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Bottle StoppersBy Trent Kelly
These chrome bottle stoppers are a great turning project. Wood and profile choices can make these stoppers match just about any decor. The first blank I used was a solid piece of black walnut. The second blank is made up of black walnut and chestnut pieces glued together with Titebond™ wood glue. The stopper kit is part number 35249, and the mandrel is part number 33774. The mandrel mounts in a Morse Taper drill chuck. When making a glued blank, it is a good idea to add a piece of scrap wood on the end for the tail center to press into. I used a piece of 3/4 inch plywood. Solid wood is a better choice since pieces of plywood can break loose during turning. For a solid wood blank, either glue a piece of scrap on the end or plan for a little extra length on the spindle that will be removed near the end of cutting the profile.
According to the instructions, drill a 6mm hole in the center of the blank in the end which will attach to the stopper hardware. The hole needs to be deep enough to accept the length of the mandrel. As demonstrated in this picture, the hole goes in the end opposite from the scrap piece. Some blanks will likely be large enough to be drilled on a drill press without a jig. I used my my home made pen blank drilling jig. You can also use a commercial pen blank drilling jig.
Thread the spindle on the mandrel, mount it in a drill chuck, and tighten the tail center. Rough turning is the most difficult part of turning this project because excess torque on the spindle can cause the mandrel to break loose and spin free inside the spindle. I found my roughing gouge to be too aggressive and used a spindle gouge (on a new spindle) to carefully rough turn the square spindle down to round.
Work the spindle down to the profile leaving the trim piece on the tail stock end to be parted at the end. Use of tools after the trim piece is parted and the tail stock is pulled back should be kept to a minimum.
After the profile is complete, unscrew the spindle from the mandrel a couple of turns and sand using progressive grits up to 400 or higher. The mandrel bushing is a larger diameter than the stopper end where it meets the handle; Unscrewing the spindle a couple of turns will make room for sanding and finishing the entire exposed surface of the spindle. I cleaned each spindle with tack cloth and finished them in place on the lathe with two coats of Behlen Woodturner's Finish.
After the finish dries, remove the spindle from the mandrel. Unscrew the threaded rod from the chrome end. Mix up some epoxy and use a Q-Tip to carefully place some inside the threaded hole in the wood spindle. Screw the threaded rod into the spindle down to the desired depth. Since the chrome end has stronger threads than the wood spindle, I threaded most of the rod into the spindle and left 3/8 inch outside for the chrome end. After the epoxy cured I threaded the chrome end on without epoxy so that it can be removed for cleaning.
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