Making Your Own Knobs From Scratch

Before you can begin constructing your knob you should think about what look and style will be best for the furniture upon which it will be mounted and the room where it will be displayed.  There are endless possibilities and combinations.  The main components you need to think about are the type  of knob, the type base (and if you want one), and how it should be mounted.  Also, it is important to note that you should take into consideration the functionality of the finished product - if you are using these for kitchen drawers, you may want to consider durability, and ease of use; on the other hand if these are going on as decorative knobs on furniture in your living room, you may want to consider how it will look with the theme of the room.

a.  What material do I want my knob to made of?

You can choose knobs to be of any material - the more common knobs that you can purchase are wood, acrylic, glass or metal.  However, you can make a knob out of almost anything, like marbles, rocks, and even seashells just to name a few different items.



b.  Do I want to buy a pre-made or unfinished knob, or do I want to make my own?

If you are interested in putting your own personal touch to your knob, you can begin from scratch or from an unfinished starting point.  There are various types of unfinished knobs that you can decorate yourself and add your own finish, wood and ceramic are common.  If this is the route you would like to go, check out our post on how to do it.

c.  What size do I want my knob?

Again, here it is important to take into consideration if the knob is functional or decorative.  In addition you want to think about the size of the knob in terms of the piece of furniture it will be mounted on.  It is also important to keep sizes in mind when you are buying your screws and bases and when you are picking out your drill bit.

d.  Do I want or need to use a base and if so, what type of base do I want to use?

There are various types of bases and finishes, from shiny chrome to dark oil rubbed bronze; and each will give an entirely different look to the finished product.  Depending on your choice of knob and what look you desire, you have to consider whether you should use a flat or stemmed base, which will depend on what object or material you are using to make your knob.

Once you have decided the answers to these questions the fun can begin.  Here are a few examples the different base considerations you should keep in mind.

A.  Round or Curved Knobs

One of the simplest knobs you can make is by merely picking an object, like a marble and gluing it to a base for a ball knob.  You will want to get an epoxy glue to do the job, as regular glue will probably not hold up for very long.  This base will hold balls from a half inch to an inch in diameter.  The object does not necessarily have to fit perfectly, but use your judgement to make sure it looks good, and that there is enough contact with the base to keep it from falling off.

B.  Non-Round Object

If you have chosen an object that is not round or will not fit on the base for a ball, then you have to decide between a stemmed base, flat base, or a flat base with a hole.  what you can do is simply drill a hole in the object and then you can glue it to a stemmed base.  Again, regardless of which base you choose, you want to use an epoxy glue.

C.  No Base

If you do not want to use a base for your knob, you can use a threaded knob insert and then the knob will be directly against whatever furniture you install it on.