Piece of turned wood in an incomplete circle, from which the basic shape for wooden elephant toys are cut.
Used to make wooden toy animals - the ring is produced in the general shape of the animal and then about 20 identical animal shapes can be cut from the ring. Each animal would then be finished by hand carving, sanding, and painting to make each animal unique. This method of wood turning became very successful in Erzgebirge, a former mining area where once the mines closed down many miners became woodcarvers and wood turners. Wooden toys produced in that area became very successful, and are still a major source of income for several towns in the area today.
