I enjoy wood burning as a hobby, and coasters are something anyone can make.

Supplies

compass
pencils
ruler
band-saw
palm sander
220 grit sandpaper
tent stake
0.75 inch thick pine board
wood burner
chip brushes
newspaper
scrap pieces of wood
polyurethane
steel wool
tack cloth

Step 1: Cutting and Sanding the Wood.

Using a compass, draw a 4-inch circle onto the wood. Cut it out, on the bandsaw, and sand it all down with 220 grit sandpaper.

Step 2: Drawing the Design

Find an image on the internet to use as a reference. I sketched my own design. There are two ways to put your design onto the wood. The first way is to lay the piece of paper with the design on it over the wood and imprint the lines of the design into the wood using a sharp tent stake. The second way is to cut out the design, trace it onto the wood, and sketch in the design on the inside.

Step 3: Wood Burning

Using a wood burner, you are going to burn the design into the wood. A good wood burner that works well, with a variety of tips, is about $25, but it is well worth the money. I used a sharp point to burn in the design on the head, and I used a rounded point, called a flow point to do the handle.

Step 4: Varnishing

Rub the entire piece with tack cloth to remove any saw dust. Then apply one coat of Min-Wax clear satin polyurethane. If you put shims under the coaster, it will not stick to the newspaper.

Step 5: Finishing

After the first coat has dried, Take a piece of steel wool and rub it over the surface to remove air bubbles and rough spots. Then rub it with tack cloth to remove the small shards of steel. After this, apply a second coat of polyurethane.