Turning a Contemporary Ring Box
Learn how to turn and finish a contemporary ring box with Martin Saban-Smith in this video lesson.
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This ring box is an ideal project for those turners who love decorating their work as much as it is ideal for those who prefer plain items.
As a three or four piece project, you could use two or three contrasting species of wood to complete the project, light and dark, coloured and plain. Or if you are adventurous, why not try turning it using a hybrid blank.
You Will Need
Aside from your usual kit (including centre finder etc), you will need most of the kit below. For the illustration of this project, we’ll be using walnut for the lid and internal column, and sycamore for the base.
Aside from a lathe, you will also need the following equipment to complete the project. Not all the tools are necessary, but this is the kit I used:
These instructions if you ordered them! (a);
- Pin jaws (b)
- 2” gripper jaws (c)
- 1x walnut spindle blank 25 x 25 x 70mm (not shown);
- 1x walnut blank 75 x 75 x 90mm (d);
- 1x sycamore blank 75 x 75 x 40mm (e);
- 1x drive and live centres (f, g);
- 1x carbide tool (h);
- 1x Vernier calipers (i);
- 1x jacobs chuck (j);
- 1x 50mm Forstner Bit and 5mm wood drill (k, l);
- 1x Spiral and texturing tool (m);
- 1x 10mm round skew (n);
- 1x 10mm spindle gouge (o);
- 1x spindle roughing gouge (p);
- 1x 3/8” bowl gouge (q);
- 1x point tool (r);
- 1x diamond parting tool (s);
- 1x set of calipers (t)
- For sanding sealer and finishes, I recommend the use of Hampshire Sheen products.
The products listed can be found at too many retailers to mention here. The easiest way to find them is to ask your local wood turning supplier or type the item name into a search engine.
Meet Your Tutor
Martin Saban-Smith is a member of the Register of Professional Turners and has been sharing his turning on social media since 2014. He is also a woodturning teacher and is the founder of the popular Hampshire Sheen range of finishes.
Take This Lesson
This ring box is an ideal project for those turners who love decorating their work as much as it is ideal for those who prefer plain items.