# Bottle Stopper Newbie Help



## ldl1017 (Nov 26, 2009)

Hi Guys,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a great day and that all the teams we want to win do so.

I’m wondering if I can get some help with bottle stopper turning. I am new to a lathe, but have a good bit of woodworking and do-it-yourself experience (I’ve noticed that my Jet lathe does not care how much experience I have; It seems to have a mind of its own.) my experience with a lathe is minimal. I have turned one pen in the past. I attended a class at my local Woodcraft and had a great time, hence the interest in turning. I have watched a number of videos on turning a bottle stopper and I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the mechanics. I WAS WRONG. 
 Here are the problems I am encountering.

1) I turned one bottle stopper last week and I used the tailstock to hold it in place. I realized this was a mistake as soon as I did it. It leaves a noticeable dimple in the top of the stopper. The first several will obviously be failures or experiments. I also should mention that when I scribed my lines in the end to hold the blank in place, the lines were not corner to corner. I am using a Zero Zero Center Finder that I purchased at Woodcraft. 
2) I tried turning one this morning and was unsuccessful. I chucked the blank in a bottle stopper chuck that I purchased from Penn State. It was part of a 10 pack kit. I drilled the hole and mounted the blank. I had my lathe set to a medium speed. As soon as I touched the roughing tool (my tools are all very sharp) to the blank it stopped rotating. The only way to keep it rotating is to use very light pressure, which barely takes any wood off the blank. 
3) I increased my pressure and the blank is now wobbling on the chuck and the previously tight hole is so loose that I can slip the blank on and off with no resistance at all. I may be able to salvage this blank in the future, but I still need to know what I am doing wrong.

This is a long missive and I apologize for that. I hope that someone can answer me with some helpful tips. I have some added pressure in that my wife wants me to make bottle stoppers for Xmas gifts. HELP.
Thanks,
Lou


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## NewLondon88 (Nov 26, 2009)

ldl1017 said:


> I chucked the blank in a bottle stopper chuck that I purchased from Penn State. It was part of a 10 pack kit. I drilled the hole and mounted the blank. I had my lathe set to a medium speed. As soon as I touched the roughing tool (my tools are all very sharp) to the blank it stopped rotating.




Just a guess here..
Might be that the hole was drilled too big. It should be a very tight fit if you want
it to hold while it spins at lathe speed. Think of the roughing gouge as a brake.
If you've got a 3" round piece spinning at 'medium' speed (let's say 1500 PRM)
that blank is moving at around 20 MPH. Doesn't sound like much, but you're
stopping that motion instantly with the gouge. If it doesn't stop the motor, it will
tear out the threading where it meets the mandrel.

Higher speed could help (if you have a tight fit) and lighter cuts till you get it round
will also help. Once rounded, there is much less force involved ,as the tool will be
shearing off small slices of wood as opposed to crashing into it. :tongue:

If the hole is too large, save the blank for something else.. like a tea light holder.
You want your drill bit to be slightly smaller than the mandrel, but I'm not
sure by how much .. and it might depend on the wood, too. I'm sure there
are others who know better.


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## Whaler (Nov 26, 2009)

Here is how I do it. I drill a hole 1" deep using a size "O" bit and then thread it with a 3/8 16 tap. This enables you to screw it onto the PSI chuck and have a tight fit. I then use the tail stock to stabilize it and move it away for the final work on the top.
You can find some very good info on turning stoppers at www.arizonasilhouette.com


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## broitblat (Nov 26, 2009)

If you don't like the dimple at the top, you have several options:

1) Cut the blank longer than you want the finished stopper to be and turn away the dimple after you've turned most of the shape of the rest of the stopper

2) Mount a cabochon. Again, after turning the primary shape, cut a hole (with a drill or gouges) the size of the inset you want to mount and then glue in your cabochon after finishing the rest of the stopper. Here are a few examples:


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## nava1uni (Nov 26, 2009)

You can use the one you have already drilled.  Wrap blue painters tape around the the threads of the mandrel, 1 layer at a time, until you get a tight fit.  DAMHIKT.  Then when you drill future ones do not use te size bit they tell you to use.  I learned this the hard way.  I use a smaller size and then lightly tap it.


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## HawksFeather (Nov 26, 2009)

I think most has been covered, but you might want to use a waste block between the tailstock and your wood when you are getting your stopper turned and to shape.  Then you can back the tailstock off and finish shaping the top of your stopper.  The block that I use is about an inch and a quarter long, about an inch diameter at the tailstock end, and tapers down to about a half inch where it rests against the top of the stopper.  Even with one like this






you will be able to get most of the shaping done before you need to remove the block.

Jerry


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## ronhampton (Nov 26, 2009)

the bit that comes with the kit is 23/64 th. the mandrel's threads are 3/8th that only leaves 1/64th for threads! ---ron.---


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## Ankrom Exotics (Nov 26, 2009)

Sounds like most issues have been addressed. The only tip I might add would be to cut your blank into an octagon before turning (I use my table saw with the blade at a 45 degree angle to remove the corners). My tools don't catch nearly as often.


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## KenV (Nov 27, 2009)

If you have blown out the threads and cannot recover, there are 3/8 by 16 threaded inserts you can purchase.  Redrill to the correct size and put one of them into the hole turning those big knife-like threads into the wood.  Make sure the insert is recessed and have at it again.

I think 5/16 drill and a tap - use of thin CA on the threads of less hard wood to strengthen the threads, followed by a retap after the CA has set.  (hint - use accelerator here)

Take the point out of your live center.  Use the rink, or make a small push block to fit into the hole and support the tailstock end of the block.  

Avoid trying to do a fast hog off of the corners.


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## junosdad (Nov 27, 2009)

+1 buzz's suggestion - remove the corners.

Bandsaw would be another option to do so.



Sam


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## maxwell_smart007 (Nov 27, 2009)

THe hole's too big - that happens sometimes in softer woods...

WHen that happens to me, I fill the hole up partway with sawdust, fill it with thin CA, and so on until I reach the top...then I redrill with a slightly smaller bit.

As far as the dimple, you can turn the entire stopper using the tool rest if you like, and then at the very end, do a few finishing cuts (very light) to get rid of the dimple.  

As always - sharp tools, light cuts! 

Andrew


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## ldl1017 (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I'll try some of the sufggestions and let you know the results. I have everything crossed for a successful outcome.
Lou


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## Silly Rabbit (Dec 7, 2009)

With the softer woods I have this problem as well. I put in some thin CA on the  threads inside my blank, let it cure and repeat. Then I take my tap and retap the threads. Works everytime for me that way.


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