bottle stoppers

[jeff3285]

I have made a few bottle stoppers and actually they seem to be catching on,,and I ordered the bottle stopper bushing from penn state where you screw it into the mandrell,, but when I go to tap the end for it to mount I have a time getting it on the bushing,,,does anymore know of a better way to turn these without using this type bushing,,

 

[Edgar]

Are you talking about this one that threads onto the 1x8 headstock?
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PK-BS1-MJ.html

Are you using a 3/8" tap to tap the hole after drilling or are you trying to thread the blank directly onto the stopper chuck?


I use their older stopper mandrel that mounts in a drill chuck or collet chuck & I started trying to thread the blank directly onto the 3/8 screw. I had varying success, depending on the hardness of the wood.

What I do now is drill the hole with a 9/32" drill bit, then use a 3/8" tap to cut threads in the blank. It's very easy to thread the blank onto the stopper mandrel or chuck after doing this.

The other thing I do is to drill a recess in the bottom of the blank, about 3/32"-1/8" deep with a 7/8" forstner bit before drilling & tapping the hole. It's very difficult to get the hole in the blank perfectly perpendicular to the bottom of the blank - using a slight recess will hide any error in that alignment.

If I misunderstood your question, please post a link to the device you are using.

Edgar

 

[monophoto]

I have that mandrel.

The 23/64 drill bit provided with the mandrel assumes that you will simply force the blank onto the mandrel stud, with the stud serving as the tap to thread a hole in the blank. Fine in theory, but if you are using a hard wood,, the theory breaks down. In addition, a 23/64 hole threaded for 3/8x16 doesn't leave a lot of thread depth when the time comes to attach the finished blank to the metal stopper base.

My preference is to drill with a 5/16" bit, and then use a 3/8x16tip tapered tap to thread the hole. After cutting the threads, drip a little thin CA into the threads, and allow it to cure thoroughly. This will reinforce the threads so that they are less likely to strip out when you mount the blank on the mandrel. After the clue cures (THOROUGHLY - you really have to be patient and just wait), run the tap in again to clean up any fuzzies on the threads.

And like Edgar, I prefer to put a recess in the bottom of the blank so that the stopper seam between the stopper blank and the bottom of the blank will be hidden by the edge of the recess. I have used forstner bits, but find that its easier to cut a small recess with a gouge or scraper when facing off the bottom. This step makes the final product a bit more 'finished'

 

[Sabaharr]

I use the Ruth Niles mandrel with her stopper inserts. The mandrel is designed to cut the threads as the blank is twisted on. I use a different process now but that was how I started out using it.

 

[KCW]

I like to chuck up the blank in my 4 jaw chuck, then drill a 5/16 hole, then I face off the mating surface, with a slight recess, then I counter sink the hole about an eighth of an inch (the CSUSA stoppers I use are not threaded all the way up to the base of the stopper), then I put the tap in the drill chuck, and tap the hole, all without removing the blank from the 4 jaw, so I know everything is lined up. It doesn't matter how much it wobbles on the mandrel, when you know it will line up in the end product. I have no idea if this will answer any of the questions you had, but that is how I do it.

 

[JimB]

I also have that mandrel. I do the same as Edgar and Louie using a 5/16 bit and then tap it with 3/8 x16 tap. As already stated, using their bit and mounting directly onto the mandrel without taping it leaves to little thread and it will just rip out the threads during turning.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I have found the fastest and easiest way to do bottle stoppers is to use a 3/8" pin chuck in a collet... I drill a 3/8" hole and slip it on to my home made 3/8" pin chuck, give it a quick twist and spin at about 1900 rpms... I can cut and sand to a finish, ready to be finished with my polyurethane finish in about 10 minutes per stopper.
Only problem is, when I put the turning on the stopper insert, I have to glue them in with an epoxy... I suppose if I used a smaller pin chuck, they could be tapped to thread in.