Another step down the vortex

[SceneryMaker]

My wife wants a segmented turning (several, actually) in the shape of a vase and I've never done anything like that so I have lots of questions.

1. What software (if any) do you like to help get the shape and the segment lengths right? Woodturner Pro and Segmented Project Planner get mentioned on Google searches but I wonder if a piece of graph paper might work just as well.

2. Once you have segments cut and glued up into a ring, how do you make sure it's flat enough to glue onto the next ring? Several places suggest a thickness sander but I don't have one and can't justify one (at least yet!).

3. Once you get the piece turned, how do you sand it smooth enough to finish and how far do you go in grits? Somehow, I can't see myself sanding to 2000 grit.

Thanks for any advice you may have.

SM

By the way, this will likely be a Spring or even Summer project because I have an Easter play to build first.

[Woodshop]

a pencil and paper works fine. drawing it up full scale works best for me. a dedicated sled for the table saw works best for me, once you get the angle right you won't want to move it. never have I sanded beyond 400 grit.
You can flatten the rings on the lathe with sandpaper stuck on plywood mounted on a faceplate. I now use a drum sander, because I can 

[DFJarvie]

A program would be nice but you can do it with pencil and paper. For a 12 piece ring the angle is 15 degrees. The wider and deeper the piece the wider the ring will be. For a approx 10 inch ring the pieces are 2 1/4 wide by 2 1/2 deep using a 3/4 thick board. You can also cut some blocks to make a ring out of cardboard so you can see what it looks like.

I don't have a drum sander so I use sandpaper glued to a piece of MDF. It's the long way but it works.

There's tons of info on the web to get a lot of ideas.

[Jim Pilsner]

Although pencil and paper is just great for segmenting, I think sometime people just like tinkering around with software. It's very inspirational to see things evolve and be able to make changes.
Check out Lloyd's software here.
http://woodturnerpro.com/software/segmentpro.htm

I'd say I learned everything I know from Denny's videos. I can't say enough good things about them. He has a video for every step of the process, design, making a sled, how to assemble, flatten, open segments, etc.
www.dennyedwards.com/