Take your roundbar mandrel, and cut a piece about 12 inches long. (You can use the whole thing if you like, but long coils are hard to store, tend to bend in unexpected places, and are difficult to make well.)

About two inches from the end, drill a whole through the bar with a good titanium-coated metal bit. The bar will get hot, so use your gloves!

Now insert the end of the mandrel into your drill (a bar with a diameter of more than 3/8 in. probably won't fit, you might have to shave the end down with a lathe or Dremel; more on that to come!)

With the drill in your left hand, insert the end of your wire spool into the hole in the mandrel about one inch.

At this point, I prefer putting the drill in reverse; it makes an overhand coil. Forward results in an underhand coil.

Using your right hand (gloved, please) as a guide, trigger the drill slowly to coil the wire. Before you reach the end of the mandrel, stop.

At this point, the coil is essentially a high-energy spring! That energy will release when the end is cut, and could cause great personal harm if not done properly! Grab hold of the coil firmly in one hand, and use your cutters to nip the wire as close to the mandrel as possible. Then you can use the gripping hand to release the spring more manageably.

Use your needle-nose pliers to pry the other end of the wire from the hole in the mandrel, then slide the coil off the bar.

Time to cut your rings!

The H.P. Porter cutters are great for 12, 14, 16, 17 gauge wire, but not so good for 18; might need some small wire clippers for that. You also need to think about storage for your rings; Altoids mint tins are great for on-the-road work, but only hold about 200 rings (2 coils worth), so look for something bigger. I prefer candy tins, easy to find at thrift stores, especially around the holidays. You don't have to use tins, but they hold up better against the constant wear and tear.

Starting at either end, clip off any excess wire so that you have good, well-formed rings, then continue cutting down one side. Watch the rings fly! (Or do this on a table, and corral them into you container.) A foot-long mandrel will yield about 100 rings of 16 gauge. This part wears out your hand fast, so you might alternate between coiling and cutting.

You now have plenty of rings. Know what you're going to make? Awesome! Send me a picture when you're finished! Still just getting started? How about a tutorial for basic maille work?