Inlaid Coaster Set With Holder

Here's a really easy project you can make quickly and which will get a lot of use immediately when entertaining. With some 3/8" oak and some 1/2" dowel, a nice set of coasters can be fashioned. I inlaid some 1/4" purpleheart strips into the coasters, but that is not necessary to make an attractive set for yourself. This would be an attractive set with or without the inlay.

Here's how I did it.

I felt an appropriate size for the coasters would be 3" square, so I cut 4 of them. I decided upon a 5" square for the holder, since there needed to be just a bit of room for the 1/2" dowels which would actually hold the coasters, when they were not being used. From the diagram below, you will see the location of the dowels.

The 3/16" deep holes were cut in the 3/8" thick oak square with a 1/2" Forstner bit, and the dowels were cut to 2 1/8" long. This leaves the dowels just a bit higher than the stack of 4 coasters after they're glued in the 3/16" hole, so the coasters won't be falling out all the time.

Since I was doing inlays, that's what I did next, but if you're not doing inlays, you're ready to continue on. All parts were then sanded, and all edges rounded over with a 1/4" roundover bit. A final bit of sanding was done and the project was glued up, let dry and finished with 3 coats of spray Varathane.

Quick and easy, you now have a nice set of coasters for your entertaining area, or a gift for a friend.

CAD Dwg. courtesy of Wayne Gerhart

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