In the 10 years we’ve made Bentwood Rings, we’ve prided ourselves on making wooden rings that stand the test of time. Although our rings are designed to hold up to rigorous daily wear, in some circumstances the finish may wear off within a couple of years (a lot sooner than expected). Wearing a wooden ring in salt water while surfing is one of those circumstances. 🙂
Hawaiian Koa Ring – After Constant Ocean Exposure, Without Finish
Here’s a note we received from one of our customers:
Janna & Frank This is a well-loved ring. I live in Maui with my wife and we are constantly in the ocean. This ring has put up with so much and I have really put off refinishing because I don’t want to be without. I have been wearing a Qalo silicon ring and it’s the worst. I hope this ring is not too far gone. …
Hawaiian Koa Ring – After Refinishing
We were able to restore the ring’s original Hawaiian Koa color, and apply new coats of durable finish. We’re delighted to be sending this Hawaiian Koa Bentwood ring back to its owner, fully restored. We can only imagine the waves this ring will face in the future.
Today makes 20 years since we became “an item”. Now we’re married, have three wonderful children, and get the opportunity to send handmade wooden rings all over the world.
To celebrate, we’re sharing the love by offering a 20% discount on your bentwood ring order! Discount is for today only, so don’t miss out! Coupon code: HAPPY20
– Frank & Janna
Two ways to shop:
http://www.bentwoodrings.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/stoutwoodworks
“Shou Sugi Ban” is the traditional Japanese process of charring wood in order to preserve it. This was most often done on exterior wood siding, which was commonly Cedar. Charring wooden fence post bottoms is another old technique used to help the timbers last longer, as the charred surface is more resistive to decay.
I’ve used the torching process in making wooden signs, as it brings out contrast between the heart and sap wood, and – in the case of outdoor signs – adds to the longevity. The technique is really both useful AND lends beauty to the pieces.
Inspired by the overall richness careful torching lends to pieces, I started experimenting with making Shou Sugi Ban Wooden Rings. Below is the first bentwood ring I finished using the Shou Sugi Ban technique.
Shou Suki Ban “Torched Cedar” Bentwood Ring
In keeping with tradition, I wanted the first bentwood rings to be made from Cedar. Historically, Cedar was used in conjunction with Shou Sugi Ban for practical reasons: It is very resistive to decay. But cedar also contains a chemical component which lends itself to a very pretty reaction with the flame.
Applying the right amount of heat to a wooden ring takes some finesse, but the result is worth the attention. In addition, each piece of wood will have grain and tiny features which react differently to the flame. For example, this ring was cut from the very same piece of wood as the wooden ring above, but has a different look.
Shou Suki Ban “Torched Cedar” Bentwood Ring
We are excited to offer “Torched Cedar” Bentwood Rings for sale! Keep in mind, we can apply the torch to other wood species as well. If you are interested in a torched wood ring, feel free to contact us!
As stated elsewhere on our site, bending wood has been around as long as woodworking itself. The technique of applying steam to wood, making it pliable enough to bend around a form, has been used in boats and chair-making for many years.
In 2008, I didn’t set out to make wooden rings. I was actually working on a piece of furniture. This particular chair would be made from pine, and I was using a drawknife (handed down to me by my dad, and to him from his dad) to shave layers of wood from the outer surface. A wood spiral, which I happened to pick up and put around my finger, was the inspiration for a ring. Of course, shavings this thin wouldn’t work… so the process of splitting wood to the right thickness began. If the wood is too thick, it won’t bend to such a tiny, ring-sized diameter without breaking. Too thin, and it doesn’t have enough structure to hold up, even when many layers are used.
One of our first bentwood rings sold“Soft Square” experimental ring
I found out which woods were more suited for bending, and what thickness each type of wood bends well at. For example, Hickory and Oak can be fairly thick, while Walnut needs to be a little more thin. Months of trial and error went into developing my technique for making bentwood rings, including testing bonding agents and finishes.
Gradually I reached a point where I could repeatedly make rings which I felt would not simply be a novelty, a piece you wear for a few months and switch back to metal. In fact, my wife and I made our own wooden wedding rings and stored away our original gold wedding rings as keepsakes, to prove to ourselves that bentwood rings last a long time. (We’ve both been wearing our same Santos Rosewood bentwood wedding rings for 8 years, at the time of this writing). More time passed, with our rings worn constantly – during handwashing, working, everyday life – even swimming, an activity in which we wouldn’t normally wear a ring. There were also the “washer and dryer” tests. 🙂 I gained enough confidence in our bent wood rings to begin selling them. We started locally, then opened a shop online in 2009.
Of course, wooden rings, and even wooden wedding rings, have been around for years. Historically, even bent Birch bark rings were used in some circumstances. More modern wooden rings were being made on lathes, whether from solid turned pieces, or glued laminate layers cut into a ring. But ours are made from layers of wood bent and coiled tightly around itself to form the strongest wearable wooden ring possible, so we opted for a name more specific than just “wooden rings”. The term “bent rings” was also not descriptive enough, so we decided on a simple combination of “Bentwood Rings”. We did some internet searching for this term, to be sure it wasn’t already a business. The only search results for “bent wood rings” or “bentwood rings” had to do with making banjo hoops or maple drums. So bentwoodrings.com was registered, and away we went, never anticipating it would eventually become our full-time job.
If you’re looking around for wooden rings nowadays, you’ll notice a lot of options out there. Bent wood rings have even caught on to the point where they can be purchased in bulk from China, in much the same way cell phone accessories and toys can be purchased for pennies and branded with the logo of whoever is buying them. The major difference is, ours are well-made, have been time-tested, and we stand behind our work 100%. Janna and I insist on offering the best customer service you’ll find anywhere. When you buy a ring from us, you are supporting a family business, you’re not taking some big purchase risk, and you will receive a wooden ring made with the finest, safest materials and finishes available.
We remain extremely grateful to each and every one of our customers! And if you are not yet a customer, thank you for considering us!
We always like to share customer feedback on facebook, but it hit me today that I’ve never really shared how I feel about my bentwood wedding ring. After eight years, I can honestly say that not one day goes by that I don’t look down and smile at my ring. Now a big part of that is being able to have something Frank made with his hands sitting there on my hand, but another part is that anytime my hand passes in my line of sight, I just have to look at it. The grain is so unique and the tones of the wood so warm. Even though I get to see new rings Frank makes daily, I still never lose that awe I have when looking over a wooden ring and checking out all of its particular qualities – and it’s the same with mine.
I’m not the most gentle on my bentwood ring and I wear it pretty much non-stop (washing dishes, showering, crafting, yard work, etc.). Personally, I find that my ring needs to be refinished about every 4 years and even then, it’s mostly just because I happened to scrape it across something and break the seal of the finish on the edge.
It can pretty much go without saying, that wood items that get used daily usually end up needing to be refinished at some point. It’s no different with wood rings. The time frame for how long a ring will hold its finish almost entirely depends on how the ring is worn (more scrapes or exposure to cleaning agents, etc. = sooner refinishing). The finish for the average ring wearer will likely last at least 4-5 years before it looks like it might need a refinish. Those who are easy on their rings find that time frame can be extended several more years. The key to longevity of a wood ring is to protect the wood from weathering/deteriorating. This is done by maintaining the finish (it acts as a protective coating, keeping the wood nice and safe). That being said, even if a bentwood ring did lose its finish and start to turn grey, we can bring out the original look with a refinish.
I think the worst refinish case we had was from a surfer. He was in salt water daily and by the time decided to send his ring to us, it looked a bit like driftwood. Even then, Frank was able to recondition the ring, reapply the finish and it ended up looking just like new and was as structurally sound as the first time we sent it to him.
Wood rings were so uncommon when we started out on this adventure. Most were made by sandwiching thick peices of wood, drilling the inside and sanding down the outside. We even made a few that way before we started experimenting with bending the wood around. It seems like that was just yesterday, but here we are eight years later, living our dream of working for ourselves. Nestled just inside the woods in our own little shop – making and sending bentwood rings worldwide. It’s so surreal when we sit back and look at where we are. We definitely don’t take it for granted and we hope this will be something we can pass down to our children one day.
Hey guys! To help let folks know about Bentwood Rings on Facebook, we’re offering the chance to win a Santos Rowesood Bentwood ring (made to your size), for sharing.
Classic Santos Rosewood Bentwood Ring
It’s really simple: Just share Stout Woodworks’ Bentwood Rings page on Facebook, then like and comment on the giveaway post to be entered.
(Click HERE for the direct link to the post.)
As we head into 2016, we are grateful for another successful year and want to show our gratitude by offering our Classic Bentwood Rings at 30% off the normal price. This applies to any CLASSIC style bentwood ring in any wood species we have available: Hawaiian Koa(shown in the picture below), Walnut, Oak, Cherry, Ebony, Bubinga, Ziricote, Madrone, Rosewood, Kingwood, Zebrawood and 90 more not shown (Just ask!).
We occasionally get calls or emails from folks who are looking for an alternative to metal wedding rings but have discovered our wooden rings only weeks before getting married. In most cases, we are able to schedule them in and ensure everyone gets their rings on time.
The majority of our rings are made-to-order. Some are selected from examples shown on our gallery and made to size, while others are totally custom and involve discussing design options with the customer.
To help satisfy the needs of folks who would like to buy a ring immediately, we now offer “In-Stock” rings. These are rings which I make in some of the more common styles and sizes… and some rings I make because I’m just aching to try a new wood or design. Either way, I thoroughly enjoy handcrafting them, and am glad to offer wooden rings that can be shipped out immediately.
Visit our Etsy shop and click “Rings IN STOCK”, or…
Click here to see our current wooden ring lineup.
We’ll be adding new rings in various styles and sizes each week.
