Elm and stainless steel espresso tamper

Elm and stainless steel espresso tamper

My espresso machine came with a lovely plastic tamper, that looked like this:

I am not all that picky aesthetically speaking, but that tamper is absolutely ugly and does not fit the cup snugly enough. Its outer diameter is about 1/4″ smaller than the inner diameter of the espresso reservoir. I thought that making a new tamper would make an interesting turning project. Then I thought that the business end of the tamper had better be metal.

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Cherry and Maple Hanukkah Menorah

Front view with candles.

I have designed and built a Hanukkah Menorah.  The materials are cherry for the bulk of it and maple for the base.  The design goal was to marry the traditional and the modern forms.  I wanted the design to look contemporary and fresh, for something as traditional as a menorah.

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