|
SS NILES BOTTLE STOPPERS
|
         |
 |
Making a Bottle Stopper
Making a bottle stopper is
quick and easy. It's a great use of small
pieces of exotic wood and it makes an impressive gift.
A few
considerations when making stopper designs:
* How will it look in the bottle not just in a display or
on a table.
* Stoppers do not need to be tall to be attractive. Check out the
glass and stone designs on the
Gallery page to
see this.
* Make
This first method is for using the #301, threaded, style bottle stopper base.
|
|
| Mount a blank (approx. 2"x2"x2.5" long) in your jaw chuck and bring up the tailstock (tailstock is not always necessary) and round as much as possible to the chuck. |
|
|
I continue to turn the bottom and cut a 1/16"-1/8" deep recess the diameter of the stopper (13/16") then cut a dimple as a guide for the drill bit. The recess eliminates trying to get the wood a perfect diameter (if it's a mm off, it looks like you tried and missed) it also eliminates an obvious glue line Even if you cut the bottom perfectly flat, wood always moves and there could be gaps where moisture and dirt can accumulate. |
|
|
This is a close up photo of stoppers that were done about 8 months ago. There were absolutely no gaps between the wood and the stopper tops. As you can see, the wood has moved and it makes it look like the turner didn't do a good job. With a tiny recess, this would never happen. We want your work to look beautiful forever............or at least 20 years! |
|
|
Use
the stub bit as there's less chance of it wandering when it
hits hard grain. Use a 23/64" or 9mm bit and drill the
hole 5/8" deep; the stud on the stopper is 1/2" so the 1/8"
further allows more glue room. You can see a
stub drill bit on the
"Bottle Stoppers" page. |
|
|
I like to turn a bit of the intended design before inserting the mandrel because most of my turnings are about the same diameter as the neck of the bottle. That's a personal taste, and I like the turning sitting as close to the bottle as possible. I also turn several blanks to this point before removing the chuck. |
|
|
The mandrel can be threaded into the wood either by hand or by inserting it in the tail stock and turning both the head stock wheel and the tail stock by hand for even threading. Mandrel purchasing information is on the "Bottle Stoppers" page. |
|
|
The wood is removed from the chuck, the chuck removed from the lathe, the mandrel inserted into the head stock spindle and the tail stock brought up for support. Be sure your spindle is clean so the mandrel seats, also the mandrel has a 5/16" thread for a draw bar. |
|
|
Turn final design. By the way, this finished design is a bit different than my original plan in the picture above because there was an crack that needed to be turned out. It is the same wood, the color variation is from lack of photographic skills. |
|
|
|
Finish sanding and holding a rag with oil on with the lathe running fast. After a few minutes you can just take it to the buffing wheels using the mandrel to hold it. Then simply unthread the mandrel and insert the stainless bottle stopper. |
|
|
Finished!
|
 |
Notice the stopper base is almost the same
|
|
This mandrel was designed by John Gwaltney. |
|
These are mandrels you can make. Round a waste block, drill a 23/64" hole right through, insert a 3/8" x 16 tpi lag or carriage bolt but do not glue yet. Be sure the bolt is running true. If it isn't, I have a step on both sides and adjust the block in the jaws so the bolt runs true then re-turn the step. When that re-turned step is reversed into the chuck, it will run true then glue the bolt. Turn the wood to any shape just be sure the bolt protrudes 1/2" to 5/8". |
The process for using the smooth tenon, #302, style stopper can be done two ways.
You can do the exact steps as above, after you remove the mandrel, run a 3/8" drill bit in the
hole to remove the threading then glue the stopper into the wood.
Below is the second method.
|
|
Mount a blank (approx. 2"x2"x2.5" long) in your jaw chuck and bring up the tailstock (tailstock is not always necessary) and round as much as possible to the chuck. |
 |
Use a 3/8" drill bit instead of the 23/64" and leave the wood in the chuck. |
 |
I turn the bottom and cut a 1/16"-1/8" deep recess the diameter of the stopper (13/16") then cut a dimple as a guide for the drill bit. The recess eliminates trying to get the wood a perfect diameter (if it's a mm off, it looks like you tried and missed) it also eliminates an obvious glue line Even if you cut the bottom perfectly flat, wood always moves and there could be gaps where moisture and dirt can accumulate. |
 |
Bring the tail stock up to turn the design, it does help with vibration. It's not shown in the picture but I do use the tail stock. |
|
|
Just before finishing turning the top and parting off, sand and apply oil finish. You should just have a small nub to sand smooth. If you have my mandrel or a homemade one, the turned stopper will fit snug enough to be able to hold it if you use the buffing wheel. I've had a stopper or two fly because I didn't have a firm hold on it! |
| Finished! |
 |
Visit the "Gallery" page to see a wide variety of imaginative
shapes
and designs done by other craftsmen and artists.
| |
|
|
© All rights reserved Ruth Niles 2011
All images and content within this site are copyrighted and intellectual
property of the owner.