How To Make Rustic Drink Coasters From Scrap Wood

Making rustic looking wooden coasters for your drinks is a fairly simple DIY project.

The idea actually comes from a YouTube video by ThisWoodworker and I want to highlight some of the key points and also encourage you to 'call an audible' if needed and make your own customizations to the coasters.

After all, it's going to be in your house, right?​

First thing's first. Gather up all the tools and materials for this project.

Materials Needed:

1. To start with, first arrange the scrap wood into a pattern that you find attractive and joint them together so that they will fit seamlessly when you start gluing.

2. Start gluing them together in a row format. Once all of the pieces of a single row are glued together use a large clamp to hold them together as tight as possible to prevent any separation during the drying process.

3. Continue on with this by gluing the individual pieces together making sure to use the clamps to hold all the pieces together tightly. The block should be around 9 to 10 centimeters in both height and width.

4. After the multi-wood block is completely dried, use you skill saw to even out all edges or frame with full slats of wood that encapsulate the outsides of the block.

5. Once the entire block is completely dried, use a rounder to round off the edges of the block carefully and evenly.

6. Now is the time to cut out the coaster slices. Each slice should be about 8 millimeters thick before sanding, and this is where using a band saw will be the easiest approach to cutting your coasters out. 

7. Using your sanding paper, smooth the surface of each slat. It is important to try and achieve an even thickness throughout each slat.

8. After all pieces are sanded, apply a few coats of lacquer for a nice finishing touch.

See the full video below:​

Not a bad idea for all the scrap wood you have laying around, right?

Best of all, the more odd colors and grains you have the better these things look - so mix it up a little!

Another nice option to keep in mind is creating the look of an end grain cutting board. As a note, the more randomly placed the different colors are the better they tend to look.

If you really want to get fancy, once your coasters are finished you could add cork on the underside for a slip free surface. This adds a nice finishing touch and will make them a little more functional for at-home use.

Remember to be safe and wear safety glasses! Now get out there and make something.