Suncatcher

A simple suncatcher made from a crystal suspended in an American Cherry ring with English Oak stand

Materials

7" diameter American Cherry turning blank

3" square of English Oak

30mm Crystal (eBay)

1 brass nail

Some fishing line

Glue

Oil or other polish

Tools

Lathe

Drill + 1mm bit

Saw

Sanding equipment

1. Mount the Cherry blank onto the lathe in your preferred way (I used a screw chuck) and true with a roughing gouge
2. Decide on the width of your ring (mine was about 3/4") and mark and part down about 1/2" using a thin parting tool. Ensure you widen the groove as you cut to stop heat build up and marking the wood
3. Roll a shallow bead between the face and the parted line
4. Apply your finish of choice.
5. Once dry place a piece of tap to hold the ring once it is parted in the other direction.
6. Using a thin parting tool part the ring off from the face, again doing a relief cut to prevent heat build up and marking the wood.
7. Once parted off sand and finish the inside of the ring. I use a mixture of spindle sander and hand sanding

1. On the block of oak mark up to cut a groove in the middle to accept the ring.
2. There are many ways of cutting the groove out, I opted for holding the block in a clamp and using a mitre saw so as to easily create a contour in the groove to marry with the ring. This could also be achieved with a chisel and mallet.
3. Sand and apply finish

1. Drill a small hole to accept a brass nail and use this with a touch of glue to fix the ring into the base
2. Then drill two 1mm holes at the top a little either side of centre
3. Thread finishing line through the crystal and up through these holes and knot
4. Place on a window sill and enjoy the cast rainbow patterns (which proved tricky to photograph)
5. A nice pattern is also created by shining a light on the crystal