{"title":"How to Make Wooden Coasters From Scrap Hardwood","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/woodworking-crafts/how-to-make-wooden-coasters","category":{"slug":"woodworking-crafts","name":"Woodworking Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"DIY Huntress","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwXWauSl267JDrp8BDcRqSA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m20IKVGQNNE"},"tldr":"Make a set of striped wooden coasters from scrap hardwood. Glue up a block, slice it, sand and add a food safe finish with three basic tools.","quickAnswer":"Make a set of striped wooden coasters from scrap hardwood. A medium project: about 2 hours, plus 3 hours to dry or set. Materials cost about $5 to $20. You need 13 things, including carpenter's wood glue, clean rags and table saw. The 9 steps start with stack Scrap Hardwood Boards for the Wooden Coasters, mark and Trim the Hardwood Pieces to Size, sand the Hardwood Faces Flat Before Gluing and spread Wood Glue on Each Coaster Layer.","totalDurationSeconds":355,"videoDurationSeconds":355,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":120,"waitMinutes":180,"totalMinutes":300,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":5,"max":20},"yield":"a set of 4 coasters"},"tools":["table saw","miter saw","random orbit sander","clamps","push block","silicone glue brush","pencil","safety glasses"],"materials":["hardwood scraps in light, dark and accent colors","carpenter's wood glue","sanding discs in medium and fine grit","hardwax oil or food safe finish","clean rags"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Stack Scrap Hardwood Boards for the Wooden Coasters","text":"Dig through your offcuts for three or four hardwood boards in contrasting colors. Sam picked two pieces of white maple, one of walnut and one of red padauk. Stack them in an order you like and check the total height. Aim for 3.5 inches, since that height becomes the width of your finished coasters once you slice the block."},{"number":2,"title":"Mark and Trim the Hardwood Pieces to Size","text":"Lay each board on the next one and mark where they overhang. Trim the pieces at the miter saw so they all end up a similar width and length. If a scrap has a blemish or an old design on one face, shave about a sixteenth of an inch off to start fresh. Matching sizes now makes the glue up much easier."},{"number":3,"title":"Sand the Hardwood Faces Flat Before Gluing","text":"Run a random orbit sander over every face that will be glued. You are taking off the high spots so the boards sit tight against each other. Stack them now and then to check. When the seams almost disappear, the faces are ready. This replaces a surface planer, so you can make the project with basic tools."},{"number":4,"title":"Spread Wood Glue on Each Coaster Layer","text":"Squeeze wavy lines of carpenter's wood glue across the first board. Spread them with a silicone brush into a thin, even film that reaches every edge. Lay the next board on top and repeat for each layer. Glue all the way to the edges matters here. Any dry spot shows up later as a gap in a coaster."},{"number":5,"title":"Clamp the Glued Hardwood Block and Let It Dry","text":"Set the stack in clamps and tighten them down at every pressure point you can reach. You want a steady bead of glue squeezing out of every seam. That tells you the joint is full. Wipe the squeeze-out with a rag, or scrape it off once it dries. Leave the block clamped for a couple of hours before you take the clamps off."},{"number":6,"title":"Slice the Hardwood Block Into Coaster Layers on the Table Saw","text":"Set the table saw fence for a half inch cut and run the block through with a push block. Flip the block over and cut from the other side to finish the slice. Splitting the cut keeps your hands safer and the blade lower. Repeat until you have four slices. Each one is a striped coaster blank."},{"number":7,"title":"Cut Each Slice to a 3.5 Inch Square Coaster","text":"Take the slices to the miter saw and trim them to 3.5 inches wide so each coaster comes out square. These pieces are small, so do not hold them with your fingers near the blade. Sam clamps a longer board down on top as a hold-down. It presses the coaster flat while the blade cuts, and your hand stays clear."},{"number":8,"title":"Sand the Wooden Coasters and Round Over the Edges","text":"Sand both faces of each coaster smooth. Then soften every edge with a slight round over. Sam flips her sander upside down and presses each edge against the pad. Rounded edges feel nicer in the hand, resist chipping and hold finish better than sharp corners. Work up from a medium grit to a fine one."},{"number":9,"title":"Apply a Food Safe Finish to the Wooden Coasters","text":"Pour a little hardwax oil onto a coaster and spread it with a plastic spreader. Push it over the whole face and the edges. Let it soak in for a few minutes, then buff off every bit of excess with a clean rag. Do the back too. Once the finish cures, set out the coasters and enjoy them."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-05T13:57:17.753Z","published":"2026-11-05T13:57:17.398Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}