Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | May 25, 2007 08:30pm | #1

   Wood,

   I turn wooden knobs on a  metal faceplate, to which is screwed a wooden face, with a hole thru its center for  the screw that holds the knob-to-be.  I glued a scrap of 80 grit sandpaper to the wood to add some extra stiction, and ultimately drove a couple nails into the wood either side of the center, and cut them off, leaving just a short spur sticking out, to grip the back side of the knob. Doubtless there are other, more elegant ways of holding the knob, but this works for me.

   Ray

2. 
   oldusty | May 25, 2007 10:53pm | #2

     WF,

              You could make a wood auxiliary face block that is screwed to the metal face plate , use the size screw you want through the wood .

       On the other hand don't limit your choices , you can turn a set of pulls at a time by splitting the turning into halves and then bandsawing out the back cupped area to create the recessed area . I made some on a custom bar of Mahogany and Oak , my favorite part was the turned pulls.

                         dusty

                       

1. 
   WoodFreek | May 26, 2007 02:38am | #3

   thanks. i've tried screws threw a piece of wood, and the wood doesn't seem to hold very tight. it doesn't take much of an aggressive touch and the screw slips and the wood stops turning. i do like the idea of sand paper and a few cut off nails.i just tried this method and it seems pretty good - it's a copy (kinda) of the oneway screw chuck. i took a fairly long 6 & 8 screw -- about 1 1/4 to 2 inches and cut the head of the screw off. then took my drill chuck and grabbed the scre, then turned on the wood for my knob. it worked pretty well. no slipping. i screwed the wood all the way to the jaws of the drill. this was not a very large pull -- a bit larger than a pen blank. i was thinking about taking a piece of round stock and putting the screw through to act as a larger support and act like a wooden face plate. but didn't get a chance to try.i do like the look of the oneway screw chuck, but it's close to $60 before shipping.... not too expensive, but i've been without a real job for a few years .

3. 
   jako17 | May 26, 2007 05:54am | #4

   I find that the thread form on sheet metal screws grabs better than wood screws.In fact I always use them on faceplates as well

4. 
   Napie | May 26, 2007 05:55am | #5

   I’ve turned a lot of knobs.  I use a 3/8” dowel in the stock that is held in a home made compression chuck.  You can then use the dowel to mount the knob, or cut it off and use a screw to mount it. This has also worked for some tauga nut knobs I turned for a walnut cabinet.