Introduction: Wooden Drinking Stein

About: Liberty University alumni carpenter and welder

This project has been on my mind a lot in the past few months and I decided it was the perfect time to make it out of a scrap piece of wood that I didn't have any other use for.

Supplies

Wood (I used oak)

Table saw

Miter saw

Sander (hand belt sander and orbital sander)

Glue

Clamps

Wood finish (I used beeswax and polyurethane)

OPTIONAL:

Leather

Rustic tacks

Step 1: Find the Right Wood

I had this oak cut off from a project I recently made and wasn't planning on making anything with it until this Scraps contest gave me an idea.

Step 2: Cut Strips of Wood

In my cup I decided to use 8 strips of wood that are each 1/2" thick, 1-1/2" wide and 8" tall.

I then sanded them with 100 grit sandpaper to get them fairly smooth.

Step 3: Cut Angles

So we have to do some quick math to figure out the angles of our strips to form the cup.

So you take 360 degrees and divide it by how many strips you are using and then divide that by 2 because there are two sides on each strips.

360/8 = 45

45/2 = 22.5

22.5 is the angle I need to cut my strips at.

Make sure you just cut through the top corner of the strip in order to not make the strip thinner than its original width.

Step 4: Test Fitting

Before connecting everything, roughly put it together to make sure everything is looking good.

Step 5: Gluing Everything Together

I put all the pieces next to each other on two strips of tape, I then put glue between all the joints and rolled it like a burrito and then taped it all together.

Then I put as many clamps on it as i could and wiped off the glue squeeze out with a damp rag.

Step 6: Making the Handle

While the cup is gluing, I took another cut-off of the same wood and created a design to my own liking and cut it out with a jig saw (a band saw would work much better but I don't have one).

Step 7: Cut and Sand Cup

After the body of the cup is glued, I cut off both end's of the cup, cutting off as little as possible to make it completely even.

I then sanded all sides of the cup, not sanding over the edges to keep the style, but if you want a more round look, do this.

Step 8: Make Bottom of Cup

I made square that's a little bit bigger that the cup and then marked all the sides with a pencil.

I then cut just outside of the lines to allow for room for mistakes.

I aligned the bottom to the cup, put glue on then clamped it together.

Step 9: Sand Cup Bottom

I now sanded the sides so that the bottom and the sides of the cup is all perfectly flat.

Step 10: Create Cup Lip

I found the halfway point of the top of the cup and marked a line all the way around.

Using a hand belt sander, I sanded a even angle all the way around the outside.

To get the inside I used a file to get a slant and used sandpaper to even it out completely.

Step 11: Attach the Handle

This part was the most daunting of all the steps but ended up being very simple.

I cut two 5/16" dowel rods at 1/2" each.

Using a 5/16" drill bit, I drilled a hole 1/4" deep into both ends of the handle.

To get the perfect spot for the holes on the cup I marked black sharpie on the ends of the dowel rods and then pressed it against the cup at the spot I wanted it, making two marks on the cup. I am sure there is a more precise way of doing this but this is just thought of this on the spot and it worked great.

Next I drilled 1/4" deep again at both marks.

Finally I put glue in the hole and glue where the handle touches the cup and pushed them together, wiping off the glue squeeze out.

Step 12: Apply Finishes

So this is where I made a mistake in the process, I wanted to just apply bee's wax hoping that would be leak-proof it but it was not. I then applied poly but I believe the wax prevented the poly from fully drying and was very tacky so I just had to wipe it off and apply more.So if you do this, just apply a stain and poly.

The finish of these food related wood projects are actually a subject of debate. Finding a food-safe stain/finish can be complicated and confusing. I decided to not use stain and shellac like I originally planned and instead applied Feed-N-Wax bee's wax which brings out the wood grain, darkens the wood and I was hoping was leak-proof but was not.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you use poly, it should technically be food safe after it has fully cured which can take around 30 days. This is my opinion and some knowledge I have gathered from others so make your decision on your own.

Step 13: Making Leather Banding

I got some pieces of some scrap leather cut-offs from a friend of mine and made 2 strips that went all the way around the cup.

I got some rustic tacks and decided on the smooth heads to pin the leather on the wood.

Step 14: Applying Leather Banding

I glued and clamped one end of the leather and then progressed around the cup, hammering in the tacks as I went around, making sure the leather was tight it.

Step 15: Making Cover Pieces

I cut small strips to cover up the joint to make it look nicer and hide any imperfections at the joint.

Step 16: Bottoms Up!

MOST IMPORTANT STEP: After your stein is dried and cured its time to pour yourself a cold drink and relax in proper viking fashion!

Scraps Speed Challenge

Participated in the
Scraps Speed Challenge