15 Huge Tips on How to Make a DIY Wood Ring

This is 15 Huge Tips on How to Make a DIY Wood Ring. Wooden rings are a fun project to make, and you would be surprised with the number of easy ways you can make them. Stick around for these 15 tips, and you will be able to make an excellent ring. Enjoy.

Making DIY Rings from Wood

There are a lot of creative people that have solved the problem of making a wood ring for themselves. This means there are several methods that work really well, and they can help you make your first several rings.

There are methods that require very few tools, and there are also ways to use nicer tools and power tools to do the same job. Either way you go, you can make a ring that you are proud of simply by following in their footsteps.

The following tips will help you make some good decisions in the beginning. They will set you up for success, and give you the best chance of making a ring. Read through them, and put the ideas into practice when you make your own ring.

Then, enjoy your brand new hobby. Ring making is a lot of fun. It’s very easy once you know the tricks, and you can make wonderful pieces of jewelry for yourself and for gifts. Let’s start with the list, and then I’ll go deeper into each of the topics.

Here is the list of 15 tips:

• See What Tools You Have
• What Materials You Have
• Find a Comfortable Working Area
• Do You Know a Woodworker
• Do You Make Things With Your Hands
• Decide on a Budget for the Project
• Have Patience as You Work
• Buy a Good Book on Ring Making
• Look Online for Instruction
• Find a Good Retail Store for Materials
• Find an Online Store for Bigger Selection
• Get the Finger Opening Right
• You Can Make a Ring With Very Few Tools
• Make Rings Faster With Power Tools
• Learn to Finish Early in the Project

See Also: Essential Wooden Ring Making Tools List

See What Tools You Have

The best initial strategy for making a DIY wood ring, is to see what tools you already have.

If you can use things that you have in your house or your shop already, you can save money on this fun woodworking project.

Also, because wooden rings don’t really take very many tools to make, you may be surprised to find out that you already have all the tools you need. If you have been doing woodworking for a while, odds are you already have everything you need.

Even if you don’t, knowing what you already have will help you make better purchases. You will only get the tools that you need, and avoid unnecessary costs. This means you can buy better materials, and make better rings from the savings.

Tools to look For:

• A drill to make the finger openings.
• Clamps and glue to make blanks.
• A saw to trim the excess off the blank.
• Sandpaper and Files to shape your ring.

See Also: How to Make a Wooden Ring With a Metal Band

What Materials You Already Have

The next thing to do is see what materials you have on hand. If you are brand new to woodworking, then arts are you don’t have any. That’s fine.

Wooden rings are very small, and the material cost is also very low.

When you compare the project to something that’s very cost intensive like kitchen cabinets, a musical instrument, or a piece of furniture, it’s almost free to make a wooden ring in comparison.

However, if you have been woodworking for a while and you do have some materials, now is the time to look through what you have. Choose species you already have, and the cost is nothing. Look for something beautiful, exotic, or that has a unique story.

The better the piece of wood the better the ring. It’s much better for you to use a piece of wood that makes you excited, because resulting ring will also make you happy. That’s a double win, and good for you and their potential customers in the future.

See Also: How to Stop Blowout When Drilling Rings on the Lathe

Ring Making Materials:

• Thin pieces of wood for making ring blanks.
• Thin pieces of plastic that you can glue into your blanks (optional)
• Wood veneer for adding thin lines of color.
• Inlay materials like stone, bone, or plastic.
• Adhesives like CA Glue and two part Epoxy.

Find a Comfortable Working Area

Once you have your tools and materials inventory, now it’s time to find a place to work.

This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, and you can actually make this project at your dining room table.

Whatever you do, don’t fret about the space. There are many great woodworkers that have humble shops, and they turn out some of the best work that has ever been seen. It’s the quality of the woodworker, not the quality of the shop that makes the best projects.

If you have a flat surface that you can work on, and a way to get power to your tools, then you are fine. You could literally make this project in your bathroom if you had to.

It would not be ideal of course, but the space requirements for making a wooden ring are very low. Find some place that’s comfortable, and don’t worry too much about it.

See Also: 16 Great Tips for Setting Up a Workshop in the Garage

Do You Know a Woodworker

The next step is about solving the problem of knowledge. You just don’t know what you don’t know.

Until you run into one of those things, you really don’t know what you need to plan for. This is where knowing a woodworker is very handy.

Even if you don’t directly know someone that does woodworking, you may know somebody that knows somebody else. It’s nice to have someone that you can call and ask a question, and most woodworkers are nice enough to do that.

If you don’t know somebody offhand, reach out through your social network and see what comes back. You might be surprised to find that several of your friends do woodworking and you didn’t even know about it.

The benefit to you now is that you have a way to solve the knowledge gap without having to experiment very much. Instead of trying a bunch of different drill bits to figure out which one is the best, just call and ask and you’ll find out that it’s a Forstner bit.

Not only does it save you time, it also saves you money. There’s an old quote about standing on the shoulders of giants, and that’s essentially what you’re doing. You are taking knowledge that took years to acquire and compressing that into minutes.

One good conversation with a woodworker, and you will have a ton of great information and guidance. This goes for more than just woodworking, then you can apply this to a lot of different areas in your life if you want to get to the head of the line as quickly as possible.

See Also: How to Make a Flat Top Wooden Ring

Do You Make Things With Your Hands

The next wood ring tip is about making things with your hands. If you have made anything with your hands before, even if it wasn’t woodworking, you might have an advantage.

Most projects that have to do with your hands are using similar parts of your brain.

People like to make things, whether they are crafters, welders, woodworkers, or painters, tend to do well at other projects that involve their hands. This is great for you, especially if you’ve made something before.

It doesn’t necessarily matter what, just add a little bit extra to your confidence bucket and know that this project is not going to be overwhelming.

If you’ve made a few things before, you’ll be able to make a wood ring just fine. Have a little confidence, and approach the project with an open mind. There are 100 different ways to make a wood ring, and all you need to find out is just one.

See Also: 10 Best Places to Find Wood Ring Supplies Online

Decide on a Budget for the Project

Once you have a little bit of an understanding of the tools and materials, and you know what you already have, decide on a budget.

These tips will help you avoid spending too much, and possibly being disappointed in the end.

Thankfully, if you already have a few tools then the budget will be very low. Even if you buy the most exotic wood you can find, the price will still be very low. The piece of wood you need to make a wooden ring is small, so even expensive wood becomes more cost-effective.

If you do end up buying a few tools, you can set a low budget and still get what you need by using hand tools. Many great woodworkers have created amazing works of art without power. You can do the same, it just takes a little longer.

See Also: How to Make a Wood and Copper Ring from a Pipe Fitting

Have Patience as You Work

If I sold patience instead of woodworking books, I would be a millionaire. The one thing that you can do to make yourself better woodworker and ring maker, is to have patience.

This is what stops you from making mistakes.

This tip is huge, because if you can force yourself to stop when you need to, you will have a better experience. Not only will you make less mistakes, but the real beauty is not having to do things over repeatedly.

That’s where you lose time, and that’s where if you already have low patients levels, it can cause you to make big mistakes. Impatience can also cause injury from frustration and cutting corners.

Of all the things you do while making this ring project, make sure that you are patient. It will do far more for you than any tool, any technique, or anything you could read about DIY rings.

See Also: How to Make Wooden Rings Without a Lathe

Buy a Good Book on Ring Making

Starting off with the best education is always good. There is only one book and making wooden rings, and I wrote it.

If you want specific instruction on making a wooden ring using very few tools, then this is the perfect book for you.

Books are awesome. I have hundreds of books, and they are a treasure trove of knowledge and information that helps me be a better woodworker. Books are almost as good as talking to a person, because they give you so much information in such a short amount of time.

If you want easiest and fastest way to get good at making wooden rings, then you need to buy a book, and read it from cover to cover. Follow the techniques, understand the concepts, and then go into the shop and practice.

The more you practice, the better you get, and the better looking your rings will be. The head start that the book gives you will ensure that you don’t make a lot of rookie mistakes, and that’s a great way to start any projects.

You can See my Ring Making Book Here on Amazon.

Look Online for Instruction

If you would rather go the free approach, then look online for instructions on how to make wooden rings.

There are tons of websites including mine that have tutorials, and they are all beneficial in someway.

The other nice thing about looking online is that you get different perspectives. Different woodworkers solve the same problem with different methods. That’s great for you, because they may use something that resonates well with your style.

When they do, you can adapt the parts of their method that you like. Bring them into your shop and use them as your own, and you will make good rings with what you already have. You will also have a technique that makes you comfortable, which is a stress reliever.

Anytime you can go into the shop with less stress, you will perform better, and your project will look better. Stress leads to mistakes. Stress also leads to rushing, which is never a good way of doing anything.

See Also: Top 10 Wooden Ring Making Posts

Find a Good Retail Store for Materials

You will need to have a store that you can buy materials from, and in the beginning I recommend a physical store that you can walk into.

This has a lot of benefits for someone that is brand new in both working and making rings.

When you go into a place, you have the advantage of being able to pick up and touch the materials. You do not have this advantage online, and you have to rely on what you already know about the materials to make good decisions.

As a beginner, you may know very little about the materials involved. This puts you at a disadvantage or you could potentially buy things you don’t need or don’t want. Instead, look into it physical store and buy your products there.

Store locations tend to not have the same kind of selection that you find online, but it’s very important to know what your working with before you buy anything online. Spend some time in that store, and get to know the people there.

Having a woodworking store that you frequent is great because you can also get help from real people in that store. Between that and understanding the material is better, that’s a two for one, and a great resource.

See Also: 8 Awesome Reasons to Use a Lathe to Make Wooden Rings

Find an Online Store for Bigger Selection

After you understand the basic properties of the materials that you work with, the next step is to find an online store that you’re comfortable ordering from.

This also has several benefits, and will keep you inspired for a long time. The inspiration from an online store comes from the sheer volume of products.

You will never see more blanks, or pieces of wood, or other materials then when you look online. If you want to be inspired, go online and check out several ring making suppliers and see what they have to offer.

Go be astounded by the selection, and you will have millions of ideas running through your head within a very short amount time. 

See Also: 10 Helpful Tips on How to Be a More Productive Ring Maker

Get the Finger Opening Right

One of the biggest house I can give you about meeting a diy ring is to get the finger opening right.

No matter how beautiful the ring, if it doesn’t fit well neither you or your customer will never wear it.

Thankfully this is a very easy task, and all you have to do is test fit the ring as you are doing the building process to make sure that it’s correct.

Making sure the fit is the best it can possibly be is one of the smartest things you can do as ring maker. Your customers will always be happy with their rings because they fit well.

As long as you do this part right then you never have to worry about your craftsmanship being the reason someone doesn’t wear your design.

See Also: The One Secret to Making Wooden Rings that People Will Actually Wear

You Can Make a Ring With Very Few Tools

Another thing about tools, you should understand that you don’t need many tools to make a wooden ring.

Don’t let the thought of tools stop, even if you don’t have any right now. Take a look first before you decide that the product is that for you.

All you need to do is be able to make a hole, cut some wood away from around the hole, and then file and sand the ring to shape. Even if you had to buy all of those tools yourself, it may not be more than $50 if you source them from the right places.

Another thing that you can do is ask a friend to drill the hole for you, then all you would need to do is saw away the waste material and then use files and sandpaper to shape the ring.

Even more so, anyone that has a drill will probably already have the saw, and they can help you with the bulk of the waste removal too.

Even with someone doing those first few steps, working by hand you will have plenty of opportunities to put your own touch on the design, as well as some sweat and hard work. Don’t feel like you didn’t make the ring of somebody else drilled the hole.

Start with what you have, and use it to the best of your ability. Over time, as you make more rings, you can acquire those other tools that you need. Once you have them, be sure to help the next woodworker that you meet.

See Also: 9 Great Reasons to use a Metal Core in Your Wooden Rings

Make Rings Faster With Power Tools

Even the wooden rings can be made with hand tools, power tools to make the process a lot easier.

They also make the process faster. Easier and faster are great, and they can get you your ring in record time.

The mother of all ring making tools is the lathe, and it’s awesome. I used to make a lot of my rings by hand in the beginning, I do not do that anymore.

The lathe makes your rings more uniform, more even, smoother, and more polished looking. Even without a lathe, something as simple as a belt sander can alleviate a lot of the hard work in shaping the ring profile.

If you could only have a couple of tools, I recommend a drill for making the holes, and a belt sander for shipping the ring. You can always use a handsaw to saw off the waste. The real magic is in shaping the ring on the belt sander.

You can go from roughed out blank to nearly finished ring in under a minute. This may take a couple hours by hand, and that means you can make more rings in the same amount of time. Your wall thicknesses will also be more uniform, and that’s good too.

Again, if you have some power tools feel free to use them. You don’t need them necessarily, but they are convenience feature that just makes woodworking easier.

See Also: How to Make Your Wooden Rings Stronger

Learn to Finish Early in the Project

Like any woodworking project, a diy ring ring needs a good finish.

The absolute worst thing you can do is wait until you have a completed ring in order to learn how to apply your finish. This is a recipe for heartbreak.

Finishing is a skill that takes a little bit of practice to learn. It’s not impossible, or very difficult, but you do need to practice a bit. Instead of waiting until the end start practicing on scraps right from the beginning.

Sand small pieces of wood of the same species as your ring and prepare them for the finish. Get them down to 220 grit sandpaper, and then practice applying your finishing product according to the directions on the can.

Make sure that you’re comfortable with this process, and don’t worry about making mistakes. Scraps are junk, and if you make a mistake you can just throw it away. The goal is to get past all those mistakes so when you finish your wood ring, it looks good.

See Also: How to Use Different Shapes in Your Wooden Rings

Action Assignment

Now that you enjoyed these 15 awesome tips for making a DIY wood ring at home, it’s time to put down your device and go into the shop. Start right from the beginning, and evaluate the materials and tools you already have.

Look online for a little inspiration, pick a design, and if you really want the best strategy for getting started you need to buy a book. Don’t spend your time digging around in the dark, just get the knowledge up front and put it into use.

Spend some time in the shop, and start working on your ring designs. Making wooden rings is addicting, and before you know it you’ll have several that you are proud of, and for each one of those you’ll have 100 more ideas that you want to make.

Enjoy the process, have patience, and have fun. Woodworking and making rings is supposed to be a peaceful and relaxing activity. Use these tips wisely, and you will ensure that your ring making experience always is. 

If you have any questions, please Post a Question in the Q&A Forum and I’ll be glad to help. Happy building.

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