Wood Turning: What coffee accessories would you like to see custom turned?

[Warrior372]

So I am pretty fond of the wood turning hobby. My ability to conceive and execute projects to a 'T' shocks me time and time again. So far I have made several experimental tamper handles, a 'plug' for the top of my grinder to prevent popcorning, and a tamping stand out of Claro Walnut Burl. If I was going to offer wood espresso setup accessories on my website, what would everyone like to see?

I think I would like to focus on visually appealing exotics such as burls of any kind, zebrawood, tulip wood, Bolivian rosewood, olive wood, African blackwood, every variety of ebony, pink ivory, snake wood, etc. I plan on buying whichever of the these woods happen to be at the exotic hardwood shops around me and are the most heavily figured / have the best patterns. Primarily focusing on tamper handles with custom bases I designed, I would then plan on doing limited runs of tamper handles in one shape of that single wood and rotate through different woods as I find promising ones / have time to make them.

I also thought it would be nice to be able to offer custom wood setups for the Bosco machines too. Those would include a lever handle, pf handle w/ bottomless portafilter, 2 knobs or levers for the steam / hot water, pull knob for the water refill, tamper handle with custom base, and a knob for the steam cup tray warmer if they opt for that option. I suppose I could look into making a tamper holder and tamping stand out of the same type of wood too. The price for this would be pretty high considering the wood alone would cost quite a bit, but I figure it would be nice to offer.

Can anyone think of any other coffee / espresso setup related items they would like to see made out of wood?

[milowebailey]

How about turned measuring spoon?  Something that would scoop ~25 grams?   Also wooden latte cups.  6 - 7 ounce cups?

[Warrior372]

Hmm. . . I wonder what I could finish the latte cups with after turning them. I will have to try and figure out what is safe and what would actually protect the wood from the liquid at the same time. I know Walnut oil and Linseed / Polymerized Linseed oil would be safe, but I do not believe they are the best for waterproofing.

I like the spoon idea too! I still have to figure out the while spoon thing. I do not have any electric saws, so I will try and figure that one out with the hand saws.

Thank you for the ideas.

[Warrior372]

I do plan on doing a few shave handles and regardless of how odd it might look I think I am going to sell them on the same website . I actually have 6 or 8 knots right now that are 26mm and 28mm if my memory serves me correctly. I think I have 2 Silvertip, 2 Manchurian, 1 or 2 - 2 Band, and 1 or 2 - Super Silvertip.  I stumbled upon a great knot manufacturer in China. They pick the fine and curly hairs out of the Silvertips 1 time and Super Silvertips 2 times. The Supers feel really nice, although I have not set any up in handles yet. They charge a premium for the 2nd pick through, but it is more than noticable. The Manchurians and 2 Band have a nice feel with a little more stiffness. I need to get 26mm and 28mm boring bits and then I will be able to bust a few of those out. You can drill centering holes on a lathe.

I could make a pepper grinder, but I do not know about a coffee grinder .

[milowebailey]

Hmm. . . I wonder what I could finish the latte cups with after turning them. I will have to try and figure out what is safe and what would actually protect the wood from the liquid at the same time. I know Walnut oil and Linseed / Polymerized Linseed oil would be safe, but I do not believe they are the best for waterproofing.

I like the spoon idea too! I still have to figure out the while spoon thing. I do not have any electric saws, so I will try and figure that one out with the hand saws.

Thank you for the ideas.

Here are a couple finishes.  I'm not sure which would hold up to coffee the best.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16418
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5344
or the best would be epoxy

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2004140/Mirror-Coat.aspx



Here is a discussion about it.

http://community.woodmagazine.com/t5/Wood-Turning/Drinking-cup-finish/td-p/146154

[Warrior372]

I would never ever, ever put epoxy on something I planned to eat or drink out of. Regardless of whether or not the harmful constituents go away throughout the drying process, some of those ingredients are just bad. The whole acid in the coffee thing is the twist. Most food safe finishes do not like acid. I have a beeswax finish you follow up with shellac. They coat a lot of time release pills with shellac, so I know you can eat it without any problems. I would just guess that whoever owned the cup would have to reapply the finish every now and then?

[mp]

Yeah ... I think it would be a great challenge to do cups in wood like that without putting yourself in harm of leaching the protection material.

 

[Warrior372]

The acid in the coffee is one hurdle and the temperature of the drink is another. A lot of finishes are not temp stable to that level either.

[ScareYourPassenger]

I would be seriously worried about the effects it might have on the taste.

How about a nice wooden shaving stand? Spot for a brush and a couple razors.

[Ray T]

These coffee mugs are neat if you can just get the inserts for your wood http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19667&rrt=1

[Warrior372]

I think I could do a stand for one razor and one brush on the lathe without too much difficulty. I might have to wait on trying a multi-razor stand until I get a drill press.

That cup is pretty sweet looking!