Turned Door Stop | Popular Woodworking

Perfect for the house that has everything.

Take the humble rubber doorstop—please! Then head to your lathe and create something that you can’t buy in a store—a doorstop that looks as great as it works. In addition to creating a functional item and a unique gift, this simple project provides an excellent opportunity to practice the art of creating pommels (a pommel is any part of a spindle turning that’s left square). Disaster lurks at the end of a pommel, where the turning changes from round to square, because one wrong move can cause ruinous splintering. That’s why artfully making the transition is an important technique to master. As each blank produces two doorstops, you’ll be able to practice creating pommels in both directions with every blank.

Doorstops take a real beating, so use tough wood; oak, maple, cherry and walnut all work well. A 12″ long by…