Woodworker's Journal 1994-18-6, страница 77

Shoptest

1

Ring Mkster:

Cut rings out of a hoard to form hollow, cylindrical shapes in wood

by David F. Peters

r?or several years, I've eyed ads for a 1 device called the Ring Master. Curious to try it out. I wondered at the same time whether this was another "gimmick" tool. Now that it's been on the market for six years and a growing number of proponents are touting its merits. I had the chance to investigate just what it is about this tool that compels some woodworkers to part with more than S500 to own one.

What It Is

Ring Master operates as a milling machine that uses a pair of matched cutters, it cuts stackable rings from flat wood blanks, utilizing nearly all the wood with very little waste. Its flexible operation permits a user to make a wide variety of projects for minimal material cost.

Ring Master comes in several variations, including one that mounts on a Shopsmith multitool and a variety of others that adapt for use with popular lathes such as Sears and Delta. But whether you buy the self-contained model with its own motor and arbor, or buy a unit that uses your lathe as the power source, you get the same end-product with either setup.

I tested the stand-alone unit, which includes a motor, pulley assembly, arbor, base, and safety deflector (photo I). The package also contains an instruction

t'hiilo I: The stand-alr>ne Ring Master unit iruludes a motor, pulley assembly, arbur. base, jml ufth deflecior.

manual, a handy jig for gluing and clamping projects, plus all the Allen wrenches and other tools you need to adjust the jig and change the cutters. A nice bonus was a project book with dozens of plans for projects such as candlesticks, cannisters. and even a bird house.

What It Does

If you've ever tilted the base on your jigsaw and cut a series of concentric circles from a single piece of wood you've probably discovered that by stacking the circles one upon the other, you can create a vase-shaped vessel. The Ring Master has taken this concept and perfected it. An indexing plate enables you to cut a series of concentric rings w ith identical wall thickness, and a built-in scale lets you set the cutting angle that works best with the stock thickness you're using. It would take several pages to explain the geometry in detail, but basically, if you take a section of board of a given thickness, and then cut a series of rings from this board at a specific angle, you can then stack these rings one upon the other to create a conical vessel with nearly smooth sides.

Although it's difficult for me to describe and probably for you to visualize, take my word for it—the system works extremely well. In addition to shaped vessels, you can cut straight-sided cylinders, bracelets, napkin rings, round picture and mirror frames, and many other items. By using contrasting woods, varying the way you stack the rings, and employing your imagination, you can multiply the possibilities. Unfortunately, the manufacturer's project book only hints at the ways this tool can be used. (The folks at Ring Master told me that a new project book may be in the works soon.)

How It Performed

Within a half-hour of opening the box. I had the Ring Master up and

running. To test the tool's mettle. 1 cut a number of blanks from some highly figured V"-thick curly maple. After cutting the squares. I nipped the corners and bored a 'A" hole through the center of each for mounting the squares on the arbor as per the instructions. Setting the cutting angle and indexing plate was simple and straightforward.

You initiate the cuts by gradually turning a handle, which advances the cutters into the wood (photo 2). This

I'hoto 2: turning the handle advances the cutters into the stock, making simultaneous cuts from front and back.

makes two cuts simultaneously, one from the back and one from the front. When the two cuts meet in the middle, the cut-off ring falls away.

Photo 3: The author had the Ring Master up and running in half an hour and was "really humming" by his third cut.

Although I made my first cut slowly and tentatively, I was really humming by the third ring (photo 3). 1 did hav e some

W...«J worker's Journal

November/December 1994