Chainmail wire jig

A simple jig I made for speeding up wrapping rings for chainmail. This design was made for a 3/8 ID (and winding rod) and used 16 gauge wire. This was powered with a fairly standard cordless drill. There is a 3/32 hole drilled through one end of the rod.

I found using the jig to be a little counter intuitive at first. Set the jig into a vice with the wider end facing AWAY from the end and the small hole free. I found facing up worked best.

Starting a wrap can be tricky. Thread the wire through both the small hole and the hole in the rod. To start the wrap, PUSH the drill and let it make one or two rotations. From here, constantly PULL on the drill and let it run. The coils can only exit one end of the jig and there isn't room for them to overlap. Once started, the coil will continue and work the rod and coil through on its own, but you need to keep pressure on it to keep things tight, or you'll get very loose coils.

It's generally best to cut the wire and let it run