Jason, you have certainly piqued our interest with this project. I hope you share progress and solutions as you go!
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I would guess that the fins between each flute add considerable complexity and require even more accuracy in milling and aligning pieces. Getting all of those bits and pieces to line up and stay lined up during glue-up - oh my!
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Imran brought up the issue of accuracy of the bevels. I have never built a staved piece, but the issue of accurate bevels comes up for segmented bowls. The inner and the outer surfaces of a bowl blank are removed as the piece is turned, so the joints must be tight all through the thickness. We resolve this with a wedgie jig that lets us easily cut complementary angles on each end of each segment. The exact angle is not significant as long as mating ends are complementary. I have no idea if that is practical for staves.
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Good luck, and I hope your client appreciates you!
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John Hinman
Boise ID
Kappa 450X and A941
