I wanted to make my Dad something special for Father’s Day a couple of years back and came across a design for some decorative napkin rings. Perfect for a fancy gift to show how much someone means to me!
I selected a piece of oak stock to use as I wanted the grain to be tight to hold the details nicely without breaking. I made a small template out of some scrap plywood and used the template to draw out two houses on the oak. I realised it would be much easier to cut the holes in the middle before cutting the rings to size, so the first step was to carefully drill large holes through the middle of each house shape using a Forstner bit.
Once the holes were completed, I added a round over on both sides using my palm router. I then cut out the house shapes using a hand saw.
The next steps were to refine the shape, which I did using a combination of a small sanding bit in my Dremel and a whole lot of hand sanding up through the grits! I also made the rings wet to raise the grain and then re-sanded to ensure a smooth surface after applying finish.
The final result was a nicely smooth house-shaped ring, ready for finish. I decided to use mineral oil as it’s food safe and is used for cutting boards and other utensils.
I applied the mineral oil, left it to soak in, and then wiped off the excess. I left the rings to dry for several days to ensure they had absorbed all the remaining oil on the surface.
I sent a gift parcel to my Dad for Father’s Day, with the rings tied together with some twine.
My Dad was really happy with the present and has since used them multiple times. Definitely another very successful project! 🔨
The Woodworking Scientist 