Wine Bottle Stopper #1

Matt,

Beautiful Job!!

I had a similar problem holding some cheese knife handles. I will try and remember to take some pix of the chuck I made. I think you could modify it to solve your problem.

Lew

Nice job. Get over it, buddy, we all goof up, you just learn from your mistakes.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Here is a mandrel and a source for stainless steel stoppers.

Rikkor, thanks for the link – great stuff!

-- Always do the Right Thing the Right Way the First Time - if you can figure out what that is! Ken, Spring Branch, TX

nice looking wine stopper Matt! Really like the shape and the olive wood. I have never attempted turning before maybe one day I will give it a try.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com

Matt,

Here are 2 ideas I used when making cheese knife handles. If you have a chuck for your lathe, you could use either one of these ideas, directly.

The first, requires the drilling of the metal stopper hole prior to any turning. Drill the square blank the suggested diameter and depth for the stopper. Then mount the blank on this holder:

The large end of the holder is held by the chuck. The small end, with the pin, holds the drilled end of the blank. The pin is the same diameter as the drilled hole. The tail stock is brought up and tightened into the blank. The pressure from the tail stock provides enough friction to prevent the blank from spinning free.

The second idea is to hold the turned stopper after it is finished, in order to drill the hole.

Make a holder that is has a hole the same diameter as your finished stopper. Cut some slits into the end. Use a clamp to provide even pressure. Insert the finished stopper into the hole, with the end to be drilled, facing out. Mount the holder into your lathe chuck. Replace your tail stock with a drill Jacobs chuck with the correct sized bit for your stopper. Crank the tail stock into the blank, with the lathe running, and drill your hole.

If you don’t have a lathe chuck, you could make dedicated holders using a threaded holder and turning the desired holding device into it’s design.

Hope this gives you some ideas and maybe an excuse to buy something for your lathe!!

Lew

thanks for the comments everyone…

Lew…i like the middle option…it seems to fit the issue and with the slit and clamp gives the flexibility for different size/shaped stoppers…

I also bought a mandrel that was recommended on the forum i wrote…for the tear drop stoppers…

so maybe that will help as well…

if that does not I will try this option…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Interesting Matt, it sounds like you’ve got a solution….did it work?

I’ve seen some kitchen utensils made out of olive wood, I’d like to work with some of that if I can find any of it locally.

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!