To help avoid bad jokes, I didn't put what I was looking for in the title... Damn immature forum readers tend to find this funny I'm looking for a wood knob to use for a volume control on an audio amplifier I'm building. Are there any online or real shops that anyone knows of that might sell something suitable? If it's a 'brick and mortar' shop, then it has to be in the UK. If not, is there anyone on the forums with woodworking experience who would be willing to make one for me for a fee? Ideal dimensions would be a cylinder 40mm diameter by 30mm long, stainable to look like walnut (or actually made of walnut of course )
try to find a dowel wide enough for you and then cut it down to size and if you mess up there will be more dowel left
funnily enough i once saw a shop called 'knobs and knockers" .... but anywho ... i think a simple way would be to find the type of wood u want, maybe an offcut of some other ur using something like 40mm square and cutting the corners to make a nearish circlular shape, hexagonal etc... Then make a ghetto laithe (unless u already have access to one) using a drill at slow speed and round it off as it spins with some sand paper
look in the yellow pages to find your local woodyard (everywheres got one, but nobody knows about them). go there and see if you can have a rummage in their offcuts bin. most woodyards will let you grab a handfull of stuff out of it for free, or for pence. failing that, they will have a dowel to match your needs, and for such a small peice, i doubt they are gonna charge too much for it. if you want a shaped knob, then your woodyard will have a stack of stock peices, (you dont think carpenters actually lathed all those chair legs etc did you?). (i know, im lame, but i just cant resist.) <lameness> failing that, im sure if you look in your local red-light district, you will find plenty of lads who would happily give you any kind of knob you like, for a small fee... discretion is advised. </lameness>
No one has addressed how you should attach the knob to your amplifier. You can't just drill a hole in the end of it and push it on. Most controllers like this are "D" shaped -- with a flat on one side for alignment and grip. When the wood dries out, the hole you drilled will become slightly larger and the knob will spin without controlling the volume. You can't glue it on either. How would you service the amp if you couldn't remove the knob to pull the control unit out the back? I suggest you find a very small metal or plastic knob that will fit the D post. You might also be able to cut down the stock knob so that what you have is the collar that goes over the D post. Now drill out the back side of the dowel (or whatever you have decided to use as a knob) so that the collar or small knob fits snuggly into the hole. Glue the collar in place and let it dry. You should have a wooden knob that will push on the D post and pull off whenever you need to. Grump
I was going to drill a hole through the side of the knob, and use a small screw to hold it to the shaft. That's how the majority of general purpose knobs work.
This isn't a general purpose knob though, it's a custom job. Wood shrinks and expands with changes in temperature and humidity (I have been working with wood flooring for 33 years). In time, your knob will loosen around the post and the screw. If it's only a temporary device, you're good to go. For a more permanent solution, you'll have to find a way to adhere the wood to a metal or plastic collar. A screw will show, a collar won't. You can show off the wooden knob to it's all natural beauty, unmarred by a set screw. Grump
That sounds good to me. Get one of those cheapy knobs and basically stick it inside your wooden knob. (that sounded wrong, didnt it?) Whack it in so its nice and tight. Sorry just agreeing with you there
