The turning of a solid ring of wood represents an advance in the line of faceplate work previously discussed. An example of ring turning is the napkin holder illustrated in Fig. 55 at A and B. This is turned partly between centers and partly on the faceplate.

If it is desired to turn two napkin rings, cut a piece of wood at least ¼ in. thicker and wider than the finished outside diameter of the ring and about 2 in. longer than the combined length of two rings. For two rings of the dimensions indicated at A, the rough stock should be 2¼ by 2¼ by 6 in.

Square one end of the piece carefully with the sides, an operation which may be done conveniently by sawing the stock in a miter box. Locate the' center by drawing diagonals and bore a 3/16- in. hole about ½ in. deep and a gimlet or twist bit. Fasten the piece to a screw chuck, which is simply a small faceplate with a single heavy screw in the center.

If a screw chuck is not a part of the lathe equipment, an ordinary faceplate may be used. Screw a piece of wood to the faceplate and turn a circular disk. Mark the center on the disk while it is revolving in the lathe and bore a 3/16-in. hole, countersinking it on the side which is against the faceplate. Insert a heavy flat-head screw of the proper length (depending upon the thickness of the disk) and fasten the piece to be turned firmly to the disk as at C.

The dead center is now run against the free end of the 2¼-by-2¼-by-6-in. piece, which is rounded off and smoothed in the usual manner. The napkin rings are then laid out, turned, and sanded as explained in previous articles.

When the outside shape of the rings has been formed, the dead center is moved out of the way and the tool rest placed close to the end of the piece and at right angles to the lathe bed. Mark the diameter of the l½- in. hole with a pair of dividers (use the second method described in the section on candlesticks) and start the boring of the hole with a very sharp round-nose chisel. Begin in the center and gradually work out towards the edge. Alternate with a ½-in. skew chisel, which should be held so that it cuts with the toe (see Fig. 47, upper view). Test the diameter of the hole with a pair of inside calipers. Then round the edges and sandpaper the work.

The dead center should now be moved up again, so that its point bears against the wood at the bottom of the hole just cut. This added support is needed for cutting the first napkin ring away with the parting tool. The remaining one is then bored and cut off in the very same manner.

Fig. 55. - Any wood turner who masters these two projects and those shown in Fig. 5G will be able to do a large variety of similar wooden ring work.

The remaining end of the 6-in. piece is now turned until it is equal to the diameter of the holes which have just been cut halfway through the two napkin rings. The length should be a little less than the depth of the hole, so that the napkin rings will butt up against the square shoulder formed on the piece as at B.

While turning this chuck, try the fit of both napkin rings frequently, because the hole cut in one napkin ring is likely to be slightly larger than the hole cut in the other. Finish the larger one first and then cut down the chuck to fit the smaller one. Do not force the rings too tightly on the chuck or they may split.

Bore the other half of the hole in each ring as explained above. Then stain and polish the rings.

When a ring having a circular cross section is to be turned from a solid piece of wood, the stock, after being faced off, should have the same thickness as the diameter of the cross section of the ring, as indicated at D. A piece of ¼-in.ply wood is placed between the screw chuck and the material to be turned and prevents the screw in the chuck from penetrating the ¾i-in. disk.

After facing off the disk and turning it to the required outside diameter - in in this case 4 in. - it is cut down as shown at D. The square corners are then cut off (E), after which the ring is rounded as shown at F.

A template may be made of a piece of strong cardboard or veneer about 2 in. square. Proceed as follows: Draw a straight pencil line about in the center of the piece of cardboard. Tack it to a piece of wood, place the screw of an auger bit of the desired diameter - in this case ¾ in. - on the center line, and bore a hole. Cut on the line with a knife, thus dividing the cardboard in two pieces. Use half of it as a template as at G.

Chuck the partly turned ring as shown at F. The wood used in making the chuck may be soft, and it is well to have it thick in case the recess cut in it should be too large; in that case it may be faced off again and another recess cut. The center is now cut away and the turning of the ring completed.

Such rings may be used for the hanging of curtains or portieres, or as towel or necktie rings. A necktie holder is shown at H. It fits into another turned piece, which is screwed to the wall or to a closet door.

A small section is cut out of the ring, thus permitting it to be sprung a little and slipped into a hole bored in each side of the turned piece. The center of these holes is found by wrapping a strip of paper 7/8 in. wide around the piece. Cut the ends of the paper so that they just meet. Remove the paper and fold it once in the center. Draw a pencil line lengthwise through the center of the paper, wrap it again around the wood, and prick a hole on the center line where the ends of the paper meet and another where the pencil line crosses the fold as at I. Bore these holes while the turned piece is in the lathe and before the ends have been cut off.

A towel ring should be a little larger. It may be flattened slightly on one side and fastened at right angles to a wall or a door with a round-head screw as in the upper drawing of Fig. 56.

These rings may be made stronger and more interesting if they are made of three or more layers of wood, preferably of contrasting colors, such as walnut and birch. Thin layers of ebonized wood about 1/16 in. thick will appear as black inlaid lines. The layers should always be an uneven number. If three are used, the inside layer should run at right angles to the two outside layers (see the sectional view). It is obvious that the layers should be glued up into a solid block or disk before the ring is turned. The turned picture or mirror frame (Fig. 56, lower drawing) is simply another type of ring. Make a full size drawing of the frame and screw a piece of wood of the required dimensions to a small faceplate. Face off and turn the piece to the desired diameter. Cut the recess for the picture, glass, and backing as shown at A. If the frame is going to be thinner than the one shown, it will then be necessary to back it up with a piece of plywood as shown in Fig. 55 at D to prevent cutting into the screws.

Fig. 56. - For these two pieces, as well as those shown in Fig. 55, a close grained wood such as birch, mahogany, or walnut should be used, or, for more ornamental effects, a combination of contrasting woods glued in layers.

Remove the disk from the faceplate and turn a chuck as shown in Fig. 56 at B. The disk is now fitted to the chuck, its center cut away, and the design of the molding turned.

Some wood turners prefer first to turn and polish the face of the frame, then to chuck it, and finally to cut the recess for the glass. The method described above permits the molding to be finished and polished after all the cutting has been done and prevents it from being marred by chucking.

Other designs for picture frame moldings are shown in Fig. 53. Books on wood turning having many attractive designs may also be consulted in most public libraries. The following are to be recommended: Course in Wood Turning, Milton and Wohlers; Art and Education in Wood Turning, William W. Klenke; Wood Turning, George A. Ross.

To obtain the best results, a close grained wood such as birch, maple, mahogany, or walnut should be used for rings and frames.