How to glue a veneer ring?

[Wade Lippman]

I've wanted to make a wood ring for a long time. The first ones were just turned out of wood and broke very quickly. I got some resin impregnated wood and that held up better, but still broke. So I tried a veneer ring.

The videos I watched said to use thin glue to avoid glue pockets. My gloves kept sticking to the veneer and pulling off little blue bits. I don't think not wearing gloves would have been any better; they just would have been little skin bits.

I thought of trying thicker glue, or even epoxy, but of course they wouldn't set instantly and would have made the rolling harder.

Have any of you been successful at this? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Jamie Buxton]

An all-wood ring is going to be pretty fragile. It could not be a ring for everyday wear. Here's an outfit offering parts to help you make a wood-surface ring with metal support. http://www.bangleguy.com/RIng_Supplies.html

[Mike Henderson]

I'd lay up a packet of veneer pieces maybe 12" by 12". Glue two pieces of veneer together. Use whatever press method you want, but a vacuum bag would be good. Then keep building up the layers of veneer, changing the orientation of the wood so it's not just in two dimensions. When you get thick enough, drill out and cut the outside. You could probably find a way to mount the ring in a lathe to trim it to size and to sand and finish it.

You could make a bunch of rings from a 12" by 12" packet.

Mike