Wood Coasters with Bottle Cap Openers
Part of the 1414 Mulberry Woodwork Collection
Making Mulberry Wood Cardholder Plantstands
Read below to see how we made live edge mulberry wood coasters with bottle cap openers out of a branch from the 1414 Mulberry Tree. You can also see out other live edge wood collections. Get plans to craft items yourself or contact us at [email protected] for custom orders.
- Author: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Photography and photo editing by: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Videography and video editing by: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Published: 1/20/2023
Imagining the Coaster Design
My endeavors to try and make something out of every piece of the 1414 Mulberry Tree my father and I cut down have been successful. I can use some of the sections for Triwood round stands, live-edge lazy susans, live-edge vases, and live-edge mulberry wood coasters. The coasters have been my favorite so far, a stunning piece of functional art. However, I wanted to add more to them to help them stand out from other coasters. People might use these coasters to set bottles on, so why not add a feature where they can open those bottles? A set of bottle cap opening coasters were on the way.
Use a Miter Saw to Make Wood Slices
Making them is pretty straightforward. It is a weekend project if you have some dried. The longest part is waiting for the finish to dry. I grabbed a branch I had previously dried with a section between 3.5 and 5 inches in diameter. It is important to measure just the wood and not include the bark, as in some cases, the bark falls off easily, and your coasters may be too small. I took the mulberry branch to the workshop and used my battery-powered chainsaw to lop off the section I needed.
The branch was thin and straight enough that I felt comfortable using my miter saw to slice the coasters. I used a 2×4 clamped to the miter saw fence at 0.5 inches away from the blade, 0.75 inches could work as well, but you want to be careful not to make the coasters too thick. The stop would ensure consistent thickness and efficiency since I would not have to stop to measure each cut. Trimming the end of the branch might be necessary if it is not square with the stop. I laid down the branch so its end was up against the wood stop, sliced it with the miter saw, and repeated this process until I didn’t have enough wood to hold on to while still safely using the miter saw.
Press play below to see how I prepared the wood using a miter saw to slice the wood
Use a Drill Press to Drill out Bottle Cap Opener Inserts
I now had a bunch of wood rounds or wood cookies. Since they were already dried, I did not do anything to them. Though if you use wet wood, you can soak them in denatured alcohol overnight, then let them dry overnight for a quick dry process.
I had bought a pack of metal bottle openers that were 1 inch in diameter. They also came with ½-inch-long screws. I had to buy 3/8 inch screws for some thinner coasters; otherwise, the screw would punch through the other side of the wood.
Using my drill press and a 1 1/8 Forstner drill bit, I made very shallow holes into the bottom of each coaster, a little deeper than the thickness of the bottle cap opener. I then made a slightly deeper hole with my ½ inch Forstner drill bit in the center of the first shallow hole. This is to give the bottle cap space to fit it. Otherwise, it will butt up against the wood, and you won’t be able to use the bottle cap opener.
Press play below to see us drilling out hole inserts with a drill press
In the video above, I am wearing gloves while doing this, which I should not have. DO NOT wear gloves when working near any rotating machinery; it is too easy to get caught in high-speed equipment and can cause damage or injury.
Fill voids with CA Glue and Mark Drill Holes
After drilling the holes, I filled in any small openings or voids in the wood using CA glue and an accelerator. I love doing this since the glue always dries so fast. I also dry-fit the bottle cap openers in the shallow cut and marked where I would need to drill the holes for the screws. Once done with that, I brought the coasters back to my drill press and drilled some screw holes that would be used to secure the bottle cap openers.
Press play below to see us pre-drilling screw holes with a drill press
Use a Belt and palm sander to sand the coaster
Next up was sanding. I used my belt sander first for the rough sanding with 80-grit sandpaper. The noise made my dogs curious, and they popped in to see what I was doing. I then moved over to my palm sander to finish the sanding with 120 grit and then 220 grit sandpaper. If you use power equipment, you may notice saw marks or sanding marks on the wood. Hand sanding might be better for a nicer finish, but I went for speed and used a palm sander. Always use proper protective equipment when sanding; save those lungs.
Press play on the video below to see us using the belt and palm sander to sand the wood coasters
Use Tung oil to finish the wood coasters
Satisfied with the sanding, I decided to add the finish to the coasters before attaching the bottle cap openers. I rubbed each coaster with Tung Oil. This finish brought out the natural beauty of the mulberry wood to life and darkened it by giving it a wet look. I let them dry overnight before finishing them.
Press play on the video below to see us oiling the wood coaster with Tung oil
Scrw the bottle cap opener to the bottom of the coaster
The next day I took my oiled coasters and attached the bottle cap openers. I added a bit of the CA glue and then set the bottle caps into place. I used a screwdriver to secure the screws in place, as using a power drill here could result in snapping the screw heads. Once each coaster had its bottle cap opener attached, I let them sit to dry a bit.
Press play below to see how we secured the bole cap openers to the bottom of the coasters
Screw the bottle cap opener to the bottom of the coaster
They were ready to go pretty soon. I used the first one to crack open a beer. It worked! And I celebrated by sipping that beer that I placed nicely on the same coaster I used to open it.
Press play below to see the full build of our Mulberry wood coasters with bottle cap openers
Take a look below at all the items I’ve made out of this Mulberry tree that comprise the 1414 collection. Click on the links to read more about the functional art, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok to see what we are working on. Or you can message us at [email protected] to commission custom pieces from the wood in your yard.
You spent time in its shade. We’ll make sure its memories never fade
Learn more about Mulberry trees and see out other Mulberry Wood Collections. Or View some of our other Live Edge Lumber Collections.
Take a look below at all the items I’ve made out of this Mulberry tree that comprise the 1414 collection. Click on the links to read more about the functional art, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok to see what we are working on. Or you can message us at [email protected] to commission custom pieces from the wood in your yard.
You spent time in its shade. We’ll make sure its memories never fade
Learn more about Mulberry trees and see out other Mulberry Wood Collections. Or View some of our other Live Edge Lumber Collections.
