I was presented with a large, glass bottle in gorgeous green and asked to turn a top for it to compliment the bottle as a table. Not a woodturning challenge so much as a woodworking challenge. How does one attach a top to a bottle without drilling into it or harming it in any way? This may have been a large carboy that my client had picked up at an antiques store and she did not wish it harmed. I would not be surprised if it could hold about five gallons or more.
I began by turning a 17" x 2" top out of ash crotch wood and letting it move and dry as needed. Then I finish turned and rough sanded it. A couple of expected cracks were filled with dyed epoxy and then a final sanding and finish.
I used a chuck to hold the piece as the top was turned but reasoned that the method of supporting the top would hide the chuck hole.
Complications arose because the bottle top was not truly round nor truly flat, as happens often with old glassware. The securing mechanism needed to have a bit of adjustment for this as well as for the different expansion rates of glass and wood. I turned a cylinder of maple to fit the top and fitted that into a mortise in a piece of 3/4" ash. Three holes were drilled at 120° intervals around the outside and tapped for 1/4" x 20 bolts.
The support was fastened to the top using #12 screws through elongated holes to allow for movement.
Bolts were cut down to fit and inserted with hard rubber stoppers to force against the glass.
With the fastening finished the table was assembled. Here is view one.
This is view two. My customer was quite pleased. I seldom do commisions but this one was a challenge and a pleasure.