Is it or isn't it

Bobs project is exactly what I thought segmentation refered to. I haven’t ever seen a project like yours refered to that way.

-- Don - I wood work if I could. Redmond WA.

Well, according to the dictionary, a segment is: one of the parts into which something naturally separates or is divided; a division, portion, or section. Therefore I guess both your definitions are correct.

-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

in my definition of the term, Bob’s project is most definately segmentation. Not that Wikipedia is the end-all-be-all of definitions… but here's how segmentation is described there.

Hi Allison,

First, I looked at your projects and I want to say that you do some beautiful work!

On the segmentation topic, I don’t consider myself an expert on woodworking terminology but I do know a thing or two about words. Some dictionaries define segmentation as ”the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart”.

I can see your point about separating a single piece of wood into many parts but the definition also uses the word “or” followed by “partitioning”. Partition can be defined as “a separation, as of two or more things.”

The first definition also says, ”separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart”

Speaking in literal terms, I would say that Bob’s project is a form of segmentation. The parts of his lidded box are clearly separated by both the joints and the contrasted woods.

-- How valuable is time to a person who spends his disparaging the beliefs of others? --David Berthelette www.pilotwoodworks.com

Allison, the confusion here is clear, but easy to clear up. There are two very different definitions of “segmented”. Your project is an example of one definition, and Bob’s is an example of the other.

I can not argue with the fact that your ‘gator is segmented. But in woodturning, a segmented piece is basically one in which small pieces of wood are glued together in a pattern of some sort, then turned to a final form.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Allison, your project, the Grinning Gator, is considered intarsia IMO, not segmented. At least thats how I learned it, although intarsia is indeed segmented pieces so I’m sure you could call it. However,I think the term segmentation in woodworking refers to building up patterns from proportionally(or not proportionally) segmented pieces. I would consider Bob’s lid segmented.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

Didn’t George Wallace call for “segmentation now, segmentation forever”? Maybe I’m getting my history confused…

-- It's the best woodworking show since the invention of wood... New episodes Wednesdays at: http://www.stumpynubs.com

I went and looked at the box. Then from there I went and looked at your gator. I don’t claim to be an expert by no stretch of the imagination on either technique. From what I have read and seen videos of though, if someone had just asked my opinion on what to call each technique, without giving me suggestions, this is what I would have said:
The box is segmentation.
The gator is intarsia.
Again, I don’t know too much about either. I’m only going with what I’ve seen and terms I’ve seen used for similar techniques elsewhere.

-- http://wddsrfinewoodworks.blogspot.com/

Intarsia is defined as “a decorative or pictorial mosaic of inlaid wood”. From what I can tell, Allison’s work, although mosaic, is not inlaid.

-- How valuable is time to a person who spends his disparaging the beliefs of others? --David Berthelette www.pilotwoodworks.com

IMO Allison’s is a segmented alligator and Bob has a segmented turning. Both pieces are made from segments and are therefore segmented. One segmented piece of art work joined and another turned are not mutually exclusive. Both are fine examples of segmented art. I have done a small bit of segmented turnings and in the circles I run in when I call something a segmented turning, we all know what it is.

Hope this helps.

I also agree with the T pilot, in that the alligator is not Intarsia. I know that I am not an expert on any of it, but this is a good place to find one.

-- Mel

I tell ya I am not sure I am glad I asked this or not. LOL!!! Mainly because I have very definitely been using the words intarsia AND segmentation to refer to my wood work on here for years and
A. No one ever mentioned that I was saying it wrong and
B. I have this lingo used on my website!
What’s up with that? LOL! I kind of feel like the “Dumb blonde (in a box)” :)

Seriously tho I decided to google it differently than my previous attempts. I searched “definition of intarsia in woodworking” I got this as a result.

“http://books.google.com/books?id=5xYBcTalTWQC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=Definition+of+Woodworking+intarsia&source=bl&ots=ZxIU6ckfTK&sig=6zkqn3X-AIVNSHQbtfxsTSJfJzg&hl=en&ei=9MYTbWEDoaisQPOlGECQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false”: http://books.google.com/books?id=5xYBcTalTWQC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=Definition+of+Woodworking+intarsia&source=bl&ots=ZxIU6ckfTK&sig=6zkqn3X-AIVNSHQbtfxsTSJfJzg&hl=en&ei=9MY_TbWEDoaisQPOl_GECQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

As you can see if you go to the link above, they do not even mention segmentation. (which I would have thought they would because of what I perceived the similarities to be between intarsia and segmentation)

Sooo then I searched “definition of segmentation in woodworking” and this is what I got!

http://www.google.com/search?q=Definition+of+segmentation+in+woodwrking&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

I just have to let you click this link right above. I could not believe it. Soooo I guess I am back to square one and you will see what I mean if you just click the link above.

Honestly, I thought I was going to die laughing!

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!

This is English language, some words have more than one meaning. Segmentation, in woodturning world, means gluing few pieces together and turn all as one piece to a new shape. SO, Ellison, your gator was not segmentation because you did not turn it, inspite it was made of many segments.
Your gator is in category of intrasia and without gluing the segments together, it is a jigsaw puzzle.
Whatever in the name dose not real matter, the matter is your gator is amazing and will smile for ever.

-- Sam Shakouri / CREATING WONDERS WITH WOOD.....Sydney,Australia....

Well in my view Segmentation is cutting out the whole picture in one piece of timber to make it look like intarsia. But Intarsia is actually made up using several different timbers cut into small parts/pieces to form a whole picture. (thats what one eyed intarsia people say anyway)
In Bobs case it is segmented woodwork- because as it has been said, it is cut up and glued together.

-- Theresa, https://sites.google.com/site/tmj65treasure/

Alison, in my ‘opinion’, segmentation is with multiple pieces of wood glued to represent a ring or platter or a line, regardless of the method of obtaining the result, whether glued individually or cut/glued/cut/glued…

Intarsia (again, just my opinion) is like a jigsaw puzzle(with locking pieces or not) but with rounded faces & edges to obtain depth. :)

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

The correct term is “SEGMENTED WOODTURNING”
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/segmented_turning/index.html
http://www.thesegmentedturner.com/
In 40 years of professional and hobby woodworking this is the first time I heard it referred to as “segmentation”! Hobby forums seem to try to relabel things. One forum a few years ago tried renaming a standard veneering term bookmatching with the term “butterfly”. I think if folks read more text books there would be less confusion over the proper terminology. It’s just makes it easier to talk about things. Personally I thing it’s best to go to other sources than the forum where a definition question comes up.

-- Few folks really know how to maximize the potential of their tools!