Hey, everyone. Iggy again.

It’s a good thing that Tom has left me alone in the shop. Without having to stop to answer his inane questions, I have made good progress on the wine bottle topper. Which is good, because I have a feeling I may need to make a boatload of these babies.

But, first, I did the smart thing. I took the plans that David Piccuito sent me and made a template out of some 1/2 inch plywood. I resisted the urge to just slap the pattern down on the workpiece because I wanted to have a nice pattern to rout to, if I wanted to go that way. Plus, it would be a lot more durable for when I’m cranking out those babies.

Once I traced the outline, I took it over to the drill press to make the holes for the neck of the bottle and for the wine glasses. With the right size forstner bits, it’s a piece of cake to get some nice looking holes.

With this done, I turned to the jigsaw to make the cuts. With a good quality blade, it’s amazing how accurately you can cut with one of these. To snug the piece down for cutting, I used a holdfast in one of the new bench’s dog holes. Holds like a champ, and stays out of the way while I am cutting.

With the rough cutting out of the way, I used a Microplane rasp on the piece to ensure the curves were fair. These things are the bee’s knees.. great for making smooth cuts on board edges…

The next step was to sand and round over the edges. After I did some work on it, I had to take it for a ride. I think the lucky recipient of this is going to be very happy!

Now, maybe for a little nip. But, you all know I prefer banana daiquiris…

Today’s winner? Hmmm, let’s see… One skill I have always wanted to try, but have been afraid I might catch my tail on, is turning. Fortunately, Brian Benham has sent this entry for how to turn holiday ornaments. Using some glued up scraps, he was able to turn some sweet looking ornaments.  Great work, Brian. How would you like a copy of Popular Woodworking’s DVD of editions from 1995 – 2012, plus a one-year subscription to their magazine?  I think you may find some more ideas in there.

Now, for today’s articles… how about these?

• Brian over at Construction Boss has been working on a Christmas Workbench for his nearly three year old sons. I have to warn you, the pictures of his son working in the shop are definitely hitting cute overload, so be prepared!
• Fine Woodworking: Great Christmas Gift, done in an hour
• Woodworking for Mere Mortals: Tips for making last-minute Christmas gifts
• The Renaissance Woodworker: Woodworking Gift ideas from Christmases past