I like coffee - a lot. And when I retired, my colleagues gave me an expresso machine as a retirement gift. So when I started turning, it was only natural that one of my early projects was an expresso tamper.
There are two ways to make tampers. One is to turn then entire tamper from wood. Because a tamper is exposed to a lot of mechanic stress in use (30-50 psi), it makes sense to use fairly hard wood.
The other option is to use a metal base. If you don't turn metal, then you have to purchase the base. There are several suppliers to choose from. There are some Chinese companies who offer good prices for large quantities. I found two companies that sell individual bases:
Reg Barber Enterprises in Vancouver, and
Espresso Parts in Seattle.
The base that I bought (from Espresso Parts) attaches to the handle with a 3/8x16 tpi threaded stud, so using a wine stopper mandrel to turn the handle was a no-brainer. I used myrtlewood for the handle, and finished it with gloss WOP. Made a coffee scoop to match.
You really need to have the expresso maker before ordering the base because you need to know the diameter of the portafilter. And you need to have the base before you turn the handle so that you can turn the handle to match the diameter of the base.
