Skill Level:
Novice
Find a piece of wood
- Look for something at least ½” thick, 2 ½” wide, and 8” long
- Make sure the grain of the wood goes with the length of the wood, or else it will break easily
- The piece I chose has a ‘live edge’, which means that its edge was on the outside of the tree
Cut your piece down to length
- Use the combination square to mark the length, and then to draw the line all the way across
- I cut mine to 13”, but anything longer than 8” should work
*Note: If your piece is too thick or wide, you may need to use the planer or table saw to change that
Mark the spot for the hole
- Draw a line about 3 ⅛” down from the top
- Measure the width of your piece (in my case 4 ½”), and put a mark at half of that width (2 ¼” on mine), at the distance from the top (3 ⅛”) that you marked
- This should give you the spot along the midline of your board, a little more than 3” down from the top
Drill the hole
- Put a scrap piece of wood under your board, and use the clamp to hold them down
- Put the drill bit on a low to medium speed, and use a 1 ½” forstner bit to make the hole
Cut the bottom edge
- The angle for the bottom edge depends on the length of your board. The longer your board, the shallower the angle. My board balanced with the wine at 22°.
- Cut the angle starting at 22°, test with a bottle, and increase the angle as necessary until your bottle balances
Finish your project
- Use sandpaper to clean off any corners, and an eraser to remove pencil marks.
- If you’d like, wipe your board with Boiled Linseed Oil, which will offer your piece some water protection, and darken it slightly. Elevating the piece with painter’s pyramids lets you oil both sides.
- Don’t forget to vacuum up!
Project Advice:
Inspiration to take it further:
