# Wine Stopper Tap and Die Problem



## artdunbar (Apr 19, 2007)

I have several metal wine stoppers that use a metal bolt (1/4" or larger) to hold the turned wood handle. The stoppers are from more than one manufacturer, hence different size bolts. How do you determine the correct size hole to drill and the tap size to make the threads?


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Art,
I normally do not tap the wood. I drill a hole just slightly smaller than the outer thread diameter. What you are after is a hole that would be the size of the inner thread diameter, if that makes sense. 
It also depends on the wood. If the wood is soft, you would want the hole a smidgen smaller. If the wood is really dense, you don't have much room for error. I thread the piece onto the adapter that you can buy from wherever you get the winestoppers from. After turning, I finish it, buff it, and then I add a drop of CA glue to the hole right before I thread the wood onto the bottle stopper. 
Mike Hawkins


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## artdunbar (Apr 19, 2007)

Thanks for the tip Mike. As usual, the simplist way is the best way.

How do you finish your stoppers?

ART


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I just hold a drill bit up and select a size that is close to the size of the solid part of the threaded bolt. This should be slightly smaller than the bottom of the threads.
If you want to be really precise just google Tap thread drill sizes. You should be able to find a chart. The chart will probably give number, letter and inch sizes. Select the inch size closest to the number or letter size if you don't have a complete set of bits.


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## b00kemdano (Feb 10, 2009)

Same as above for drilling.

I've broken two mandrels for the metal bottle stoppers already, so I made my own. I got an appropriately sized bolt from HD, cut the head off and chucked it in my drill chuck. It seems that the mandrels aren't made from hardened steel.

When making stoppers from soft woods, I'll somtimes go ahead and drill it, then turn it with a drive center instead of the threaded mandrel. If you get a catch on a soft piece, it'll spin that mandrel inside the hole and ruin your threads. VERY disappointing when you're almost done with a stopper! Once you've turned the shape of it, you can thread it onto the mandrel to touch up the bottom and finish it. 

I've also done some hole repair by CA gluing some kraft paper (or brown paper bag pieces) in the hole to repair / reinforce the threads. I also CA the threaded rod into the wood when assembling this type of stopper.

My bottle stopper finish is: sand to 600, micromesh to 12000, blow off with air, two coats of lacquer, two coats of friction polish.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I use a similar finish. 3-4 coats of lacquer while it is still on the lathe. Then I buff it on a beale, three wheel setup on a jet buffer.
Mike Hawkins


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