Stopper Mandrels

[heritagebob]

I am just getting into making stoppers,, I recently purchased a kit from Woodcraft that had 4 stoppers, a drill bit and mandrel,, was told all are compatable and should be good to go...... well wll is well EXCEPT.. after I drill my hole and thread on the mandrel, turn to shape, remove from mandrel I fin the threaded stopper to be a bit "sloppy" and have to put some epoxy inside and let it dry,,, how can I be assured that the stoppers I guy will fit the hole I have drilled...

Also have learned thru "R&D" that a hex head bolt mounted in a drill chuck on the lathe makes a good mandrel

Where can I find good stopper that will thread nicely into the 3/8 hole I drill ,, I am not a machinest so charts arnt much help to me

Rookie at work
Thanks

 

[heritagebob]

Sorry for the typos in above message,, need to read before I post,,, duh!

 

[Edgar]

Your starting hole might be a little large. WC recommends a 9 mm hole for dense/hard woods or 11/32" (8.73 mm) for softer woods. PSI recommends a 5/16" hole (7.94 mm) & doesn't make a distinction between hard & soft woods.

Personally, I find that a 9/32" (7.14 mm) hole works best and I use this PSI tap to cut the threads rather than trying to thread directly onto the mandrel.
Bottle Stopper Drill and Tap Set at Penn State Industries

I haven't had any problems with sloppy fits since I started using the 9/32" drill.

 

[raar25]

I put a metal insert with threads into the wood and have no slop.

 

[Old Codger]

I've made numerous bottle stoppers using Ruth Niles mandrels and bottle stoppers and never have had a problem. Drop Ruth an email regarding your problems or better yet, give her a call and I'm sure you'll be more than pleased with her advice and products. She's a wonderful turner and person who always seems to have the new turner in mind when she produces a fine and lasting product! Talk to your other turning friends and I'm sure they'll back up what I recommend! Safe turning to you always!

 

[dogcatcher]

Sometimes I use a 3/8 bolt with the head cut off in my collet chuck. I drill a 9/32" bit, then tap the hole using a 3/8-16 tap that picked up at the hardware store for a few dollars.

My other system is a PSI stopper chuck, but I still drill with a 9/32" bit and use the above tap. The drill bit with the PSI chuck is too large and creates a sloppy fit on the chuck.

After I have drilled and tapped the holes I drizzle a little thin CA glue on the threads to strengthen the threads. The NEXT day run the tap back through the threads and then it good to turn.

 

[scjohnson243]

Just wanted to say I did my first bottle stopper last night, and I had the exact same problem you did, Bob.. Looks like the drill bit included is too big.. I had to epoxy it together... Will look into solutions here also, 9/32" seems to be the consensus.

 

[heritagebob]

Thanks for all the info,, I have discovered that the drill bit is in fact a tad bit to large, so I pulled out my caliper, searched thru my bits, found one a little smaller ( not sure what size it is right now ) used it to drill a hole in a chunk of scrap wood, and all seems to go together just fine now.. Always on the hunt for new things to try and experiment with....

 

[Edward Cypher]

+1 on Ruth Niles

 

[kludge77]

I might do things a bit different, so I'll comment.

I bought the Ruth Niles setup. Mandrel, stoppers and 11/32 stub bit. It worked great, but I couldn't sell the blasted things in my area. So I decided to switch to cork.

But I still use Ruth's setup.

I drill 11/32 hole in the wood and thread it on to the mandrel and turn it round. I then glue in a short length of 3/8 dowel and glue on the 50 cent cork. (woodcraft) Once the glue dries just sand the dowel flush to the cork hole.

You've now got a cork that shows off the wood and not the stopper. In addition your cost are WAY down. I sell them for $12 and $10 of that is profit....

 

[dogcatcher]

I might do things a bit different, so I'll comment.

I bought the Ruth Niles setup. Mandrel, stoppers and 11/32 stub bit. It worked great, but I couldn't sell the blasted things in my area. So I decided to switch to cork.

But I still use Ruth's setup.

I drill 11/32 hole in the wood and thread it on to the mandrel and turn it round. I then glue in a short length of 3/8 dowel and glue on the 50 cent cork. (woodcraft) Once the glue dries just sand the dowel flush to the cork hole.

You've now got a cork that shows off the wood and not the stopper. In addition your cost are WAY down. I sell them for $12 and $10 of that is profit....

I am with you, I can make the cork and the silicone stoppers quicker, and for a lot less cost and sell a lot more of them than the stainless steel versions. They also work better than the others.

 

[heritagebob]

I had the same sorta idea about the cork,,, so I ordered some and now waiting on the mail truck,,, watched a few youtube vids and looked at a lot of pics on this matter,, looks great and will add some varity