Bottle stoppers

It depends on what shape you want to make….I usually look at a minimal size of a square over 3” X 3”...remember you can always reduce the size easily – increasing requires a lot more effort.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

reggick: I’m asking about the dowel that you glue in the end of the block to chuck up on and to mount the cork when done turning. TKS 3/8—5/16?

-- Dudley Young USN Retired. Sebastian, Fl.

ahh..my bad…(plop) – thats the sound of me hitting my forehead with my ice cream cone – I usually start with a block chucked up between centers (sized as above)....turn to round (sometimes I will leave some square areas for design – but one side has to be rounded) and then turn a tenon on a rounded side that is approximately 1/16 less (I like my stoppers not to overhang the cork and possibly catch on the bottle) then the widest diameter of the cork (I use a caliper to measure as corks vary alot in size…even in the same batch)....that also leaves me the ability to sand a bit before attaching to the stopper. It also is stronger then gluing a dowel to the turning and then too the cork.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

Most of the corks are predrilled to fit a 3/8 dowel rod. I do not make many of this style of stopper I prefer SS (stainless steel ends) myself.

-- coloradobob

Thanks all: Didn’t know the corks came pre-drilled. Haven’t received my order yet. Will get the mandrel and do some S/S and chrome also.

-- Dudley Young USN Retired. Sebastian, Fl.

I’ve never used pre drilled corks (I just would get some at the local Michaels craft store).....like you I wasn’t aware that they did (I would still turn my own tenon instead of using a dowel though). I have switched over to turning for SS stoppers myself after finding SS Niles for a source. here is the site for anyone wanting a good, reasonable priced source SS Niles Stoppers I found this site being mentioned on here before and that was how I came aware of it – I had a wonderful conversation with Ruth Niles….the owner…when I made my first order….great person and great product.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

Got my corks today and they are not pre-drilled so I can use any size dowel I want.

-- Dudley Young USN Retired. Sebastian, Fl.