied with the design of your workpiece, the application allows you to generate
the data necessary for the realization:
• The “Export cuts” sub-menu of the “File” menu generates a text file that can be imported
into a spreadsheet (Excel, Open office, etc.) which explains the cuts required to make the
different segments. Below is the file generated for the “Bowl with border” demonstration
after importing into a spreadsheet.
• The "Export Ring" sub-menu generates a PDF file with the 2D view of the current ring at 1:
1 scale. Printing this file respecting the scale can help to make the ring,
• In the case of zigzag rings the "Export zigzag" sub-menu generates a PDF file with the
zigzag design.
With these documents, you have all the elements to move on to production in the workshop!
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4 CONTACT
To report a problem, suggest an improvement, please send an email to serge.steer@laposte.net
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