bottle stoppers

[jeff3285]

I have made a few bottle stoppers but it just a hit and miss thing with me as far as trying to drill and tap them,,,and making them fit tight against the mandrel,,i have tried small bits ,,letter bits to drill the holes before tapping,,and it seems like when you tap all you do is make the hole larger,,but no threads,,has anyone ever used a sleeve tapped at 3/8 and glues it in,,that was my next thought,,

 

[wyone]

I use the Ruth Niles stopper mandrel. She furnishes a bit and the mandrel actually is designed to thread the wood and work as a mandrel

 

[Eric1075]

Penn State Industries sells a 3/8" tap to thread a 5/16" hole. It works in conjuction with their bottle stopper mandrel. One thing I found was make sure you drill the 5/16" hole deep enough the 1st time. I bottomed out the mandrel before it made full contact. Going back to redrill is sure to ream out the hole rendering the thread tap useless. I've never used insert sleeves.

 

[JimB]

I use the mandrel from PSI. I drill with a 5/16 bit and then tap it with a 3/8 16 TPI tap on the lathe. No problems. All my bottle stoppers are made with wood, no man made materials.

 

[dogcatcher]

I use the PSI system, I do NOT USE the 5/16 bit that is furnished, I drop down a size to a 19/64 or 9/32 drill bit. After I drill I drizzle CA on the inside of the hole. LET THE CA DRY COMPLETELY and then tap with a 3/8 tap. I again drizzle CA on the tapped threads, let that dry and run the tap again in the hole. ALAWYS MAKE SURE THE CA IS DRY before tapping.

This will strengthen the threads so the threads should not tear out on you. Sharp chisels and light cuts when you start with a square block.

 

[jeff3285]

I use the PSI system, I do NOT USE the 5/16 bit that is furnished, I drop down a size to a 19/64 or 9/32 drill bit. After I drill I drizzle CA on the inside of the hole. LET THE CA DRY COMPLETELY and then tap with a 3/8 tap. I again drizzle CA on the tapped threads, let that dry and run the tap again in the hole. ALAWYS MAKE SURE THE CA IS DRY before tapping.

This will strengthen the threads so the threads should not tear out on you. Sharp chisels and light cuts when you start with a square block.

I will try that!!!

 

[TellicoTurning]

I use a pen chuck, made from a short steel bar 3/8" in diameter and with about a 1" flat at one end and held in a collet. I use a small nail on the flat to hold the blank. A quick twist of the blank will lock it in place. I do generally have to glue the insert into the blank. But if you wanted, you might use a smaller rod and then the threads of the insert could thread into the hole. You can leave enough space between the collet and the blank to allow you to true and flatten the bottom of the blank.