Bottle Stoppers

I think I am making a regular, predictable journey through the beginning stages of being a wood turner. First came pens, then some spindle turning, a start at bowl turning, and now, bottle stoppers.


I started with a kit from Woodcraft that included a 1/4" X 20 mandrel and several chrome stopper bottoms. The first ones were simple efforts but inspired me to try some different brands of stoppers.


My initial designs came from an October, 1996 issue of Wood magazine but most of those designs had very pointed tops and would have caused injuries when used as a stopper. My second set of stopper supplies, including ornaments for the top of the stopper, came from The Woodturners Catalog.

There the confusion started since the new stoppers used a larger thread or a wooden dowel. Each required some changes from the original methods. I created a mandrel from a bolt and nut to hold the larger threaded stoppers.

When I look at the series of stoppers I can readily see the value of drawing a design on paper before starting to turn on wood. The turnings seem to have progressed from unbalanced and haphazard to a more unified design. My favorites are the two shown in the accompanying picture (at twelve o'clock and three o'clock). I like the ornamentation on the top of the stoppers.

From the beginning my wife and I have struggled while trying to figure the true usefulness of these stoppers. First, when we open a bottle of wine, we usually finish it -meaning no need for a stopper. Second, when we try to use one of the stoppers on a tall bottle of wine, we can't find a spot in the refrigerator to accommodate that tall of a bottle. So, these may be neat things to make and useful to give as gifts, but not likely to be an oft-used item