DIY Wood Coasters from a Tree Branch

Learn to make (and decoupage) unique DIY wood coasters from a downed tree limb! These make interesting home decor or a perfect gift idea.

I've featured the talented women of Hammer Like a Girl here before. They always have such brilliant ideas, and this one is no exception. Learn how to make these DIY tree branch coasters. I love the natural look, don't you?
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Here is a fun and easy project if you ever come across a downed or pruned branch – coasters made from tree branches. When stacked on their base on your coffee table, your tree limb coasters become a mini-sculpture.

The Project: Stacked DIY wood coasters made from branch slices with concentric circles of ephemera applied to the surfaces. These wood slice coasters are drilled through the center, and are stacked on to a metal rod which is attached to a thick branch base.

DIY Wood Coasters

You will need:

• Branch – about 4″ diameter
• Chop saw (or a good hand saw and some muscles)
• Sander (we used a random orbital sander, but a hand sander would also work)
• Drill plus 1/8″ and 3/32″ drill bits
• Your favorite ephemera
• Large hole punches (we used 2″ and 1″)
• Small hole punch (we used 1/8″)
• Mod Podge Hard Coat
• Satin Varathane (or any clear polyurethane)
• Brush, about 1″ wide
• 1/8″ steel rod (we used old croquet wickets, but steel rod is available at hardware stores)
• Hacksaw
• Hammer

Step 1: Find a branch.

Step 2: Cut your branch into approximately 1/2″ slices. We used a chop saw, but you could also use a hand saw.

To make your slices somewhat consistent, mark your width of your cut by putting a piece of tape on your saw. To make your base, cut one slice thicker than the coasters – around 2″ – 3″.

Note: if you use a chop saw, remember to wear safety glasses and DO NOT cut through knots in the branch. The saw may grab the branch (and your hand) in an unpredictable and scary manner.

Step 3: Let your branch slices dry. We put them on a rack for about 2 weeks.

Step 4: Drill holes in the approximate center of each slice of wood. Try to vary the placement of the holes slightly; DIY wood coasters look better when the edges of the stack aren't perfectly aligned.

(Note: you can drill the holes before or after you sand, it doesn't matter that much.)

Step 5: Sand wood slices. We used a random orbital sander. To prevent the slices from flying around during sanding, we built a little jig.

We nailed 2 small pieces of scrap wood to the work bench in a “v”, and wedged the wood slice in the “v” with another piece of wood to hold it place while sanding. This was Monica's genius idea, by the way. I was content to sand a little bit of my finger tips off until she came along.

Step 6: To make the base, drill a hole with the 3/16″ drill bit (slightly smaller diameter than your steel rod) in your base piece of wood. Do not go all the way through.

You can mark your drill bit with a piece of blue tape for a guide. Cut your steel rod to correct length with a hacksaw. Use a hammer to pound the steel rod into the base. The fit should be tight.

Step 7: Gather your favorite ephemera. You can use old typographic options like we did, or you can go with more colorful options like old wrapping paper, illustrated calendars, greeting cards, maps, etc…

Step 8: Punch out a variety of paper options with your 2″ and 1″ punches and arrange in pleasing combinations.

It works best when there is some contrast between the 2 layers – different scale, color, or pattern.

After you have your groupings, use the small 1/8″ punch to make a hole in the approximate center of the paired circles.

Step 9: Brush Mod Podge onto a wood coaster, avoiding the center hole. Place 2″ circle (aligning the hole in the paper with the hole in the wood), apply Modge Podge on top, then apply the 1″ circle, and apply more Mod Podge on top of that, coating the entire surface of the coaster.

Let dry and repeat on back of coaster. Do the same to the base, sliding the circles down around the metal rod.

Step 10: Let dry thoroughly and then apply a clear polyurethane coating coating over the top of the Mod Podge. This will provide a hard finish. (Again, avoid getting the polyurethane into the center hole.)

Let your wood slice coasters dry thoroughly (a couple days) before stacking onto the base.

That's it. Enjoy your new DIY wood coasters that double as art! Don’t forget to come visit us at Hammer Like a Girl for more projects – and become a fan on Facebook!