| Project by Napaman | posted 367 days ago | 635 views | 0 times favorited | 8 comments |  |
 |
Well here is my first wine bottle stopper…I am pretty sure this was Olive Wood (I got the wood like a lot of my pen blanks out of a “grab bag” section at Wood Craft—-just a table of really cheap wood)...
I am really excited about this because I have not been turning very long…so far I have made 6-7 pens and this is my first bottle stopper…in some ways it is much easier then pens and I enjoyed the “creative freedom” compared to pens…which can be very creative but this couold really be any shape.
I made this about a week ago—-and then this past wekend I turned about 5-6 more blanks but did not finish any of them because I ran into a problem on this stopper that I have not fully solved on.
I posted a forum about it here but I am not sure I explained the problem real well in the forum.
The problem I am having is AFTER I AM COMPLETELY DONE turning, sanding and putting a finish on the stopper…I have to pull the stopper OFF MY LATHE…and then I have to drill a 3/8 inch hole to allow for the chrome stopper to screw into the wooden “top”.
The problem is I cant seem to HOLD the wooden “top” tight enough in my hand—-and thus the hole is not getting drilled super straight…and thus the stopper is not able to go on straght.
After I did this one…I turned a bunch of the blanks but have not drilled the holes yet…
Also i have heard that Chrome stopper can be bad for red wine…so I will be ordering non-chrome…i have a bunch of cork stopper as well…that you will see this weekend…
Either way these are REALLY FUN…and I think I will have a lot of Christmas gifts for family and colleagues this year…
thanks for any feedback and especially any ideas on the hole drill…
matt
-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...
8 comments so far
lew
home | projects | blog
4466 posts in 647 days
posted 367 days ago
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
jockmike2
home | projects | blog
7297 posts in 1138 days
posted 367 days ago
Nice job. Get over it, buddy, we all goof up, you just learn from your mistakes.
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
rikkor
home | projects | blog
11338 posts in 766 days
posted 367 days ago
Here is a mandrel and a source for stainless steel stoppers.
kewald
home | projects | blog
122 posts in 472 days
posted 367 days ago
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
bfd
home | projects | blog
418 posts in 698 days
posted 367 days ago
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
lew
home | projects | blog
4466 posts in 647 days
posted 366 days ago
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
Napaman
home | projects | blog
3482 posts in 968 days
posted 366 days ago
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...
Mark Shymanski
home | projects | blog
1554 posts in 604 days
posted 344 days ago
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!!!