Here’s a tall / pub-style 4’x4’ dining table, constructed using cypress timbers I had laying around, as well as some barnwood boards and thick cherry boards given to me by my uncle. I didn’t really have a plan for this… I just kinda started cutting. The bracing could’ve been a bit more elegant if I had planned it out better, but I’m pretty happy with it overall.

It’s HEAVY. Took a bit of work getting it through our front door, but worth the effort. ;)

Now I have to build some chairs.

Hey guys! It has been a while since I’ve posted any projects, so I figured I’d share something. :)

This is a size 7 Walnut ring. It’s quite different from our other rings in that it features an asymmetric design. The base is our standard bentwood construction with solid pieces joined and “blended” into the ring.

I’m hoping to try more in this style, using other wood types.

Thanks for looking!

This was not a commissioned ring, but one I decided to try for fun.

The base of the ring is rosewood, with a channel cut out in the center for the inlay.

Each of the three maple strands were carefully cut to around .5mm and soaked in water before braiding.

I learned a couple things in doing this, and I believe the next one should turn out better (ie. tighter braids)

Finishing is more difficult in this scenario than it is with a smooth-surfaced wooden ring. I’m considering using a thicker viscosity CA or epoxy to totally fill the channel (would have to drop the braids a bit lower into the ring) to get a smooth finish, and offer better protection of the braids.

I’m also experimenting with other woods for the braids, and plan to mix some for color variation in the strands.

Here are some recent rings, done in the bentwood style.

1: Ziricote ring (wide) with thin offset crushed turquoise inlay
2: Osage Orange
3: Maple with wide centered Ziricote inlay
4: Beech
5: Ziricote with Grey Maple lining
6: Lignum Vitae with Bethlehem Olive lining (matte finish)

These wooden wedding rings were made from a Mountain Ash tree limb, which was sent to us by a very nice Montana couple.

Contrast was achieved by using the Ash heartwood for the base and the lighter sapwood for the lining and inlay.

We received the following from the customer:

”It’s a mountain ash tree that has been in his yard his entire life and is incredibly large and healthy—it has always been a significant tree to us and the family. It’s so meaningful for us to have a connection to the actual place that we love the most through the rings that represent our love for one another. The rings will mean a lot to us, always, not only because of the significance of the wood itself, but also because of the care given in making them.”

It’s been a little while since I last posted pictures of wooden rings, so here’s an update.
These are some of the more recent wood combinations I’ve been experimenting with. There are so many possibilities with these things! :)

Hawaiian Koa (shimmer feature) ring with offset Ziricote inlay
Santos Rosewood ring with Offset Turquoise Inlay
Teak ring with Golden Koa lining
Kingwood stack set
Lignum Vitae ring with Walnut lining
Santos Rosewood ring with Golden Koa lining

More wooden ring pictures here.

Here are some pictures of the small, rustic hickory ring boxes I’ve started making.

These were made from hickory that had been sitting up for a few years now, so the pieces are quite dry. I like using hickory for these because it holds the bark extremely well.

The lid swivels to open and can also be completely removed. Magnets hold the parts together and in alignment.

The edges were gently eased with sandpaper. The cut faces were rubbed with a walnut oil.

This little wooden ring box was made from Austrailian T&G Flooring off-cuts. It has a 1/8” wood hinge and magnets to keep it closed.

#1: Santos Rosewood with “X” Maple Inlay (Inlay work done, appropriately, with X-Acto knife :) )

#2: Ancient Kauri (Wood that has been preserved for quite a while in a peat bog on New Zealand’s North Island.)

#3: Pecan

#4: Madrone with Oak Inlay (Wedding Pair)

#5: Wenge (Wedding Pair)

#6: Santos Rosewood with Golden Koa Lining

This is a Teak and Bird’s Eye Maple ring I made for my wife. It is around 6mm in width.
Finish is CA with buffed topcoat of LandArk wax.

Here are some more bentwood rings I made recently, featuring inlays.

The first is Walnut with crushed turquoise, the second and third are Maple-lined Walnut with Maple inlay.

Here’s an assortment of bentwood rings I’ve made recently.

- Walnut lined with birch
- Mahogany
- Red Oak
- Bubinga
- Rosewood
- Tropical Olivewood

These are finished with several coats of Arm-R-Seal and buffed with Black Bison. (Except for the last two, which have a natural oil finish applied.)

Well, I decided to upload something a little different than the wooden rings I’ve been posting. :)

Here’s a rustic stool I made several months back from storm-damaged oak. It was given to one of my uncles as a gift.

The joinery is very simple: Mortises were drilled with a forstner bit, and tenons were cut with the Log Man Tenon Maker.

(The pictures aren’t the best – sorry about that!)

This is a wearable wooden ring made from a solid piece of Leadwood lined with Oak.

The tricky thing with these rings is getting them the right size. My method is to wrap the thin strip of lining around a stepped ring mandrel and measure that diameter with calipers. I then bore out (using the nearest-sized forstner bit) and sand the middle of the outer piece of wood until it is the correct diameter – again, checking with the calipers.

This is a wearable wooden ring made in the “bentwood” fashion.

No powertools are required in the process. It involves carefully bending strips of wood into a sharp circle.

The resulting ring is very durable – even moreso than the layered / cut-out rings.

The inside layer or lining is made of Birch and the outside is Rosewood.

It was sanded with 320, 400, 800, 1000, and finally 1500 grit sandpaper to achieve a natural lustre. It was finished with Land Ark penetrating oil.

This ring is made from a drilled and shaped piece of bamboo, and lined on the inside with birch. The birch is for looks and comfort, but primarily to lend greater structural durability to the ring.

The bamboo came from an inexpensive napkin holder purchased from Wal-Mart, specifically to be taken apart and used for this purpose. :)

This wooden ring is made up of Bolivian Rosewood, Birch, and Walnut layers.

The wood was joined with the grain running perpindicular between layers. The ring was cut out, hand-shaped (no lathe involved), and sanded using increasingly finer grits of sandpaper until smooth to the touch.

Here’s another wearable wooden ring. This one is made up of Narra, Birch, and Walnut layers.

The wood was joined with the grain running perpindicular between layers. The ring was cut out, hand-shaped (no lathe involved), and sanded using increasingly finer grits of sandpaper until smooth to the touch.

Each ring goes through a grain raising process which involves spraying with water, sanding, spraying, sanding with 400 grit paper until the grain no longer raises when exposed to water. This ensures the wood stays smooth when exposed to water later. Especially important in natural oil finishes. (This one was finished with Land Ark penetrating oil.)

Here’s another wearable wooden ring. This one is made up of layers of Walnut, Birch, and Padauk.

The wood was joined with the grain running perpindicular between layers. The ring was cut out, hand-shaped (no lathe involved), and sanded using increasingly finer grits of sandpaper until smooth to the touch.

Waterlox finish.

This wooden ring began with a thin strips of oak that was steamed and bent into a circle, so that the grain runs around the circumference of the ring. The piece was glued with a waterproof poly adhesive, and the stip ends were fine sanded, to conceal the seam as much as possible.

The result was a thin, lightweight, yet surprisingly strong ring.

Although plain-looking, these bentwood rings are harder to make than the built-up / layered ones.

Also, this process involves no power tools.