How to Make Easy, Rustic Wood Coasters?

by Harmeet Kaur Sales Manager at Woodmasterindia

Making coasters from seasoned wood is not a hard task as it can be done in a short period of time. As the demand of these coasters is growing in our homes and workplaces, we need to devise a method in such a way that we make coasters from the fallen tree and prevent the burning of trees, which will spoil our environment. By using the vertical spindle moulder machine we can make different types of coasters from these fallen tree instead of burning these waste trees in the backyard or in the public places.

The purpose of this short write up is to educate the woodworking enthusiasts to make coasters by which a fallen tree can be recycled in the best possible manner. As we need more coasters, this project seems to be an awesome one as we can reuse the fallen tree for making some useful items which protect our tabletops. By adopting this technique, we make the rusty wood coasters in an easy way and also make a way to offer an old tree with a new life. Read on to find some tips in making these wood coasters.

Choose the right tree limb and moisture content: It is always wise to use the tree limbs for the fallen tree for making the coasters. All you need to check the moisture content of the wood by using the moisture meter. The ideal per cent of moisture is around ten per cent; otherwise, the wood would split when you are working with the project. Use the handsaw to chop the dying wood. To make rustic coasters, you need to have a tree branch or limb that has a larger diameter than your normal beer bottle. By this way, you can create all types of coasters that can be used in homes.

Cut Your Coasters: Though you can use the hand saw, a power saw can make your job easier and even faster. To start with, cut off the end so that you can commence your work from the flat surface. Use a clamp piece as your saw base and use the same as a guide for cutting the rest of the wood for making the coasters. Cut the right number of pieces and in general, a set of coasters is made with at least four numbers.
Sand and Finish: This is an important task. Use a palm sander by holding the coaster. Making sanding until the coaster becomes smooth. Remove the loose bark while sanding and make the coaster with a good finishing touch. After the necessary sanding, clean the coaster with a cloth and apply your choice of stain like varnish, shellac etc. Ensure to seal the wood on all sides to prevent condensation from the cold glass materials and prevent the wood from drying. If not, it can cause some cracking on its surface. The task of finishing is vital, as this activity make your coasters to be different from the other types of coasters you make from the seasoned-wood.

Drill Dowel Opening: This needs to be done in order to stack the coasters and hence a reference hole is drilled in each piece of the wood. The bottom coaster has to be drilled halfway to house the dowel which will align all the stacked coasters. One has to use the right size of the drill so that the coasters when stacked show perfection in terms of alignment. While drilling, more care has to be taken to avoid any breakage. After drilling the dowel can be glued with an high-quality glue which is available in all the wood stores. Professional woodworkers use a low-duty router machine to make the right edges on these coasters.

Make various designs: Coasters can be made with different designs. Though the circular coasters are popular, you can still make coasters in different shapes like square, oval rectangular and so on. Of course, you need to use the right tools to make these coasters with different shapes. The cost of making coasters of various shapes can go high as you need to use different tools and skills.

By using the above-referred tips, it is easy for DIY enthusiasts to make some rustic wood coasted in an easy way. These said methods can be tried as a sort of experimentation and there is no need to worry about perfection and wastages as this project is involved with the old and fallen trees, which otherwise would go as a waste for burning in our backyards.

The above guide is to be treated as a mere guide for your explorations. By keeping these things in mind start working on this coaster-making project and make some awesome coasters for your home or workplace. After gaining some experience, you can even make this project for commercial needs in order to get some additional income for your family.