Russian Triple Rings - Fidget Toy

Video HERE

Somewhere in the loft or some random box I have a silver Russian ring which is made of three interlocking rings - if I ever find it I will add a few pics here.

In time I expect that I can reduce the width of my rings to create a more delicate object, but I still actually like the chunkiness, it feels right in my hand.

You will need:
Wood Veneer
Ruler
Craft Knife
Sandpaper, files and/or a hobby drill.
Dish of water
Rolling Mandrill*
CA Glue
Masking tape
Small clamps
Wax or other finish

*If you can find a stepped ring mandrill that would be perfect, I used a glue stick and dowels. Look around you for solid things of varying diameters - hollow plastic bottles or things that flex are not ideal.

Method:

1. Cut the veneer into 10-15mm (1/3-1/2") strips of about 25-30cm (10-12"). You will need 3 strips cut along the grain, use the same wood if you like, but I like the effect of different ones.
2. Gently sand either end of each strip to a tapered edge then drop them into water and leave to soak.*
3. Roll the veneer around your mandrill as tightly as you can, rolling them on a flat surface to help bring the wood in tighter. Wrap with tape, remove from the form and leave to dry.**
4. Remove the tape and re-wrap the wood tightly around the mandrill, adding a little CA glue as you go. Hold the end for a few minutes until the glue sets, then remove from the mandrill.***
5. Place the ring on a non-stick surface (I use glass, which isn't) and drip a little glue into the layers, it will soak in and help bind the wood together. Wait a few minutes, then turn it over and repeat on the other side.
6. Once the glue is set you can even up the edges with sandpaper.**** Then cover the ring with CA, sand once more until smooth.
7. Roll your next strip through the first ring and then onto the mandrill, gluing as you go.
8. Repeat the gluing and sanding process, clamping the first ring to one side so that it doesn't stick.
9. Wrap the first two rings with tape, then roll the third strip through them, pulling it as tightly as you can - at least a closer size to the other two. Glue and sand in stages.
10. Unwrap everything then give all the rings a good sanding until smooth.
11. You can try and finish the whole thing with more CA, but the chances of ending up with a fixed knot would put me off, so I went with a coat of wax and some spray varnish.

*Soaking times do vary between species so you'll need to experiment, some will be really flexible after a few hours in cold, others need boiling before they'll bend without splintering.
**These MUST BE absolutely dry or the CA glue will develop white patches.
***You might want to add a layer of masking tape to the mandrill to stop things sticking.
****You could go at it with a drill or file, I did, but each ring needs smoothing and it could be easier to do that once they're all together. The choice is yours.
For future makes I will cut a notch from the side of my dowel so that I can get the second ring as close to the first one in size as possible - I can't see a way of doing that for the third.