Curtain rings

[Jacob]

I guess commercially they are cut with some sort of rotating cutter on some sort of drill stand, or cnc machine.

Can they be turned on a lathe? Any pointers?

 

[Wildman]

I presume the are turned on one end. then undercut on the inside before shaping / parting of on the outside. I'm sure someone who has made some will comment.

 

[nev]

Same as a captive ring I guess, so using a spindle gouge or cheat and use a captive ring tool. With the ring being captive around a shaft it makes it easy to sand the inner curve with a strip of abrasive while the ring is 'powered' by bouncing on the rotating shaft.

captive-ring-home-made-tool-t67550.html

 

[NazNomad]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1rFBtcDdoI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKnvTuROCxs

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for replies.
Some interesting varieties kit there! Unfortunately I don't any of them.
Captive ring method would work but takes up a lot of waste. I'm wondering about a free ring method - similar but you'd do it at the end of the blank and as each one frees it'd hang on the tail stock. Then a second process with it held and the inside face shaped and cleaned up. I'll have a go.

Next question - would a curtain ring be stronger cut from face of a board with the grain going across (the bought ones are done that way), or from a cylinder with the grain going the other way - same as knobs are turned?

 

[CHJ]

Cross grain gives the maximum strength, limiting the worst of the short grain to two positions.
The only time I made some replacements for someone I had to soak the short grain areas with thin CA to prevent them failing.

If you spindle turn them then they will be all short grain.

 

[monkeybiter]

I think if I was going to do it I'd use a forstner bit to drill a line of holes in a board, the board having a width close to the finish outer diameter of the rings, then separate the board between the holes, i.e. cut it into blanks. I'd mount these individually onto a stubby mandrel on the lathe with a tight push fit, turn one side then pop it off and turn the other. I reckon it would be quick, easy and consistent.

 

[Dominik Pierog]

Or

would a curtain ring be stronger cut from face of a board with the grain going across (the bought ones are done that way), or from a cylinder with the grain going the other way

The difference is not big. The best way is to glue 2 or 3 sheets of wood like plywood

 

[Jonzjob]

I had to turn a comlete set of poles, end fittings and rings for our 5 metre wide window. The poles are 2" diameter and 2 at 2.5 metres long. 40 rings with a 2 3/4" internal dia. The reason was that the heavy curtains SWMBO made caused the biggest poles we could find to sag!

I turned the rings by cutting 13 3 1/2" squares from 2" beech planking and turned them to 3 1/4" cylinders. Then the outer radius of 3 rings (if my memory serves me right??) was turned into each cylinder and the space inbetween them cut down to about a 2" diameter. A dovetail was cut o one end to mount in me Jacobs chuck jaws and the cylinder mounted i the chuck.

The next was to bore the centre out with a 50mm Forstner bit so that the rings fell loose. I had made a pinch chuck to mount them to turn the centres to the correct diameter and form



And when they were all finished I fitted small screw rings into each curtain ring and dipped them in a stain. and hung them to dry





The square for the poles was cut at the wood supplier on their panel saw. It was just too much hassle for me and took them seconds. This is a square and a round



Been up for seveal months now and no sag!! This is the end result, or part of it



SWMBO is reeet chuffed wi it :mrgreen: :mrgreen: No special tools needed, just some time..

 

[Jacob]

Looks good.
Thanks - and some interesting techniques in the thread.

Haven't had a go yet but 'er indoors has gone and ordered some, says she can't wait!

But I will carry on regardless - it's another way of using up interesting off-cuts too good to burn.

 

[Wildman]

I had to turn a comlete set of poles, end fittings and rings for our 5 metre wide window. The poles are 2" diameter and 2 at 2.5 metres long. 40 rings with a 2 3/4" internal dia. The reason was that the heavy curtains SWMBO made caused the biggest poles we could find to sag!

I turned the rings by cutting 13 3 1/2" squares from 2" beech planking and turned them to 3 1/4" cylinders. Then the outer radius of 3 rings (if my memory serves me right??) was turned into each cylinder and the space inbetween them cut down to about a 2" diameter. A dovetail was cut o one end to mount in me Jacobs chuck jaws and the cylinder mounted i the chuck.

The next was to bore the centre out with a 50mm Forstner bit so that the rings fell loose. I had made a pinch chuck to mount them to turn the centres to the correct diameter and form



And when they were all finished I fitted small screw rings into each curtain ring and dipped them in a stain. and hung them to dry





The square for the poles was cut at the wood supplier on their panel saw. It was just too much hassle for me and took them seconds. This is a square and a round



Been up for seveal months now and no sag!! This is the end result, or part of it



SWMBO is reeet chuffed wi it :mrgreen: :mrgreen: No special tools needed, just some time..

first class answer and excellent photos of the chuck, idea filed for future use many thanks.

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for excellent answers.
I haven't started yet and I'm wondering about mounting the blank in such a way that I can turn it from both sides in one operation and part off a finished piece.

 

[CHJ]

....I'm wondering about mounting the blank in such a way that I can turn it from both sides in one operation and part off a finished piece.

something similar to how the bangles are held here

Or Hot Melt Glue the blanks to a wood support.

Bothe methods allow room to work both sides.

 

[finneyb]

Let me be the cynic here - buy them; it will be cheaper I'm sure

Brian

 

[Jonzjob]

In our case the idea of buying them wasn't an option. When we finally sourced the 2" poles the only ones we could find would have cost us over £180 for a single 2.5 metre length and we need 2! The rings? Why have a mortgage when I could make them for a few €€€s Then add the shipping from the U.K. to the S of France??

No brainer. I made them and got a bit more of a suntan into the bargain 8) 8)

 

[Jonzjob]

Wildman, I was given a set of about 8 of that type of chuck by a very good friend. Box wood with bronze ferruls and tightening rings. They are about 150 years old and still perfect for that type of job, but I had to make a bigger versoin for that job. Dead easy to make and very effective as it only takes seconds to change the item around to the other face.

These are they. The eight one only has the tightening ring, I have to remake the wooden part. I have a large piece of box to do that.



I have only made one bangle and that was from cherry. I used the 3 slice and DIY ply method and it worked well



I can't remember just how I held the thing now? Old age comes at such an inconvenient time

Ta for the WIP Chas. I really like the idea of the segmented bangles, but cutting the angles correctly on a band saw will be a challenge, but I'm going to have a crack at it :mrgreen: They look really good!