Homemade Beer Flightwith Beer Taster Glasses

If, you are a Beer snob like me, we tend to like trying different types of beer. So, how cool would it be to have your own beer flight at home and have your own tasting. I know I would! So, join me on this journey on how to make your own beer flights.

Christmas was right around the corner and my friends were in need of some homemade gifts. So, I thought it would be pretty cool to make some Homemade Beer Flight.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials

Wood Pallets or other Wood sources

Prestain Oil

Wood Stain

Poly-Clear (spray or can)

Paper Towels

Old Towels or Shirts (Used for Staining)

Metal Handle Templates (Reference the Link below)

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-rout...

(4) Beer Taster Glasses or (4) Homemade Beer Glasses

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/anchor-hocking-930...

Tools

Drill and Impact Gun

Drill Press

(2") Forstner Drill Bits or Hole Saw

Drum Sander Bit

Vacuum

Chop Saw or Table Saw

Plunge Router with Router Guide (1/4 or 1/2 Drive)

Sander

Sand Paper

Ruler and Tape Measure

Combination Square Ruler

Pen, Pencil, or Marker

Clamps

Bench Vice or Wood Vice

Step 2: Measure, Mark, and Master

Dimension of my Beer Flights were 14"x 3.5"

1. I first started by marking the middle of the wood

2. Place the handle template at the ends of the wood and mark in place. I gave about 1/2" from the edge for the handles.

3. Map out where you would like to place the glasses.

This is where you can great creative, in the pictures above the glasses are placed in a straight row. In my other version(s) I had them staggered. You have many options on where to place the glasses. Take your time and measure everything out. Double check everything.

(Placement of marks will vary by personal preference)

4. Take your Combination Square Ruler to make straight lines where your marks are placed. This will allow accurate holes for the glasses.

Step 3: Drill and Sand Holes

* This can be done by Drill Press or Drill (You will need Extra Batteries to drill through all 4 holes)*

1. Before drilling using a sharp point or nail to poke the section where you want to drill.

This allow the bit to grab the wood easier.

2. Setup your drill press at the right height and in the right position.

Make sure your clamp is fastened tight and locked to drill press base.

3. Attach your (2") Forstner Drill Bits or Hole Saw to the drill press.

4. Drill away slowly into the wood.

Take your time. You will need to use some force but lightly.

5. Flip the wood on the other side after going halfway through the wood or place a scrap piece wood at the bottom of the wood.

This prevent the wood from being thorn/split from the drill bit.

6. Attach the drum sander bit to the drill and light sand the holes.

Make sure you have good grip on the drill and allow the drum sander to be moving before sanding away.

In the pictures above there are two design: One has the holes drilled all the way through and the other one was drilled 3/4 of the way. The holes that are drilled all the way prevent the glasses from spilling (This design uses the Beer Taster Glasses). The holes that are drilled 3/4 of the way allow of bigger glasses to be placed.

Step 4: Design a Template and Routing Away

*Not all design will require this step*

1. Design a template for the handles. We used program associated with our CNC machine. I will include the file.

My dimension for the template were 3"x1". The top and bottom were given curved shaped.

2. Cut the template with a CNC machine, water jet, or router.

The material used for the template was **gauge steel

3. Use the template in the Mark, Measure, and Master Section (Reference)

4. Place the template in the section where you want to cut. I would use bench and clamps to hold the template in place. In order for this to work make sure the holes for beer glasses are already cut out.

5. Save time by having predrilled holes in the middle section of the template. It will help cut time when routing.

6. Attach the correct size Router Template Guide with your plunge router.

Details below on how to set up your Router Template Guide. I really have to give props to Trev25 for his instructables. This really allowed me to make the Beer flights with a professional touch.

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-rout...

7. Plunge away with your router (take your time). From personal experience I would take small plunges and make several passes then work into deep plunge to finish the handles.

This is the most time consuming task to do for the whole project.

Step 5: Sand, Stain, and Sulk

1. Start sanding with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper and move up to 220 after everything is cut out.

2. Clean the wood throughly with a paper towel from any dust or debris.

3. Take your shirt, towel, or rags to stain the wood.

Start off with the pre-stain oil to allow for better staining result. Allow 15-20 mins to dry.

4. Dip the rag in the stain and rub it with the grain. Wipe off any excess stain with a paper towel on the wood. In order to get darker stains allow the wood to be stained several times. Allow drying time in between each stain.

5. Allow the wood to dry from staining and apply a Poly-Clear after allotted time. Apply 2-3 coats for better protection.

I applied the Poly-Clear with a brush and from a can. The finish from the two options are totally different. I would saw the brush option is a thinner coat but very even and the spray option is inconsistent. I think weather affects how the Poly-Clear drys and what finish it gives. I applied these at very cold temperature.

(Dry Time: 1. Brush- Fast 2. Spray- Slow)

Step 6: Enjoy and Drink

I made several different design of the Beer Flight. Here are few pictures of the different designs.

Now try out your Homemade Beer Flight with inviting some friends over to taste different beers or maybe just by yourself.

Thank you for reading and looking through my Instructable! I hope it's a fun project for you to do. Please share your own Homemade Beer Flights in the comment section.

Please Vote for my Instructable!

-Nate_o_bae