Maker's Ring

After making a magnetic pendant for my wife, my son decided that he needed something similar to hold small nuts and bolts while he worked on hid bicycles or motorbike.

I came up with this ring, similar in form to my Hidden Memory Rings, but containing magnets instead of mementoes or data.

The ring is made from layers of 3mm poplar plywood and the same, unidentified veneer I made the pendant from.

Apart from something to cut your wood, you'll need;

• Non-water-based glue (this glue worked well for me).
• Magnet(s)
• Sandpaper & small files
• Varnish or stain and brushes
• Clamp or weight.

If you don't already have veneer in your stash, you'll need the unglued variety.

(I haven't included the files for the ring, since you'd have to do so much editing to fit your own fingers and magnets, you might as well draw your own from scratch. If you need help with your own version, message me or leave a comment.)
The links above are all to Amazon, but if you have a local hardware store, please use it - they're a wonderful resource you cannot afford to lose.

However you're doing it, cut out your parts.

When you cut the veneer, remember to cut it with the grain running from top to bottom of the ring, otherwise it will snap at the narrow sides.

Line up the layers and glue them firmly - make sure you get glue all the way around all the edges, and add a bit of glue to hold the magnets in their slots.

When you add the outer layers of veneer, make sure you have clean fingers, or you'll be stuck with grubby fingerprints off the surface.

Press together firmly, and clamp the ring long enough for the glue to dry properly.

Against my usual practice, I sanded off the dark char-layer of the lasered cuts, and smoothed off the edges and corners slightly.

Wary of losing too much material and changing the size of the ring, I did not heavily sand the inside of the ring. Instead, I took the roughness off with a curved needle file (an interesting activity, when the thing you are filing is filled with neodymium magnets!).

I finished off the ring with a couple of coats of a combination varnish and stain which brought the pale edges of the poplar closer in colour to the honey-coloured veneer, but you can finish yours however you like.

Once the finish is dry, put it on, and you're ready to go!