Synopsis: Take your furniture to the next level with handmade spinner latches. Christian Becksvoort demonstrates two go-to latches for cabinet doors—an interior, back-mounted variety that is simple to make, and a mortised type that takes a bit more time and measuring, but is so clever and understated that you won’t be able to resist trying it.

Wooden spinner latches for doors are fun and straightforward to make, yet they exemplify the finer details of handmade furniture. In their most rudimentary form, spinners are mounted on the outside of case pieces; for a cleaner look, they can be placed inside the door and operated by twisting the door knob. I’ve always preferred the interior, back-mounted variety, but over the years the spinners on my cabinets have evolved from very basic to more sophisticated.

Many of my ideas were borrowed from Shaker pieces I’ve had the pleasure of restoring. One of my first cabinets had the simplest form of interior spinner, a pointed oval. It worked, but since you could turn it 360° as you twisted the knob, you had to “feel” when the spinner actually engaged behind the cabinet frame.

To solve that problem, I added two small dowels on the inside of the door stile to act as stops for the open and closed positions. Then it dawned on me that if I left one square corner on the spinner, a single dowel could serve as stop for both open and closed. I used this method of keeping doors closed for many years. Then I chanced upon a small Shaker cabinet with a spinner mortised into the edge of the door stile. Quite a bit more work, but so elegant, so understated, so clean and clever. Soon I was putting that type of spinner on many of my cabinets.

Whichever type I’m making, I first create the knob, giving it a 1⁄2-in.-dia. or 3⁄8-in.-dia. tenon, depending on the size of the case. I start by cutting the tenon with a tenon-cutter on the drill press. (For tips on making knobs, see “Authentic Shaker Knobs,” FWW #196, or “How to Turn Pulls Without a Lathe,” FWW #240.) Christian Becksvoort makes spinners and the furniture for them in New Gloucester, Maine.

Interior spinner
An interior spinner is easy to make and install. Make the knob, then drill a knob hole for it through the door stile with a bit 1⁄64 in. larger than the diameter of the tenon. Then, using 1⁄4-in.-thick stock, make a rectangular blank about 1-1⁄4 in. wide and 4 in. long. The extra length makes the blank easier to handle on the drill press and bandsaw. Drill a hole in the blank that’s a snug fit for the knob tenon, centered in the width of the blank and about 3⁄4 in. from one end. Draw the spinner by eye, bandsaw it out, and fair the edges on the disk sander.

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