Making wooden rings?

[Nicholas Briggs]

I would like to start making wooden rings. Does anyone know of a chuck or mandrel small enough to do this?

[George Tokarev]

Generally done homebrew. Look on the web for turning of napkin rings. All techniques, save smaller, are effective with wearable rings.

NB: soak the daylights out of any cross-grain pieces to give them some extra strength along the grain. Good place to practice your CA finishes.

[Phillip H Smith]

Nicholas...

While I've been waiting for some lathe accessories to arrive, I've been doing a lot of Web surfing on turning topics and things.

Here's a link I found that might fit your needs:
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_content/Turning_Bracelets.pdf

I'm going to try this as soon as my capabilities will permit.

[Patrick Taylor]

Nicholas...

While I've been waiting for some lathe accessories to arrive, I've been doing a lot of Web surfing on turning topics and things.

Here's a link I found that might fit your needs:
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_content/Turning_Bracelets.pdf

I'm going to try this as soon as my capabilities will permit.


What a great article! I love those step-by-step photos. Thanks Phillip!

Anyone know the preferred grain orientation for these rings & bracelets?

[Pete Jordan]

This doesn't tell how but show some great rings:
http://www.touchwoodrings.com/decisions.html

[Bob Opsitos]

This doesn't tell how but show some great rings:
http://www.touchwoodrings.com/decisions.html
Holy christmas did you see the prices? I suppose I'm only shocked because I know what goes into making one and could make them myself...but $260-280 for a single species wood ring, with no inlay or anything. Wonder how many they sell? I'd feel guilt selling them at $50 per.

bob

[Frank Kobilsek]

Bob,

You beat me to it. But on the other hand does the ortho-surgeon feel guilty about rebuilding my knee in 15 minutes and charging me $10,000? No. Never feel guilty about price just stick to it and do good work.

These folks are selling more than just the ring. They got the whole save the planet/simple life thing as part of their marketing plan. IT may be very true but I bet it also sells for them. When I am selling my wares I deparetely avoid mentioning my Catholic - Republican - Engineer - Corporate Mucky Wuk background it degrades my profile as an 'artist'. People love a story to support thier purchase.

Frank

[Bob Opsitos]

Frank you are correct. I suppose I should have said I would feel guilty asking for $50 per, not getting it. If I were getting it and then some, not guilt then. If people value something and are willing to pay, I'd happliy take their money all day. :D I think I might see about making some rings when I get home...heh heh. ;)

Bob

[Jerry Strojny]

My buddy just asked me if I could make a wedding band for him. I've barely learned how to turn the lathe on. But I said yes anyway. What did I get into? What is the proper way for the grain to be oriented? I assume same as the shape. Like, would the center of the tree be the best, the rings of the tree would be following the ring.

[Shane Whitlock]

What a great idea ... I lost my wedding ring about a year ago and after reading your post I had to make one. Very easy to make, took about 15 minutes start to finish.

I drilled a hole in the wood just a little smaller than the size I wanted and used a spindle sander to smooth the inside and make it big enough to fit my finger. (If ya dont have a spindle sander you could turn a dowel and wrap sandpaper around it.)

I then turned a dowel with a taper on it so the wood would slide over it and gave it a good push so it fit tight. Then I just turned it till I had the shape I wanted and sanded and finished. I did one edge, turned it around on the dowel and did the other.

Good luck,
Shane Whitlock

[Bob Opsitos]

You could probably make a split cylinder wedge chuck (not sure if that's it's official name) as well. Do the same as shane has done except split the cylinder with a saw kerf. Slip the ring onto the cyslinder and drive a small wedge into the saw kerf spreading the cylinder and holding the ring.

I'm going to have to give this wooden ring thing a try.

Bob

[Ben Werner]

I then turned a dowel with a taper on it so the wood would slide over it and gave it a good push so it fit tight. Then I just turned it till I had the shape I wanted and sanded and finished. I did one edge, turned it around on the dowel and did the other.


Thats exactly the same way I do it for the most part anyway... However if you turn the ring to its almost the thickness that you want, when you shove it on the dowel it is liable to break. I have done that MULTIPLE times.

ok so now i'll explain what I do:

I take tenons from other turned projects such as boxes or other things and stick it in the chuck. I generally just use a fingernail gouge to make a hole in the center all the way through. Because it is just at the end of the chuck there is little danger in going so far to hit the back side of the jaws. anyway then I use some sort of scraper that i'm still trying to make to square up the inside. at this point when there is still a lot of wood around the to be ring as support. at this point I jamb it on a dowel. now it wont break because there is an inch or so of wood from the hole. now i shape it, reverse, and finish. i've been trying to reinforce the rings with CA glue becuase i am often breaking mine...

anyway thats how I do it... I'll try and take and post pics the next time i make a ring which should be some time soon. that should clarify any misunderstandings due to my horrible writing skills...
Ben

[Marc Martindale]

This is a great thread. I like to try something a little different and will be making a ring and bracelet set for my wife this weekend.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Thanks guys, It just dawned on me Rings for Mother's Day. Tonight I make rings!

Frank

[Patrick Taylor]

Nicholas...

While I've been waiting for some lathe accessories to arrive, I've been doing a lot of Web surfing on turning topics and things.

Here's a link I found that might fit your needs:
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_content/Turning_Bracelets.pdf

I'm going to try this as soon as my capabilities will permit.

I tried a wide bracelet with slight curves inside and out last night with this method using a scrap of maple and man was it EASY! I plan on doing more of these for sure. Sorry, forgot to snap a picture (I know.. didn't happen without a photo...) before work but I'll post one later. It took about 20 minutes, including sanding.

[Brian Myers]

For those into making wooden jewelry, heres a link for bracelets - similar technique.
http://www.turnwood.net/projects/turning_wooden_bracelets.htm

[Shane Whitlock]

Thanks guys, It just dawned on me Rings for Mother's Day. Tonight I make rings!

Frank
Yupp .... Looks like mom and LOML are getting a wood bowl, wood ring and wood braclett for moms day ... lol ... Great idea :D

[Frank Kobilsek]

Shane,
Save something for thier birthdays, Christmas, Valentines Day etc etc. One at a time, its more special that way ...

Have a good weekend.

Frank

[Charley Preston]

Wanted to bring this TTT. I just had a request to do some of these as well and was also curious as to the best grain orientation and type of wood.

Here are a couple links from some commercial sites with design ideas.

http://www.touchwoodrings.com/gallery.html

http://woodenringsandthings.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21

[Mike Minto]

I've made a few, from Paduak and Ebony and Rosewood. I just drill an appropriately sized hole in a board, cut a small amount of wood around it, and put it on the horizontal belt sander, then polish. Viola (or cello, whatever) you have a ring! Mike

[Clara Koss]

i can' wait for all of you to post pics of your jewels!!!! i hope you snap pics on your fingers and wrists so we see how they really look on... love this thread...

[Charley Preston]

Still looking to tackle this - but I'm really worried about grain orientation. I would think the only want to really make a strong ring is to take thing strips/veneer, and steam bend it like a shaker box, possibly two or three revolutions. Just making a ring from a solid block would leave either two or "many" weak areas depending on using face or end grain.

[Scott Lux]

In order to prevent the ring breaking along the grain, glue up two pieces of wood with the grain offset 90 degrees.

I made a couple of rings gluing up pear-walnut-pear. They looked good (could have been great if I'd known then what I know now) and the crossed grain gave it excellent break resistance.

Sorry about cruddy pic.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great idea's and the LOML saw these so guess I had better get in gear as she wants one.

[Joe Pfeifer]

There is an article on woodturning online that gives complete instructions on how to turn rings. That design uses thin veneer that is glued into a recess in the ring that strengthens the grain.

[Richard Madison]

For better strength try laminating several layers of veneer with various grain directions/orientations. For example three layers with grain directions of 0, 45, and 90 degrees. I did some very thin napkin rings in similar fashion about 20 years ago and the ones that I know about are still in use. Used a combination of the ideas already mentioned. Turned a mandrel slightly undersize, made perpendicular saw cuts into the end of it, and used a small wood screw to expand the mandrel to hold each napkin ring.