Bottle Stopper

[terryf]

Tried my hand at making a bottle stopper.

Had a box of three stainless stoppers which had screw in stainless tops. I screwed the one off and used the stem to glue inside the wood. I then mounted the whole lot onto the lathe and turned it to shape.

Being the first one there is a lot of room for improvement.

The one thing I found very difficult was fine sanding on the lathe. I tried using a small bock but that didnt work too well.

How do you bottle stopper turners do your sanding?

btw, the wood is Karee burl

Thanks for looking :wink:

 

[micharms]

Terry:
Nice looking stopper. The wood looks great.

As far a s sanding stoppers on the lathe is concerned, I sand just like any other spindle turning. I'm not sure where you are having your problems.

Michael

 

[terryf]

I'm struggling with the angles which are quite steep compared to say a table leg. When I get in one side I invariable end up cutting into the wood on the opposite side.

 

[micharms]

I just have the paper folded and make sure to keep it moving as I sand. As far as the steeper angles are concerned, if I'm having trouble making the cut then either I change to a tool that let's me make that cut or I change the design to a less steep angle.

Can you post a photo of the problem? Then it might be easier to make suggestions.

Michael

 

[terryf]

Thanks Michael

Its actually with the paper that Im making the small cuts into the wood.

Difficult to photograph as I have nobody to take the photos!

How wide do you cut your paper?

 

[micharms]

Terry:
The size of the paper often is dictated by what I am sanding. I do a lot with 1/8th sheets of paper folded in thirds. At times I will take one of those pieces and rip it in half or thirds and fold the resultant piece into thirds again. I try to never stop at the bottom of a valley and keep sanding up the opposite side if possible.
What grit are you starting with as that might be the cause of your problem? It's easier said than done sometimes but the smoother the cut off the tool the easier your sanding will be because you can start with a higher grit sandpaper. If I'm having a good day I often can start at 220-240 which reduces the risk of the kind of cutting I think you are talking about. Others can probably cut cleaner and start at even 320.

Hope this helps.
Michael

 

[terryf]

Thanks Michael, I started with 100 grit because of the pitting in the wood. Could be the wood, could be my tool work - I'll know on the next one

Thanks for your input.

 

[Maine2Colorado]

Howdy, I love your bottle stopper, and that wood is amazing!

 

[terryf]

Howdy, I love your bottle stopper, and that wood is amazing!

Thank you :biggrin: