Coffee Tamps

[Sawdust Maker]

A little while ago I managed to acquire a couple of coffee tamp bases with the thought of making a few handles

here are my efforts


324729 324721 324726
Silky Oak, Sheoak, Camphor Laurel


324728 324731 324727
Olive, Jarrah and Tassie Oak, Huon Pine

324724 324725 324732
Aus Cedar, Blackwood, Jarrah

324730
Spotted Gum


All finished with Shellawax

I'm particularly interested in what people think of the respective shapes
or which you think look good and which you think are plain fugly

(oh and I didn't buy ten bases only three)

PS: the bases are 58mm diameter

[BobL]

WARNING - super coffee geek info provided - may not be understandable by some woodturners :D

SM, the shapes look good for general sales but I found standard tamper handle shapes didn't suit my hand and don't enable the generation of a consistent pressure anywhere near as well as custom carved tamper handles. The ideal force required for coffee tamping is surprisingly high (30 lbs) and trying to do that from the side of the tamper is very difficult for most people. A couple of coffee geeks have tried my handles and then gone off and made their own to suit their own hands and agree that this is the way to go. Of course this does not lend itself to simple bulk production by turning but perhaps you can learn something from this info.

I experimented with different shapes a few years ago and here are a few examples that I experimented with.
The woods are from L to R, Sandlewood, Jarrah, spalted pear, Blackboy, and Oregon. The Jarrah handle is a commercial made one.
Yes I have 5 (actually 6!) bases.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=96753&d=1234922751
I found shorter handles easier to control than longer handles and my favourites are the spalted pear and the Sandlewood shapes
Both have custom carved finger grooves which provide a superior grip and both are over all just easier to use.

The image below shows how the thumb in contact on one side of the base is balanced by the pointing finger on the other - this enables a steady vertical wrist/forearm to be easily maintained, reduce rocking, and provide an even pressure onto the coffee.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30737&d=1158670015 http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30736&d=1158670015

[Christos]

I like the Sheoak design.

Maybe a more stumpy design?

[smiife]

Hi sm,
some very nice work there, the cl one would
make a nice gear shifter, well done !

[Burnsy]

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

[BobL]

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

Do you mean SM or me.

I assume SM is selling or gifting his.

I have 3 different types of bases, flat, Euro Curve and US curve, Can I tell the difference in the coffee - of course not - but I had to try them out :D

[Burnsy]

Do you mean SM or me.

I assume SM is selling or gifting his.

I have 3 different types of bases, flat, Euro Curve and US curve, Can I tell the difference in the coffee - of course not - but I had to try them out :D

SM, I always assume you will have multiples :p

[Sawdust Maker]

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

because I could

actually decided I'd try some different shapes and timbers and things, and it well sorta, got out of hand :rolleyes:

I made one for myself sometime ago out of a solid piece of Jarrah. I like it but wondered about a stainless base

I've got both flat and domed shown here

also was thinking that people might be interested in custom bespoke tamps (not on the forum but elsewhere) hence my question about shapes

oh and I like your setup and need more brownie points with the chancellor before I can upgrade my machine :doh:

I suppose I could turn up the base down at the men's shed but am not yet qualified to use the metal lathe ...

[tdrumnut]

I like em all Nick, as far as shape the very first ones do it for me.

[Sawdust Maker]

Hi sm,
some very nice work there, the cl one would
make a nice gear shifter, well done !

Thanks
maybe I need to get down to the local hoon shoppe and see if bespoke gear
knobs are a goer!

[Paul39]

I Googled coffee tampers, but no explanation of what one does with one.

Maybe someone could explain?

[dai sensei]

Nice ones Nick :2tsup:. Not sure about the finish, I would have thought a waterproof finish like CA or Glasscoat etc would be required for washing (not dishwasher though).

Unforunately everyone's hand is different, especially females versus males, so different shapes and colours are probably required and I doubt anyone shape will fit all.


Paul - In coffee machines you place the coffee grinds loosely and then have to tamp them down, so the when the water is forced through it does not just run through a few grains but soaks through them all. Hope that makes sense, but if not buy a cup at your local coffee shop and watch what they do, there is a process they should follow.

[BobL]

Nice ones Nick :2tsup:. Not sure about the finish, I would have thought a waterproof finish like CA or Glasscoat etc would be required for washing (not dishwasher though).

Tamper washing is unnecessary at home and I never wash my tampers. The base occasionally gets a wipe with a damp cloth and the handle gets wiped with surface spray.


Unforunately everyone's hand is different, especially females versus males, so different shapes and colours are probably required and I doubt anyone shape will fit all.

Paul - In coffee machines you place the coffee grinds loosely [into the porta filter] and then have to tamp them down, so the when the water is forced through it does not just run through a few grains but soaks through them all. Hope that makes sense, but if not buy a cup at your local coffee shop and watch what they do, there is a process they should follow.

Unless its a fully auto machine. . . . . . just sitting here in Qantas club and joined the queue for coffee and see the barista has already poured about a dozen shots in to separate cups and they are just sitting there going cold. The assistant has a large jug of frothed milks and just pours it into the cold coffee.

[daninjt]

Any reason why you couldnt use hardwood for the base instead of metal?

I've never seen a wooden one.

Cheers,

[BobL]

Any reason why you couldnt use hardwood for the base instead of metal?

I've never seen a wooden one.

Cheers,

I've seen plastic, aluminium, porcelain and wooden ones.
I don't know why but the SS ones just seem better.

[dai sensei]

.. occasionally gets a wipe with a damp cloth and the handle gets wiped with surface spray. ..

That's what I call a wash, it is enough to slowly wash away wax finishes

[BobL]

That's what I call a wash, it is enough to slowly wash away wax finishes

I think that probably the hand contact/pressure is likely to wear away any sort of wax finish more than a wipe with a surface cleaner.

[Sawdust Maker]

Nice ones Nick :2tsup:. Not sure about the finish, I would have thought a waterproof finish like CA or Glasscoat etc would be required for washing (not dishwasher though).

Unforunately everyone's hand is different, especially females versus males, so different shapes and colours are probably required and I doubt anyone shape will fit all.

...

I tend to agree and used the shellawax to get some done quickly
I'd probably use the two part rustins normally
in fact I was contemplating rechucking these and re doing them
I'd also like to seal the underside where the wood meets the tamp base.


Any reason why you couldnt use hardwood for the base instead of metal?

I've never seen a wooden one.

Cheers,

I did a Jarrah one for myself a while ago
it's also finished in shellawax and the bottom left natural
it only gets a wipe and not immersion in the suds

324853324854

it works well but is not a heavy

[texx]

if anyone washed my tamper i would give em a clip under the ear .i make about 6 or 7 hundred coffees a week .
i do need to make a new tamper , the one i am using is a tad small for the basket i use now .been on my to do list for a long time .and i dont have a big enough chunk of stainless to make it from .

johno

[mick59wests]

Nick,

you may have more than me but I think mine is bigger than yours :D

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=172276&highlight=salt


If my partners daughters saw your tampers they would be sold like hotcakes. You just need the right market :).

Actually I am finding this a great post as I tamp my own coffee but am just using the plastic one supplied so will look at making a wooden one - a great use of nice small pieces.

cheers

Mick

[texx]

i made a wooden one and used it for a few weeks but could not get to like it , just never felt right . although it did save the a lot of dings on the filter where the mrs gives it a tap all the time ( i have got her out of that habit now when i showed her the damage it was doing to the brass body ) .
i think it just never had the right feel , wood being a lot lighter than the stainless steel . if i had some large enough diameter stainless i would make one that fits my baskets better but i dont have any , although coms to think of it i do have some large diameter brass bar food for thought there .

johno

[Simplicity]

Well after viewing this thread for a bit but not saying anything.
And having a Sunday in my creative zone
I got busy one chunk off aluminum round about 40mm hiding under the metal lathe some she oak (16mm disk 10 mm thick)
I came up with this and have already scored one free coffee
But am now planing mark 2 325242325243325244

[texx]

thats a ripper mate i like that one , nice and chunky in the hand .

johno

[Simplicity]

Thanks johno
Think next one I will go a bit more rounded
I think I need to work on the form a bit
And I might make the she oak insert a little bigger
It seems a little lost a top there

[texx]

pics are of the one we are using now and have been for about 4 years , think i bought it from chris at bezzera coffee . it is comfy to use but would be triky to make ( off set turning required ) you can see it has bounced off the floor and been glued back together .
pics from side view and front view .

johno

must make a new tamper . and a few mil bigger .

[Simplicity]

Imm got some more ideas to try out on the next one
That one reminds me of my fathers old shaving brush

[BobL]

I also have a conventionally handled aluminium one but it just doesn't do it for me, it just feels too light in the hand but maybe it's just what you get used to.

I had thought about making one out of Al and drilling out the middle and filling it full of lead shot but it seemed like far more trouble than it was worth.

[Simplicity]

The thought crossed my mind approximately 5.45 seconds after gluing in the she oak that a little bit of lead would help.
So great minds think a like

[texx]

ok got a small chunck of stainless from evil bay and had a crack at making a tamper . this is the result of the first attempt . see how well it works over the next few weeks , or few hundered coffees .
had more fun making the base than the handle .
i will be on the look out for some stainless 303 bar stock 60mm so i can try a few other designs , need a bit more tooling too .
johno

[Sawdust Maker]

solid looking base

[Simplicity]

Wow looking good johno
When can we expect to see the next one

[Ticky]

My pick would be the Jarrah and Tassie Oak or the Camphor Laurel. Practical shape & beautiful Timber.

Forgive my ignorance, but do the bases have a thread on them or ....?


Steve

[texx]

My pick would be the Jarrah and Tassie Oak or the Camphor Laurel. Practical shape & beautiful Timber.

Forgive my ignorance, but do the bases have a thread on them or ....?


Steve


the base that i just made has an 8mm tapped hole in it then a 8mm stainless threaded rod ( bolt with the head cut off actually ) screwed in and extending into the handle about 40 mm . i just drilled a 6.8mm hole in the timber and screwed it on , if it comes loose i will screw it back on with some epoxy added to the thread but i dont think it will need it .

johno

[Pat]

Steve, the tamp I played with, had a 3/8 x 20 tpi thread.

[Ticky]

Thanks for the info. I put my coffee machine in for a warranty job about 3 weeks ago. I just picked up a new one today. there nothing wrong with the plastic handled Tamp that came with it but I do like the wooden handled ones Ive seen here.

Steve

[Sawdust Maker]

Steve

as Pat said they have a 3/8 thread
I grabbed a bit of all thread and glued it in a number of blanks
that was so i could have a play with shapes and timbers

when I get the chance I'm going to try an off centre turning

[quercus]

To go back to the original question, i really like the simple shape of the jarrah one.