star ring

This is the project that I wanted to enter into the winter contest 2010.

In my last ring post I said the next ring would be “different”, well this is what I came up with.

I made the ring taper back for comfort and to see if I could make a tapered ring.
The front is 18mm wide and the back is 11mm.

It took a while to decide what wood to use around the star so it would pop out and not blend in with the rest
of the ring.

The woods are walnut, maple and cedar.

On other posts I’ve seen people ask how do make these. I know its been said before too but I’ll state it here also.

HOW I MAKE THEM WITHOUT A LATHE…
This is a drilled ring.
To make it I first laminated the woods together with the grain running perpendicular to the next piece, for strength.
I found the center of the piece and drew a circle to show where I was going to drill.
Using the circle I drew for reference, I cut out a sorta dado on the bandsaw for the star section which I had made previously, then glued it in.
Drilled the center with a forstner bit, then used a dremel sanding drum bit to finish the sizing of the inside.
I shaped the outside by hand on a standing sander, you just have to make sure to keep a good grip on the ring and keep it moving, and try not to sand you fingers (I haven’t and I’ve made at least 20 rings).
Finish sanding by hand then finish however you like.

For the super thin layers I use scraps of veneer, good reason not to throw them out.

-- Prill369