Many years ago I had made a
coaster - or at least a coaster-sized disc - from overlapping plugs of different woods. I liked the look of the overlapping plugs but due to the construction technique, it ended up warped. I thought it would be worthwhile to try to get around the construction limitations and make a set of "real" plug coasters. It took some effort before I found a suitable construction method (tapered plugs in tapered holes) and while somewhat laborious, it worked out well enough.
The
construction was similar to the original; I cut a number of plugs in a variety of sizes from a variety of woods. All the plugs were cut across the grain so that they show normal wood grain rather than end grain. I then started with a piece of birch and drilled a few holes, tapered them and glued in a selection of plugs. After the glue was dry, I sanded them flush with the surface and repeated this process until all the original birch was gone and only plugs were left. It then went onto the lathe to get the circular shape and profile formed. A mahogany holder was included to hold the set of four coasters.
Coasters
| Material: | African Blackwood, Amboyna burl, Bubinga, Cherry, Honeywood, Lacewood, |
| Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Padauk, Purpleheart, Tigerwood, Walnut, Wenge, |
| Yellowheart and Zebrawood as shown here. |
| Finish: | 4 coats Miniwax Fast-Dry Poly, Clear Satin |
| Size: | 3.5" dia x 0.33" thk |
Holder
| Material: | Mahogany, Maple |
| Finish: | 3 coats Miniwax Fast-Dry Poly, Clear Satin |
| Size: | 4" dia x 1.3" high |
| Done: | April 23, 2023 |
