Handmade Walnut and Steel Ring
Introduction: Handmade Walnut and Steel Ring
I decided to make this ring when I found some old hardwood scraps in a corner that I may or may not have liberated from the woodshop at my high school. I've tried my hand at creating rings of various sorts, but this has been my favorite because of its elegance and simplicity, as well as its far greater durability than purely wooden rings.
Supplies
Bare minimum:
Any Type of Hardwood
Coarse, Round File
Sheet Metal (18-20 will do)
Sheet Metal Snips
Saw (coping is best, but any will do in a pinch)
Vise/Clamp
Solder/Heat (torch, soldering iron, etc.)
Sandpaper of Increasing Grit (I used 150 to 1500)
Drill
Bits
Optional:
Lacquer/Superglue/Oil (Finish)
Cost: Totally Free!
If your'e like me and hoard small scraps for some unknown future project, you're set for this! If not, you can go to Home Depot and snag a couple of hardwood floor samples, which are a great source of free hardwood and also happen to be a very good thickness for this project. There is no need to buy additional tools for this, since you can make do with practically anything you have.
Step 1: Supplies
Bare minimum:
Any Type of Hardwood
Coarse, Round File
Sheet Metal (18-20 gauge will do)
Sheet Metal Snips
Saw (coping is best, but any will do in a pinch)
Vise/Clamp
Solder/Heat (torch, soldering iron, etc.)
Sandpaper of Increasing Grit (I used 150 to 1500)
Drill
Bits
Optional:
Lacquer/Superglue/Oil (Finish)
Ring Sizers
Ring Sizing Mandrel
Flux (Very helpful)
Jewelry Mallet
Step 2: Rough Cut and Shape Wood
Begin by cutting a circle from your wood of choice (I used walnut). Make this significantly wider than the final ring, since you will lose material as you refine.
Next, widen the hole in the middle to the point that you can get the file in. Begin filing until the hole is wide enough for the finger you will put the ring on, then stop.
The piece of wood I used was far thicker than I wanted the final product to be, so I cut it down to slightly wider than the final width of the ring.
Pro Tip: Wrap a piece of coarse sandpaper around a drill bit. Tape the inside edge lightly to the bit itself, so the paper doesn't slip. You can use this assembly to widen the inside of the ring faster and more accurately than with a file. Of course, if you have the correct size drillbit, this isn't necessary.
Step 3: Cut and Shape Metal Lining
Cut a strip of your sheet metal a little wider than your ring and just long enough to perfectly fit your finger when bent into a perfect cylinder. 582
If you know your ring size, then you can use the attached chart to find the approximate length of your metal strip.
Form the strip into a perfectly circular shape the exact size you want the final lining to be, but DO NOT SOLDER yet. bend the edges of the strip in so that the metal forms a D shape, so that the raw edges are aligned on the same plane. Apply flux and solder edges.
If you have a ring sizing mandrel, put the soldered loop on and hammer to a circular shape. I did not use a ring sizer for this project, instead I clamped a small piece of round stock that fit just inside the ring and hammered the loop round. Ideally you should use a small rubber mallet for this step, so you don't put dents in the finished shape.If you don't have anything like this, then you can place several layers of tape over the head of a claw hammer or a ball-peen hammer, which will achieve essentially the same effect. Your solder may split during this step, if it does, bend the ring back into the D shape and resolder. The purpose of this it to join the two ends snugly to each other, which makes a stronger solder join. Basically, the ends should meet each other like this || and not like this \ /. The first is stronger because the solder joins the ends, but in the second you are relying on solder to fill the gap between the ends, and solder is much weaker than the steel itself.
Step 4: Fit Metal Lining to Wood
Take your nicely rounded metal strip, and begin VERY CAREFULLY sanding the inside of the wooden section to fit snugly around the metal ring. 981