Any Ring Master users here?

[Perry Holbrook]

I just bought a used Ring Master in an on line auction to play with. Anybody have one that can give me a few pointers to accelerate my learning curve?

Perry

[Betsy Yocum]

Perry - I have the ring master a love it. The lathe scares me to death - just can't get the hang of it. But with the ring master I can make bowls and more to my hearts content. Some folks would scoff at the ring master and say its not true woodworking - but it is really - in my humble opinion. A great website is woodenpost.com - Gary Neely is a good resouce and there is a link on the site for a forum for ring master users.

I've had mine for several years now and have sold many of my creations. Good luck with yours.

Betsy

[Keith Outten]

I'm glad someone finally commented on the Ringmaster. I have considered purchasing one but just haven't had the time for any new tools lately. Betsy, I understand your comment in that the Ringmaster bowls aren't like those made with a lathe but on the other hand it would be almost impossible for a lathe to make bowls like a Ringmaster can. Honestly I had been thinking about making Corian bowls with a Ringmaster.

I hope to hear more from your experience with your Ringmaster Perry when you get the chance.

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.woodenpost.com/products/ring_master.htm was the best I could find. Are there any large pictures or better descriptions elsewhere?? I can't even tell exactly what it is or how it works....

[Dan Stuewe]

I saw one at a woodworking show a few years ago. As I rememeber, you take a flat piece of wood and the "ringmaster" cuts progressivly smaller rings out of it. The sides of the rings are tapered so when you are all done, you stack the rings up to form a bowl. This description is probably of little help. It really is one of those things that you have to see to understand how simple the idea is.

[Dan McLaughlin]

try RingMaster website (http://www.ringmastertool.com/) Free Video and some other interesting things

[Betsy Yocum]

The bowls, vases, pitchers, etc. that you can make on the ring master are nothing short of spectacular. You can go from the very simple cereal bowl to an elaborate elegant vase. One attraction for me is that It's not a lathe and my hands are always behind a guard. Another attraction is I can allow my friends' kids use it (with me watching, of course;) ) and they end up with a very nice project that was simple - yet still takes some skill.

Other good points is that it uses considerably less wood than a lathe bowl.

The machine itself is simply a grinder motor set up with a arbor with a 1/2 bolt on it. You drill and 1/2" hole in the exact center of a board (up to 12"), mount it on the arbor and set the cutter blades at the right angle and start cutting. That's a simple explanation - but I'm no author!

To be very good with this machine you do have to commit yourself to pinpoint accuracy on the angle settings. But you can do it with some effort.

Go to woodenpost.com for all kinds of information. :)

[Perry Holbrook]

Thanks for the input. For the $100 I got it for, I thought it would be interesting to play with. Actually, I have an idea for a product to add to my line that would use the Ring Master to make. I also like the idea of some sort of a segmented piece that uses Corian. I'll keep you posted.

Perry

[Thomas Glenn]

Got one I have had for years is a atchment for my lathe have made a lot of stuf with it . It is fun to work with. Have lot of fun.
Tom

[Bob Hovde]

Perry - I have the ring master a love it. The lathe scares me to death - just can't get the hang of it. But with the ring master I can make bowls and more to my hearts content. Some folks would scoff at the ring master and say its not true woodworking - but it is really - in my humble opinion. A great website is woodenpost.com - Gary Neely is a good resouce and there is a link on the site for a forum for ring master users.

I've had mine for several years now and have sold many of my creations. Good luck with yours.

Betsy

Betsy,

Some people would say a lathe isn't true woodworking, either, because it uses a machine, also. (Bowls can be carved by hand, you know.) The ring master probably makes it easier to make some forms, but so does segmented turing. It's not the tool, but the creating that makes "woodworking". (IMHO)

Bob

[Betsy Yocum]

Betsy,

Some people would say a lathe isn't true woodworking, either, because it uses a machine, also. (Bowls can be carved by hand, you know.) The ring master probably makes it easier to make some forms, but so does segmented turing. It's not the tool, but the creating that makes "woodworking". (IMHO)

Bob
Bob - you are so right - it is the creating - that's a good way to put it. I really enjoy my ringmaster and it makes such nice bowls, and vases - and for me that translates into unique gifts. Which is important to me.

Betsy:)

[George Hubbard]

Perry,

I am a distributor for Ring Master and it is an outstanding machine.

I certainly classify it as woodworking, certainly as much as a lathe.

It is certainly less dangerous, and the result is a function of how much care you take, and your imagination. Your imagination relative to shape, what woods to use, how to prepare blanks, how you orient the segments, and etc.

I sell blanks and have many variations from single boards, to what I refer to as EZ-Sand style, which are fabricated so the sanding is essentially parallel to the grain, not alternating between parallel and cross grain, which is the norm.

If you have any questions, please advise.

George Hubbard

[John Schreiber]

I found a video which does a pretty good job of showing how it works here: http://www.ringmastertool.com/PAGES/MOVIEGATEWAY.HTM

I think there's a bit of puffery in comparing it to a lathe, but it looks like a very legitimate tool which does a nice job on hollow forms of a certain kind.

One question remaining. What do you do about the 1/2" hole which will remain at the bottom of each piece?

[Robert Newton]

I purchased a used Ringmaster a year ago off of Craig's List, Paid only $15. Have been using to make many different kinds and sizes of bowls. Just started entering Artisan shows on the week-end and have done very well selling the product. I also own a regular late that I only use for turning green wood. Ringmaster had a web site put it no longer opens, I plan on checking into that. To get started just get a piece of wood cut to a 12" or less diameter and any thickness up to 1". Drill 1/2" hole in center and mount on spindle. Set angle according to thickness of wood and start cutting rings. Sand edges of rings and start gluing and clamp rings to dry. I prefer to glue first ring to base and let glue set up for short time and then unclamp and scrap glue off from base ( lot easier than sanding later ). Continue gluing rings, I prefer to do one at a time. Mount back on spindle to do finish sanding. Finishing can be done on ringmaster using a friction finish or just apply finish of your choice. Use a 1/2" plug cutter to cut two plugs to fill hole. Wish I had discovered this woodworking machine a long time ago. Hope this gets you started using your Ringmaster.
203730

[Jim Finn]

I once considered buying one but had a friend that loaned me one. I found it to anything but precision. I made a few bowls with it but did not like the fact that I spent much much more time sanding the bowls than I did forming them.. I did not buy the ringmaster after trying it out.

[Scott Kuykendall]

If you get the angle set right you have very little sanding to do. You can make different shapes by stacking the rings from different boards to make vases and pitcher. It works by two cutters one on each side of the board that you dial the cutter 1/2 way through the board with one direction then turn dial the other way and the other cutter cuts from the other side of the board till you cut all the way through. Then you stop the machine remove the ring you just cut, pull a pin out , slide the sled to the next pin hole and keep doing it till your down to the size of the bottom you want. Then you stack and glue them together and by using different types of wood you can make each ring a different color by using light and dark woods. Since you index with the pin in preset holes every ring from every board will be the same size for each diameter you cut so you can mix and match what you want.
I thought I got a deal by only paying $40.00 for mine but Robert got a better deal. I figured for $40.00 the motor was worth that, but after you start playing around you can make some interesting stuff.
Scott

[Scott Kuykendall]

Here is a web page with some pictures of thing you can make.
http://www.ringmastertool.com/PAGES/SCHOOL.HTM
Scott

[dirk martin]

Has anyone tried cutting similar rings, from boards, on their lathe?
Seems like cutting tapered rings on the lathe, would be easy as pie.

[Dan Hintz]

Guys/gals... keep in mind, this thread is 7 years old.

[Scott Kuykendall]

It would be hard to keep the angle and the thickness the same. Also cutting from just one side you would get tear out when you cut all the way through.
Scott

[Jerome Hanby]

Betsy,

Some people would say a lathe isn't true woodworking, either, because it uses a machine, also. (Bowls can be carved by hand, you know.) The ring master probably makes it easier to make some forms, but so does segmented turing. It's not the tool, but the creating that makes "woodworking". (IMHO)

Bob

Lot less "waste" with the ring master. I would think even less waste than a coring gizmo on the lathe...

[Dan Hintz]

Lot less "waste" with the ring master. I would think even less waste than a coring gizmo on the lathe...
That would be my guess, too... once you get the trick down, I'd bet this would be very worthwhile for expensive burls where every cubic inch in the trash is serious money wasted.

[Steve Mathews]

Resurrecting a 10 year plus thread ... I just picked up a Ring Master Model 623. After watching a few videos on its use it seems like an interesting machine. I look forward to trying my hand with it. Any updated users?

[Christopher Herzog]

I have one and the key is the angles. The better they are, the less sanding.

[Paul Koenigs]

http://www.woodenpost.com/products/ring_master.htm was the best I could find. Are there any large pictures or better descriptions elsewhere?? I can't even tell exactly what it is or how it works....

Basically.. you mount a flat board, it spins and the ring master cuts rings out but the cut is slanted. When you have it dialed in, you can stack the rings together and there's very little sanding needed to bring the inside and outside edges to be true.
Picture a bunch of trapazoids stacked on top of each other.

I have one, have not had a chance to use it yet.

[Rick Potter]

I recently sold one, new in the box. It was a special one made to fit a Shop Smith, and needed no additional motor. I inherited it from my dad 16 years ago, and never got around to using it, so I let it go to someone more ambitious.

Don't remember what I sold it for, but I let it go pretty cheap to a good home.