# Making Wooden Rings



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

*The Basics, with solid rings.*

OK, 
This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
but right now here is what i do, this is fairly comprehensive tutorial for a beginner (and by a beginner!) .
its mostly self-explanatory by the pics, but i went and explained anyway..

i begin by sizing a blank about 1/2" thick x 1-1/2 wide, and long enough to cut off several squares 









cut them off on my band saw (God i love my bandsaw!, Minimax MM16,bought used for a Song!)
the cut's very rough as my carbide blade needs sharpening after re-sawing tons of dry logs and green wood ..









Mark the center of 1 square with a center marker









or a combination square,ruler, etc…just get close. you only need to mark one since they're all identical.









next figure out what size ring you're making,and get drill bit close to it,
these are wood so a size bigger/looser-fit is probably best.. i got this cheapo ring-mandrel and size-rings on Ebay…i recommend you NOT get this $5 plastic set, go for the nice solid STEPPED size METAL version, it's around $20 with nicer metal rings.i will be buying that next!.









ok, here's a shoddy 2-minute drill-press "jig". 2 scraps carpet taped to a 2×4 clamped to the DP table. recommend you spend an extra 3 minutes and make it a little sturdier/re-usable..tomorrow i'll make something nicer and screw the faces to a block.just make them 90° to each other.









center it under your blanks as best you can.
and drill out your holes..i just snug them up into the corner and
held them down by hand.no problems.









Oila! 









i made this little mandrel out of pecan, #2-Morse taper for my arbor(i just measured one and got close) 
and a ring taper on the other…i need to make a new/better one, this was too small for larger rings and too steep/sharp a taper which leaves the outer/right edge unsupported..that said i've still made 20 or so rings on it. i'll duplicate a stepped ring-sizer mandrel on the next one…maybe cut 2 thin saw-kerfs down the middle,to fit small wedges in the end to snug up more evenly (as is, the ring edge on tail-stock side is not touching)
Anyway..just slip the blank on there and snug it up,you can use a 2nd blank to push it on tight while the lathe's running,also helps true it straight… another option is to knock off the corners first on a scroll-saw or belt sander.
i use a tiny spindle gauge and hold the ring there with my finger applying side pressure to keep it on the mandrel,,wetting the mandrel a bit helps too,hit it with course sandpaper if it gets too slick/burnished









once i turn it down to size. i sand with abranet and abralon pads.
some shaping with the 180-grit, then 400 (yep i can skip up that high it seems with these) 
then abralon # 500 ,1000,2000,4000…this is the finish ….with no finish….









here it is after hitting with deft wood-finish to fill the grain,then EEE tripoli friction wax.









and the final piece  ...pardon the little cloth fuzzies.
i wipe the inside with a little mineral oil or more deft wood finish etc…
CA glue also makes a great finish, just takes more care and i cant apply it on my wood mandrel…maybe if i made it out of UHMW PE.hmmmmm









Hope you enjoyed, next installment i'll show what i did for the layered rings i started making *yesterday* ,(since I'm now an authority on rings LOL) the only difference being the glue-up really…


----------



## toyguy (Nov 23, 2007)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


I like the way you think….. I have been toying with making some rings, but had some qualms about how to go at it…..... Enter your mandrel. Great idea, simple and that's the way I like things…. So even an idiot like me can't screw it up.
Thanks for the ideas…... Now if I can get up some energy to hit the shop.. LOL

Thanks.


----------



## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


Nice blog Matthew.
I think the mandrel is a super idea.
The ring finished up very well.
I have to get some EEE.
Thanks,

Lisa


----------



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


thank you both' 
i'd seen other tutorials where guys were making individual jam-chucks and parting off rings from larger blocks etc. seemed like more work than necessary. this way works good and fast! done in 5 minutes for a simple ring.

here is a Similar thing to what i was talking about with the split-mandrel idea, i'd just make it out of wood i think.
though buying a metal one i dont have to worry about carving into the wood,its likely just dull the gouge if anything i think. ah hell, it's $12 total, i'm buying it  

















here is EXACTLY what i was talking about, only morse taper the bottom and size teh split-taper appropriately !


----------



## vcooney (Jan 4, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


Who sells those metal mandrels?


----------



## KMJohnsonow (Feb 16, 2010)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


Nice work.


----------



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


i found the mandrels on ebay


----------



## jm82435 (Feb 26, 2008)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


It looks like you have this down. You should be aware that mandrel is for stretching (resizing) metal rings… Might be more that a wooden ring can handle. I like your tapered mandrel method you are using now, I think a mandrel with a more gentle taper, (as you said) might just be the best solution. 
I think I would knock the corners down a little at the belt sander before turning them on the lathe too… (if you are having trouble with splitting / gripping them as you rough them out on the lathe.)


----------



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


thanks Jm, 
i receibved the metal ring-stretcher a few days ago, been playing with it.. 
it works nice for certain sizes, and no danger of breaking as i just push it in by hand. 
the only way i found to mount it though so far was in a 3-jaw mini-chuck, not the best solution,theres some run-out visible. well i guess i'll find a use for it for something.

the wooden one's still working great. found i could put a little cloth tape around ot to get better grip. maybe adhesive backed sandpaper if needbe.

last night i made a big-brother to the ring mandrel, one for making Bangles! i did not go the morse taper route as its too big/heavy i think. i chucked it in a 4jaw-chuck and also use the tailstock to keep it running true..works noice as i can still crank back on the tail to get it off and flip it around .


----------



## rhybeka (Nov 8, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


awesome! thanks for the posting Matt! I've been wondering how it was done…just another reason to put in my 'why I need to get a lathe' list.  think I'll wait until I grow my skills a bit more with the other tools first tho  Nice work!


----------



## danokaiser (Jun 23, 2011)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


just read the tutorial, love it. i am wondering if you have measured drawing of your mandrel?


----------



## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


very nice work.


----------



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

Tribalwind said:


> *The Basics, with solid rings.*
> 
> OK,
> This is by no means an expert guide to making rings, as I'm only in week-1 of making them ! .
> ...


thanks´these are fun and quick
done all kinds of variations on this since last year.

danokaiser, nah no drawings,not even necessary really. just turn the 1 end to a MT2 or 1, and the other to be smaller than smallst ring and bigger than biggest. oh i´ve also made newer ones longer,maybe 6 inches or so..if u go too long u need to use teh tailstock to keep it true i found,which is extra time when youre making lots of them,otherwise its inconsequential 
goodluck! down in bolivia now for a few months, amazing artisans here!


----------

