# Turning rings?



## mijunkin (Jan 22, 2012)

I read a little about turning rings. As in, ones you wear on your finger. Anyone do this? Any tricks to it? I figure round out the piece, put a tenon on it, stick it in my nova, drill it out and make a bead on the outside to the desired thickness and part it off?

Am I way off base? Just need to find my lady's ring size as it relates to forstner bits...


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

I've made a couple rings but mostly use the lathe for clean up, sanding and finish. 

When drilled from a single piece of wood you will get short grain on two sides making the ring more brittle. I laminate at least two mostly three thin pieces together, and oppose their grain, drill them out on the DP. Hole saw half way through, then forstner all the way through on the inside, hole saw all the way through to finish. I then sand the inside to fit and size. 

I made a make shift poor example of a mandrel for the lathe tapered somewhat like a ring sizer. (I need to make a new one since I did that before I had a lathe at all, used it for the DP). I push the ring on the mandrel and finish with chisel and sanding.

I finished with CA. I tried carnuba wax but it wore off to quickly. The problem I have had is finishing the inside. I saw somewhere how a guy made a hole in a piece of wood attached to a face plate or chuck, pushed the ring in and then finished the inside. I haven't tried it yet, since mine are different sizes, plus I don't have a face plate or chuck yet. 

Hope that helps, my wife loved hers. All my buddies who have come over to make one for their ladies have met with rave reviews as well. I threw together a simple wooden gift box to class it up a little more. My wife almost likes it as much as the ring. Simple top slides off or spins on rare earth magnets. Good luck.


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## mijunkin (Jan 22, 2012)

I don't have a drill press, so I was hoping to do it all on the lathe. I also have small pieces of gabon ebony, that she is excited to wear as a ring. Perhaps the grain won't matter so much with the ebony? I've only used it for a few bottlestoppers thus far.


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

I couldn't tell you anything about ebony, I've never worked with it. I know it's hard though, and I bet it would polish up and look amazing. 

You can do it without a drill press. The key is to make sure you have a pilot or guide hole of sorts for the hole saw and drill bit. I made a simple jig to hold the squares I laminated that has a bottom to hold the guide bit of the hole saw once the middle is drilled out. 

If someone else can tell you if the ebony will be good to go then I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. You could always laminate a couple pieces together with the grains crossing get your strength and chuck it up right? 

I saw someone that laminated pink ivory and ebony and they looked very nice together. 

Good luck, post some pics when you get it working.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

I made a few last year just for kicks. I actually wear one quite a bit. I started like you said, with a chucked up piece, drilled a hole 1/2" deep x whatever and basically hollowed it to size. Then turned the outside profile and parted it off. I cleaned up the other side and sanded the inside by mounting the ring in the chuck on the very edge of the jaws wrapped in something to protect it from marring (a jamb chuck would be safer). I found it best to make it slightly too small and sand to the perfect fit. I made a mandrel like Mose said to sand and finish the outside. 
Mine are not laminated and have held up fine but they are much thicker that you would probably make for a woman. My wife has this crazy idea they rings are supposed to be metal so I haven't made her one but she does wear a couple of bangles she requested.


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

I wear mine as my wedding ring everyday. My wife wears hers very often, and I've seen my buddy's wife wearing hers very often as well. 

I cracked mine doing everything you're not supposed to do with a wood ring. Small crack, I glued it and still wear the ring. I have been wearing a wood wedding band exclusively for over a year now. I wanted to see what it would take if I was giving or trading them with people.

I traded a guy about a year ago or more for grain (homebrewing) and I know he wears his everyday. I finished his with Gorilla Super Glue before I had a lathe or knew what CA was. It seems to be holding up very well.


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## mijunkin (Jan 22, 2012)

Wedding rings are actually the ultimate goal. Glad to see someone has tested the idea for me!


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

Here is a video by Bob Hamilton (bobham5). Should work about the same except the homemade jig would be smaller.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

Here is a video by Bob Hamilton (bobham5). Should work about the same except the homemade jig would be smaller.


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

I had done a test ring out of birch finished with epoxy and had one of my kids wear it. It seemed to be holding up good for a couple of weeks but the youngest kid lost it the other day. 4 tries with purple heart 2 nights ago. They all crushed real easy. I made them on the lathe. Easy enough just got to get the grain and wood type down.


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

Here is a picture of an early set I did before I had a lathe. The larger was finished in the Gorilla Superglue, and the smaller with a carnuba wax. Every time I see the owner at his store he is wearing it. They are padauk and maple, laminated with tightbond II. 

I really like that jig. I wonder if something like that could be made, put the ring inside the outer edge, cinch down the from the outside and then I could finish the inside of the ring. I really like that for the outside as well, I wonder how far it could move in or out depending on the rings inner diameter for different sizes. Of course it looks simple enough make a few of different sizes.


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

Those are really nice. Sounds like rotation of the grain is the key


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