Cutting an Inlay into small rings

[rustym]

Lentze,
For a lathe I have one of the small Jet lathes that I have had for a long time.  You can get them in variable speed models or ones you have to move a belt to change speeds.  Also if that is what you want make sure to get one that you can put an extension on in case you ever decide to turn chair legs or something longer.  As for the mandrel, let me think about it. I'm sure you could take a piece of maple or hickory would be ideal and turn a mandrel on the lathe with a very small taper and a shoulder that would hold the ring just fine.  I'll try to draw up something and post it later.  It doesn't take much to hold a small item like a ring to turn a little grove into it. Let me work on it some more.

Rusty

 

[lentze]

I appreciate it thanks!!

 

[rustym]

Lenhze,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you.  I did get out in the shop this past weekend and made a ring of blackwood then made a mandrel to fit it on.  Since you are making the rings from wood you have to be very careful how you fit the ring on the mandrel.  If it is ever so tight it will break the ring.  If you were making them from something other than wood it might not be a problem.  I'm going to add a pic of the mandrel I turned.  All you need is a turned diameter that the ring will fit ever so snugly on and a shoulder for it to set against so it runs true.  Hope all this makes sense.

Rusty

You can see from the pics that I did not turn the diameter small enough and the ring split.  It is a very delicate operation.

 

[greg mann]

If you wind up using a lathe, make the fit a slip fit so that you don't rupture your ring. Drill and tap a hole in the center of the mandrel and use a small bolt and washer, appropriately sized, to just squeeze the ring against a shoulder. That way, you are just pinching the ring and not relying on a press fit to keep it from spinning, and, it will be easier to get it off when you are done. If you have enough thread length you can generate more than enough squeeze even in a wood mandrel. This could be done on a drill press as well if you don't have a lathe. Then just bolt something to the press table to act as a tool rest. the key is to squeeze the ring from the ends where it has structural integrity.

 

[rustym]

Good idea Greg.  I thought about tapping the end and cutting 4 slots to let it enlarge some with a screw, but your solution sounds better than mine. You will have to have the diameter for the ring just barely undersize or the ring won't run true. Also different size rings are going to need different size mandrels.

Rusty