RingMaster: Any Ideas how to make something similar?

I recently got a video demo that shows a tool called The RingMaster. Their site: http://www.ringmastertool.com
Basically it's an attachment for your existing lathe, or you can buy it as a tool including the motor if you do not have a lathe already.

It allows you to cut rings from flat stock, which you then stack and glue to form bowls and vases.
The advantage of this is much less material cost/waste to make a bowl, plus it allows some creativity in assembling the rings - using different color woods produces interesting patterns on the sides of the bowls.

So I was thinking, how hard would it be to make something that would do the same job on the shopbot? Is the key to aligning and stacking these rings of wood, just the fact that they are cut on an angle?

If so, would it be possible to mount the router on an angle rather than 90 degrees to the table?
Then it's a matter of spinning the flat stock beneath the angled bit.

Alternatively, what about leaving the router as-is and making an angled turntable which the flat stock could mount onto?

This would produce the same result as tilting the router. To cut rings you would need to slowly lower the Z axis each time the angled turntable makes a complete revolution.

Or maybe this is too much fussing around...

"Alternatively, what about leaving the router as-is and making an angled turntable which the flat stock could mount onto?"

This would be the method I would try. I see a couple of problems. The first is one would need a small diameter bit long enough to go though the material, small enough to not waste material and stiff enough to not deflect - a tall order.

NOW - if one cared to do this 'on the cheap' they could get a "Tapered end mill" aka "Carving bit" and cut circles flipping the material top to bottom between cuts. Of course one would have to be smart enough to properly index and hold down the part and also figure the cuts.

The parts to do one "Bowl" would come from more than one piece of wood. BUT, it would be more economical than large blanks.

Ron

Mayo I have one of the Ring masters its fun but no rocket science. the proublem with using the bot in the manner you write about is just as Ron states why not just cut circles offset inside each other with a straight bit then glue them up and use an angle table on your sander (hopefully an edge sander) to sand down the steps into one smooth line David in Wyoming

Maybe I'll forget about the angled cut, and just cut the rings flat using a regular bit. Then glue them up and THEN put the thing on the lathe in order to remove the stepped look.

I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm willing to experiment.

Mayo,

There's another approach. Look for the Kel McNaughton System on woodcraft.com. You can minimize waste if you want to cut multiple bowls of descending diameter.

Mayo, if I didn't like my ring master so much I would sell it to you. if you want to get into that type of thing then spend the money for one for your lathe they are well worth the money. Dave In Wyoming