Shop-Made Studded Knobs

Knobs I started making knobs for shop cabinets and jigs as a way to save money. But I’ve found that they look and feel better than the hard, plastic knobs found in hardware stores.

Cross-section The knobs are made from hardwood scraps that I cut into round blanks with a wing cutter at the drill press, as you can see in the photo at right. To get started, drill a counterbored hole in the center to hold a carriage bolt, as shown in the drawing. Then you can insert the carriage bolt and epoxy it in place.

Once the epoxy hardens, the knob can be shaped. To do this, I “turned” the knob on the drill press using a few simple tools.

First, chuck the end of the carriage bolt in the drill press and shape the top portion of the knob with a micro plane, as shown in the left photo below. (You could also use a file or rasp to do this.) Then to form the stem of the knob, I used a round wood file, as in the right photo.

Turning knobs

Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

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Printer-Friendly Version Shop-Made Studded Knobs I started making knobs for shop cabinets and jigs as a way to save money. But I’ve found that they look and feel better than the hard, plastic knobs found in hardware stores. The knobs are made from hardwood scraps that I cut into round blanks with a wing cutter at the drill press, as you can see in the photo at right. To get started, drill a counterbored hole in the center to hold a carriage bolt, as shown in the drawing. Then you can insert the carriage bolt and epoxy it in place. Once the epoxy hardens, the knob can be shaped. To do this, I “turned” the knob on the drill press using a few simple tools. First, chuck the end of the carriage bolt in the drill press and shape the top portion of the knob with a micro plane, as shown in the left photo below. (You could also use a file or rasp to do this.) Then to form the stem of the knob, I used a round wood file, as in the right photo. Good Woodworking, Phil Huber Online Editor, ShopNotes Send for a preview issue of ShopNotes magazine More Tips & Techniques Index of Tips by E-mail More Tips & Techniques WoodNET, Woodworking on the Web Subscriber Links Update your Email Preferences Subscribe
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