Some of the segmented bowls I make sometimes have veneer accent layers that need to be cut and glued up with several segmented rings that make up the bowl. Since the veneer rings I use are frequently about 1/16" thick, it can be difficult to get tight glue joints because there is very little to clamp against.
My solution was to make segmented rings out of ¾" dimensioned stock, and then use my bandsaw to cut the veneer as a completed ring. However, it can be dangerous to crosscut large-diameter round pieces on the bandsaw, because most of the cut is unsupported and can twist on the blade. So, I created a vertical sledding jig specifically for cutting these rings safely and efficiently.
My sled is made of ¾" plywood and measures about 8" tall by 12" long, but the size of your jig should be determined by the size of the rings you want to cut. It should be tall enough to hold the ring stable so it doesn’t “roll” into the blade. A matching 3" x 12" base is screwed to the bottom of the sled to create a right angle. (You can use triangular braces on the back of the sled, as I did, to ensure that squareness is maintained.)
I attach the ring to a vertical sled with double-sided woodturner’s tape and adjust the bandsaw’s fence for drift, then use the sled to slide the ring along the fence to create several thin veneer rings After that, I run the rings through a drum sander to smooth them out in preparation for a faster, more accurate glueup. As a bonus, the jig doubles as an auxiliary fence for the bandsaw by simply clamping it to the saw table.
