Wooden rings are more durable than most people expect, and the reason is usually construction rather than the wood itself. A ring cut from a single piece of timber has one grain direction running through it, and that is the direction it can split along. A ring cut from laminated ply does not, because the layers inside it were pressed together with their grain running in different directions.
Baltic Dew rings are cut from recycled skateboard decks, which are laminated maple ply. That is the whole point of the material. This article goes through how one of these rings is made, layer by layer and coat by coat, and what each stage contributes to how the finished ring holds up.
In this article
- What is a skateboard ring made from?
- Why does laminated maple hold together?
- How is a Baltic Dew ring made?
- What does the finish do?
- The ring at a glance
- What a wooden ring is and is not
- Can you get one in your size?
- How do you look after a wooden ring?
- Frequently asked questions
What is a skateboard ring made from?
A skateboard deck is not a plank. It is built from thin sheets of hard rock maple veneer, usually seven of them, stacked with the grain of each sheet running in a different direction, bonded with adhesive and squeezed in a hydraulic press until they behave as one piece of material.
That construction exists because a skateboard has to survive being landed on. It is engineered for impact before anyone ever thinks about jewellery.
It also sets the size of the ring. A standard Baltic Dew band is approximately 10 mm high, which is the full thickness of the deck and all seven plies. The slim band at approximately 6 mm is cut from part of that thickness, so it carries fewer layers.
The colour comes from the same place. Decks are pressed from veneers that have been coloured before the layers go together, so when you cut across the ply you expose stripes of colour running through pale maple. Nothing is painted on afterwards, and nothing is dyed at Baltic Dew. The colours you see in a ring were already inside the board.
Why does laminated maple hold together?
Solid wood splits along the grain. That is not a flaw, it is just how a single piece of timber behaves, and it is why a narrow ring turned from solid wood has a weak direction built into it.
Laminated ply removes that single weak direction. Because the grain in the layers crosses, there is no continuous line running all the way round the band for a split to follow. Each layer is braced by the ones either side of it.
Maple is also a dense hardwood, which is why decks are made from it rather than something softer, and why it takes a fine finish without the surface tearing.
How is a Baltic Dew ring made?
Every ring starts as part of a used deck. The stages are the same each time.
- Cutting. The deck is cut down to workable blanks. This is the stage that decides the colour direction of the finished ring, because it sets which way the layers will run through the band.
- Turning. The blank is drilled and turned down to the ring size and profile.
- Sanding. The ring is sanded through progressively finer grits, inside and out, by hand.
- Finishing. Ten to twelve very thin coats of CA glue are built up, with sanding between coats.
- Polishing. The cured finish is polished to a gloss.
The finishing stage takes the longest, and it is not one thick coat left to dry. Each coat is thin enough to cure quickly and is knocked back before the next one goes on.
Natural maple, black, blue and pink layers running round the band. Made to order in your UK size.
What does the finish do?
The finish on a Baltic Dew ring is CA glue, the same family as superglue, built up in ten to twelve very thin coats with sanding between them and polished at the end. It is the standard approach for finishing wooden rings because it cures hard and thin rather than sitting on the surface as a soft film.
Worth being clear about what that means, because "glue" is misleading here. Nothing in the ring is glued together. The deck arrived laminated from the factory, and the ring is cut from it in one piece. The CA is used purely as a coating, the way another maker might use lacquer or oil.
Two things follow from that.
The first is that the wood is sealed rather than bare. On a full wooden ring the coating goes on the inside of the band as well as the outside, so the surface against your finger is finished in the same way as the surface everyone can see. A bare or differently finished interior only happens on a ring built around a metal core or a setting.
The second is that the finish, not the maple, is the surface that wears. That is why the coats go on thin and get sanded flat between each one: the goal is a hard, even, closed surface rather than a thick coating.
The ring at a glance
| Detail | Baltic Dew ring |
|---|---|
| Material | Recycled skateboard maple ply |
| Band height, standard | approx. 10 mm, the full seven plies |
| Band height, slim | approx. 6 mm, fewer plies |
| Thickness | around 2.5 to 3 mm |
| Finish | 10 to 12 thin CA coats, sanded between, then polished |
| Inside of the band | Finished the same as the outside |
| Sizing | Made to order in any UK ring size. Cannot be resized afterwards |
What a wooden ring is and is not
A Baltic Dew ring is a band of laminated maple around 2.5 to 3 mm thick, sealed inside and out. It is light. Maple has a density of roughly 0.62 to 0.75 g/cm³, against about 8.0 g/cm³ for stainless steel, so a wooden band weighs a fraction of a metal one at the same size. People who dislike the feel of a metal ring tend to notice that first.
It is also wood, and it behaves like wood. What the ply construction and the finish do is remove the two obvious weaknesses of putting wood on a hand: the split line, and the bare surface.
The marks in the wood are from the board
Scuffs, scratches and worn patches in the maple are left over from the deck's life before it was cut up. They are part of the material, not damage to the ring, and they are sealed under the finish along with everything else.
Can you get one in your size?
Every ring is made to order in a UK ring size, in either band height. The UK ring size chart covers how to work yours out if you do not already know it.
Two things follow from the ring being wood rather than metal.
It cannot be resized. A wooden ring is shaped to a fixed size and cannot be stretched or cut down the way a metal band can. So if the size you order turns out to be wrong, it gets remade in the correct size once, free of charge, and you only cover the postage.
Two things help you get it right first time. Measure at the end of the day, when fingers are at their largest. And remember that wide bands sit tighter than narrow ones, so on the standard 10 mm band, go up by half a size if you fall between two.
Colour is the other part that is not repeatable. The colours come from whichever decks are available at the time, so a colourway that is listed now is stock rather than something that can be reproduced on request. If you want a particular colour direction rather than a particular colourway, the custom ring is the listing that covers it.
Choose the colour direction, UK ring size and band width. Made from the skateboard wood currently in stock.
How do you look after a wooden ring?
The finish is water resistant but not waterproof, and most of the care comes down to that.
- Keep it out of long soaks. Showers, swimming and washing up all mean prolonged water on the finish. Take the ring off first.
- Keep it away from chemicals. Hand sanitisers, perfumes, harsh soaps and strong cleaning products all attack the coating.
- Take it off for impact and friction. Lifting weights, using tools or machinery, DIY, bike repairs and gardening are the jobs that damage a wooden ring. Everyday wear is not.
- Wipe rather than wash. A soft dry cloth is enough.
- Store it dry and out of the sun. Every ring is sent in a small gift box, and that box is a good place to keep it. A box or soft pouch stops the surface picking up scratches, and direct sunlight is best avoided.
If the gloss dulls over time, it can be brought back with a gentle polishing compound. T-Cut works well, and any polish made for glossy surfaces will do the same job. Refinishing is not a standard service, but it can be requested if a ring needs it.
The full routine is on the jewellery care page.
Frequently asked questions
Are wooden rings durable?
More than people expect, and it depends on construction. A ring cut from laminated ply has no single grain direction running round the band for a split to follow, because the layers inside were pressed together with their grain crossing. Add a hard sealed finish over the top and you have a band that copes with everyday wear. It is still wood, and it does not behave like a metal ring.
How long do wooden rings last?
There is no fixed lifespan, because it depends on the construction, the finish and how the ring is treated. What wears first is the finish rather than the wood, since the finish is the surface actually in contact with everything. A sealed ring worn daily will pick up marks over time, in the same way any ring does, and the gloss can be brought back with a polishing compound.
Is wood a good material for a ring?
It suits some people very well. It is light, it does not feel cold, and it does not look like anything metal. It asks for a bit more care than steel or gold. If you want a ring you never have to think about, metal is the easier choice. If you want something that weighs almost nothing and carries visible colour and grain, wood does that and metal cannot.
Do wooden rings break easily?
A thin band turned from solid timber has a weak direction built into it, along the grain. Laminated ply removes that, because the grain in the layers crosses and no split line runs all the way round. Skateboard decks are pressed from cross-laminated maple precisely because they have to take impact. The ring still comes off for lifting weights, tools, DIY and gardening.
What is a skateboard ring made from?
Recycled skateboard decks, which are made from thin sheets of hard rock maple pressed together with the grain running in different directions. A standard 10 mm band carries all seven plies of the deck. The colours are in the veneers themselves, so cutting across the ply exposes stripes of colour through pale maple. Nothing is painted or dyed afterwards.
Can a wooden ring be made in any size?
Baltic Dew rings are made to order in any UK ring size, in a standard band of approximately 10 mm or a slim band of approximately 6 mm, with a thickness of around 2.5 to 3 mm. Colour is the part that cannot be repeated to order, because it depends on which decks are available.
Can a wooden ring be resized?
No. A wooden ring is shaped to a fixed size and cannot be stretched or cut down the way a metal band can. Baltic Dew handles this by remaking the ring in the correct size once, free of charge, if the size ordered turns out to be wrong. You only cover the postage.
Can wooden rings get wet?
They are water resistant but not waterproof. Short contact with water is not a problem. Prolonged soaking is, so the ring comes off for showering, swimming and washing up. Hand sanitisers, perfumes and strong cleaning products should be kept away from the finish as well.
Wooden rings from recycled skateboards
Made to order in any UK ring size, in a full or slim band.
See the collection