Badger Woodturners Monthly Newsletter

BWT Newsletter September 2025

Badger Woodturners

Wig Stand Project

Members of the Badger Woodturners Club have decided that we would like to join other AAW clubs in supporting cancer patients by turning and decorating wig stands that can be provided to patients through various organizations that work with cancer patients. “Many of us have family or friends who have struggled with cancer and know the importance to the patient of feeling supported. This project is a small way that we can show our concern and encourage people undergoing cancer therapy.”

The wig stands are a simple construction of a base that is wide enough and heavy enough to provide stability, a top that is lighter and very smooth so that the hair of the wig does not get caught and a spindle that connects the two. The stands can be plain wood or painted and decorated, but need to be covered with a waterproof finish.

The wig stands will look better esthetically if the spindle flows into the top and the base and the diameter of the spindle matches the diameter of the top or the base where they meet. This requires some design consideration while turning the spindle.


Click Here for full instructions and notes:

Wig Stand Instructions Rev 1.pdf

In researching the turning of wig stands, several means of mounting the top and base were considered including the use of a regular tenon, a recessed tenon, a screw chuck or trapped between centers using cone centers or a jamb chuck. The simplest method that we found was to create a jam chuck that could be held in a four jaw chuck that utilizes a tenon sized to snuggly fit into the ¾ inch hole that will be drilled into the top and the base to connect the spindle. This allows multiple tops and bases to be turned using the same jam chuck. The dimensions of the jam chuck can also be sized to assist in determining the diameters of the portion of wood that will interface with the spindle. This method of mounting allows batches of tops and basses to be cut on a band saw and drilled on a drill press to be supplied to members that don’t have access to this equipment.