I've been looking for 40-50 medium oak curtain rings for a 45mm pole (so about 55mm ID) but, thus far, without success. I suspect they would be a pain to DIY (turn the outside, bore the inside, slice, sand - repeat until brain dead) and may not be particularly strong - does anyone know how they're made commercially?
How are wooden curtain rings made?
May 04, 2022
Last reply: 4 years ago
16 Replies
No. However, I would try steaming thin sheets, laminating them around a cylindrical former, to make a cylinder of the right diameter, from which the rings could be turned. It should be possible to turn them to almost the finished shape before parting off.
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55mm internal diameter
If too light what about rubbing down and staining?
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I know what sort of machine I would mass produce them on, but for lathing, just make 'wheels and tyres' and then part off from the front so the 'tyre' falls off...
Have you tried John Lewis?
Certainly our local one used to have a huge range / stock of such rings. I recall seeing them while ?killing time? when Senior Management was browsing the fabric / sewing stuff near there. The joys of shopping in Bluewater ?
My google-foo seems to be working today - I hadn't thought of searching for "unfinished" curtain rings. It doesn't tell me how they're made but it means I don't have to make the things myself.
From experience of curtain rings that have broken when someone has fallen against the curtain or children have grabbed the curtain as they are running past, they are formed from about 8 short sections, glued end to end in a circle.
How they make those sections, I don't know.
Quite a number look they are just turned from solid, so have weak areas of cross grain.
Quick search
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the overhead shaft!
This page has a list of curtain pole suppliers, maybe one of them could help you:
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Cheap Asian labour with no H&S would also have been my first suggestion.
He's pretty quick and, at the time of filming, had all fingers attached.
Does he then pass the remaining cores down the line, for the next bloke to make smaller size rings? And then after that they make draughts pieces?
Have you considered a tool like:
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Keep your fingers well away from the tool!
Hmm. Might be fine in an industrial pillar drill with the work heavily clamped to the table.
Yes, I used a vice to hold the wood.
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