DIY Wood Coasters Made from a Log: How to Make Drink Coasters
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Learn how to make wood coasters from a log. These homemade DIY drink coasters take an afternoon to make (plus whatever drying time the chosen finish requires). They are beautiful, functional and can be made from old tree trimmings.
Regardless of the chosen finish, note that the coasters' end grain is very absorbent, so a few coats might be required to get a complete covering. Also, the finish requires an adequate time to dry before use.
In this case, a log cut from a branch of old Eastern Red Cedar (or Purple Heart Cedar) was used. But there are so many other choices. The main criterion is completely dry wood, otherwise the coasters might shrink and split.
The tip for the elongation correction was cool.
@Thiago Uriel yup, been using Flixzone for since december myself :)
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I figured it was a moisture problem as well. I'll try again with a log that has been left to dry out longer. Thanks again for the tips!
You are so right. Somewhat fitting too, given that the log was trimmed from a cedar tree near a house deep in a forest.
Came here as I cut a small tree in my back yard and the scent of it was so nice I used an electric chain saw and cut about 20 slices thinking of making coasters out of it as years ago I bought a set of them in the Kangaroo Valley (Austr. NSW) with each having a different origin and their names on it as well. Yes the chain sawing was a little rough, but still ok. Your video will be quite helpful. Thank you. I got no idea what my timber is but it had a very fragrant scent and a lovely bark texture that I'd like to preserve if I can...as for the scent, it's gone!
Proper Job Squire! Although I’ve got no logs for my stove now! Very simple as well nice!
Thanks for the kind words - and for watching!
Thanks for sharing, take care.
Thank you for watching!
This was brilliant! Thank you!
After I cut them I left them on a table and they split over night. I was using poplar.
Thanks for your reply.
Hi Dan,
Based upon our experience, poplar is quite susceptible to shrinking while drying. Our best guess here is that the log from which the disks were cut was not dry enough.
If this is the case, then putting the log in a warm dry place for some months will help. If the log ends up splitting while drying, then at least no additional effort has been put into the project. If not, the resulting disks should be more stable.
We have no experience with locust wood. Nevertheless,we're going to guess that moisture is giving you trouble here too.
Sorry to read you're having problems and apologies for not having more definite answers.
just had a branch fall from my tree due to near 100 mph winds.Guess what the branch will become???
dude that would look perfect in a cabin
That's such a cool idea!
Very nice, good explanation.
Thanks!
make an auxiliary fence with 1x 3 wood then you will have a zero clearance fence to take away the danger of the piece falling back and go flying.
That's an excellent idea! Thank you, and thanks for watching!
Great video! I have about 500 2" wooden discs that need to be sanded for a smooth surface. Planning on making a children's memory game. Any advice on what tools/materials I would need for sanding? Thanks in advance.
Hi! That's a lot of disks! At first blush, I'd probably look for a static, or table mounted belt sander. Failing that, I'd prepare to spend a lot of time with a disk in one hand and a hand-held sander in the other. I can't think of anything else at the moment. Apologies for not having more information.
sadly I just tried this and broke my miter saw. Not sure what happened but I must have hit something hard, it caused the blade to move, a tooth caught the guide bracket, and seized it, and bent the auger. Any idea what happened? I was cutting a 3 inch wide maple branch that had been drying for 6 months outside, with a 12" bosch compound miter saw. I just did a 90 degree cut.
Hi. Without being there, it's hard to diagnose. My first guess would be that there was some hidden deterioration or malfunction in the saw or blade. Failing that, have you checked the branch for something like a nail or other such object?
How thick did you cut the wood?
Also will lint-seed oil work on the wood?
13mm
did you have any problems with cracking? Did you use any treatments
Hi. We've had no problems with cracking. As mentioned in the video, it's important for the log to be dry. I kept it in a dry place for a few months before cutting. Beyond the polyurethane finish shown in the video, there was no treatment. I've used Danish oil to finish others, also with no problems. Thanks for watching!
What kind of polyurethane spray did you use? And will it the coasters be ok to put hot mugs and wet glasses on?
Hi! I Sadly I don't recall the exact brand, but it was a common one available readily in our hardware stores. I've also used oil (Danish, I believe). That too works well. And yes, they work fine with hot mugs and wet glasses. Indeed, that's their purpose!
Great video! I have many Black Walnut trees is my yard, have you tried these with them?? Drying time, cracking problems?? Thank you!
Hi Tessa. I'm afraid we haven't tried walnut. We don't have exact knowledge on drying times, but would recommend a few months in a dry environment (maybe indoors). If it's completely dry when cut into disks, there's less chance of them cracking. Thanks for watching!
Hey there! Love the video. Had a few questions regarding the process: In your experience, how long does this Red Cedar usually take to dry for you? I've cut a few coaster slices and let them sit just to see what kind of cracking would occur and haven't noticed much over a period of about 2 days.
Also, if I were to cut up several coaster slices and soak them in Pentacryl immediately, do you think that would GREATLY help reduce cracking and allow them to dry QUICKLY due to the overall small size of the piece?
Doing some experimenting with this wood because it is absolutely beautiful! Any help you could offer regarding these questions would be AWESOME.
Keep up that good work :D
Hi Neal. Thanks! Prior to cutting into disks, we usually leave the logs for a few weeks/months in a dry location (indoors even). Seeing as we're seeking simplicity, we avoid any unnecessary process or material (especially complex). Soaking the wood as you describe is not needed in our case. We hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
What model miter saw is that?
It's a DeWalt compound miter saw.
I may have missed it, but, what diameter was that log? or, what's a descent diameter size for these object
Hi there!
The diameter wasn't mentioned - we simply chose what was pleasing and practical. :-) In the particular case shown in the video, it is approximately 3.5" (about 9cm).
Thanks for watching!
I cut some pepper tree limbs and they didnt fully split but a few of them did crack and warp into a curved shape (almost unnoticeable).
I left them out overnight, do you think if I dried them RIGHT AWAY it would prevent this?
Hi Jessica,
We don't quite follow your question - but here's a guess. :-)
How long did you leave the limbs to dry? They typically take a few months to dry fully.
If the wood is prone to splitting while drying, then best to have more limbs than you need. Once dry, cut off and discard the split parts, then use the good parts (assuming there are any).
Apologies if that doesn't answer your question. If we did miss, could you rephrase it?
Thanks for watching!
the limbs had been cut down since november, i cut them into the slices last sunday and overnight they warped/cracked a little.
Should I prep them in anyway to keep them from doing this? Perhaps I made them too thin?
I cut them a little less then half an inch.
Should I bake them in the oven right after i slice them? and sealing-should I wait until thjey are completely dry?
my trouble is-i need these coasters by saturday haha, so I am on a time crunch.
Ah, by Saturday. Hmmm. :-)
In all probability, the limbs have not been given enough time to dry. While we have never tried drying the disks in an oven, we suspect it won't work, for it'll just accelerate the process which caused them to split in the first place. Of course we don't know for sure. But if you choose to try it, please let us know the results!
Do you have another other sources of wood which have dried for longer?
I am trying to make about 100 sets of these.. So far we have made 30 and they are a bit smaller than I would like.. We have more wood but it is just a bit too big for the 10 inch blade... Is there any way to remedy this without buying a whole new mite saw??
Hi! I'm afraid I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Any attempt at half-cutting, then rotating and completing the cut would result I think in steps in the faces. Perhaps on a table saw with a sliding tray, but then you're back to needing another tool. Apologies for not having a better answer for you, but thanks for watching!
+Adeldor DIY haha thanks.. Yes we tried to rotate them but it just wouldn't workout with a smooth cut. Thank you though!
hi! if you're going to epoxy them, why do they need to dry out firsT?
Hi msallimartin,
In part to allow for better adhesion, in part to prevent shrinkage after coating in the event the finish does not perfectly seal.
I had a problem with the wood shifting then it stopped the blade. After 2 attempts i quit haha. Any recommendations?
Hi! I'm afraid without more detail, I can only guess. One possibility is that the cut is being made too quickly. Perhaps pull the saw down more slowly. Another possibility is a blunt blade. A third might be damp wood. I know my response is vague, but I hope it helps. Thanks for watching!
thanks for the video! What angle did you use on the miter saw? thanks again :)
You're welcome! The angle (about 20°) used in the video was chosen to make round the disks cut from that particular log. The more elongated the log's cross section, the greater the angle of the cut. An easy way to determine it is to do a few test cuts first - so long as you have enough log for the tests. Thanks for watching!
Why do you do the angled cut? Does it improve something?
Sorry, also forgot to mention I cut a locust log up as well and it split too.
I tried this. After I cut my logs into coaster sizes, they split. Any tips?
Hi Dan,
How soon after being cut did they split? What type of wood were you using?
Cheers.
What type of blade do you recommend? i.e. how many teeth?
+OmegaStageThr33 CMDR In general, more teeth result in a finer cut. The finer cut needs less coarse sanding. The 12" blade in the video has 80 carbide teeth. It did a good job. We hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Dear Adeldor DIY: I am trying to replicate your project but I am having an issue with the wood I am working with. I am finding that a few days after I have cut a slice of log, I am getting spit marks appearing and they are slowly getting bigger and travelling towards the centre of the wood piece. Any idea why this might be happening and what can be done to prevent it by any chance ? FYI I am living in Europe and I am using Olive and Pine tree trunks. I have experimented with both fresh cuts and aged wood and the same thing ends up happening...The log is fine but only up until I slice a piece does it begin to separate...- Cheers, Alex
Hi Alex,
In our experience, splitting happens when the wood is not completely dry. That doesn't elminate the possiblity it's the variant of wood you're using (we don't have experience with all types out there :-) ), but we'd look first at making sure less-than-dry wood is not the problem. In our case, the wood we use is stored inside in a dry environment for months. Another thought: what is the diameter (roughly) of the logs you're using? We haven't made any coasters from larger diameter logs - ours are typically less than 4" (about 10cm). Sorry to read you're having problems and apologies for not having a definite answer for you.
Adeldor DIY Hi again. Yes it seems that the wood log has not been dried long enough as we cut the trees only a week ago and it has been raining. I thought that perhaps by cutting a dried out/dead tree I would be good to assume it was dry enough but that probably is now not the case. My diameters are 10cm and maybe some are slightly larger. The thickness is only about 2-3cm max. Do you think by cutting them into slices before the wood has had a chance to dry has aided in the cracking process ? ...Literally some pieces have cracked overnight and one now just broke...Many thanks for you help... Alex
Alex D Yes, in part. Leaving the log to dry completely before cutting serves two purposes:
1) the bulk of the unsliced log helps hold together the fibers while drying. Once dry, it's more stable - less likely to split when cut into coasters.
2) if the wood is going to split regardless, the log will do this before any effort is put into making the coasters. It might be a good idea to have a few logs drying, just in case.
We hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
I've been making coasters with aspen, freshly fallen ones. I used end grain sealer on the coasters after cutting them and haven't had any crack. Do you think this step is unecessary? Would the bark stay on if I let the l9g dry before cutting?
John Metz I prefer to let the logs dry first. Any shrinking would be complete, and any disks weak or prone to cracking show before further effort is expended. However, I still oil or seal them afterwards. They need to be resistant to spills and condensation. I hope this helps!
Hi there, i m looking into starting a small work station like yours. Did you make that work bench the miter saw is on? if not where can I find one and what is it called if i were to seek one out?
thank you much!
Hi there! It's a Black & Decker Workmate - bought a very long time ago. It's very convenient in that it folds up when not in use. Updated versions are readily available in the USA for around $100. We hope this is helpful - and thanks for watching!
I've also got an old B & D Workmate (Model 400) but top is long-ago rotted away. I use it a lot to hold odd work projects as the steel frame is good as new and super strong.
If any reader here has a #400 I'd be happy to pay a few bucks for a cutting/drrilling-pattern so I could rebuild to original specs. For unknown reasons ($ ?) the junk-wood top isn't available as a replacement part and Stanley/B & D can't or won't help with replacement parts or patterns.
What kind of wood did you use?
Hi Thomas, we used Eastern Red Cedar (or Purple Heart Cedar). It starts out with a most striking purple color, but over time changes to a beautiful deep red/brown. Thanks for watching!
What type of tree was this?
Hi! Purple heart cedar, near as we could tell. Over time the purple changed to a deep, rich ruddy brown.
@@Adeldor very nice thank you
They would be pretty if you would coat them with resin or polyurethane.
Indeed, in the video you'll see them being spray-coated with polyurethane. Another choice mentioned is the use of an oil (such as Danish oil).
Cat got your tongue?
these will crack as soon as that wood drys.
Hi Carter! It's five years later, and all the coasters you see are in regular use and just fine - with no cracks. That's why there's emphasis in both the video and description on ensuring the wood is dry before starting.