Wooden Ring

About 9 months ago I discovered an inexpensive, fun and easy hobby and want to share my craft with the good people of Instructables.com.

Things you'll need:

1. Sandpaper: One sheet of 150, 220 and 400 grit

2. Dremel - with sanding drum 60 and 220 grit

3. Polyurethane and foam brush

4. Miter saw

5. Wood glue

6. Clamps or vise

7. Two 2x4s or 2x6s in one foot length

8. If you have a belt sander you've got a bonus tool!

Step 1: Pick Out Your Wood Types

I buy my wood blocks at a wood craft shop here in town. I've also used small rounds about 4-6 inches in diameter. The wood in this instructable is zebra (outside layers) and Brazilian cherry (middle layer).

Step 2: Cut Thin Slices

Once you have your wood type, cut thin slices out of it. Even if you are making a ring with only one type of wood, gluing at least 2 pieces will strengthen the ring a great deal. I normally do 3 layered rings.

Step 3: Gluing Your Layers

Arrange your layers how you want them and use wood glue between each layer. I use the Titebond III. Then place the glued layers between a couple boards and use clamps or a vise to make sure you've got an even compression along the entire glued pieces. This is important because you don't want to waste any wood, I can get 2-3 rings out of these pieces. I put paper towels between the glued wood and the boards so they never stick together.

Let this sit for at least 24 hours.

Step 4: Cutting a Rough Ring From the Glued Wood

First clamp the glued pieces down to a small board. Using either a 1 1/4 to a 1 1/12 inch hole saw, make a shallow cut as pictured, but don't go too far. Now using a 5/8 bit (as pictured) drill all the way through the layers down the middle of the pilot hole. Then using your hole saw again, finish cutting through all the layers creating a ring.

Step 5: Sand Your Ring Down to Desired Width

Using a belt sander (if you have one) or just sandpaper, sand your ring to the width you want it, turning it over every so often.

Step 6: Creating the Ring Size

Place a dremel in your vice like in the picture, then in a circular motion, sand it down to the size you need (leaving it a little tight because you'll be sanding it more later).

Use 60 grit sanding drum for this.

Step 7: Sanding the Face

Now use the same 60 grit drum and sand down the face until it looks like the second picture. Now change the sanding drum to the 220 and thin it out just a little more, removing the rough sanding marks. Do the same on the inside.

Step 8: Hand Sanding

Now using 220 grit sandpaper, start sanding your ring. Get any thick spots sanded down and get the ring smooth and edges slightly rounded. Do this inside and out. Then use 400 grit to really smooth it out.

Step 9: Protecting Coat

After wiping your ring down to get all the dust off, use a polyurethane and a foam brush to lightly coat the ring, hang on a screw or nail to let dry (30-60 minutes). Do three coats.

You're done! Enjoy your new ring!