making beer tankards on the lathe

instructables

Making Beer Tankards on the Lathe

by mimaki cg60

Welcome to the reason I bought a lathe in the first place!

For a good while I've been thinking and trying to make wooden beer mugs, and only recently I acquired the meansof making them the way I envisioned. I have only about one and a half year of experience with a lathe, but evenmy first project turned out (pun intended) very nice.

These mugs are very fun to use, giving a tavern feel of centuries past to your beer drinking experience. They alsomake exceptional gifts, especially if you make them in pairs for any lovely couple.

Although it is possible to make some designs without a lathe, certain shapes and details are not very feasible byother means. Nonetheless, you can still make a finely crafted piece if you give it enough attention (as with anythingone crafts).

Safety: use eye protection and dust mask whenever cutting, sanding or applying finish. Do not rely solely onengaging your safety squints on time

The essential machines for this project can be as little as two:

Table saw or Band saw - I prefer the table saw because it gives me a cleaner cutLathe (pretty much any size will do)

Machines that are helpful:

Bansaw - to cut the rough shape of the handlesBelt sander - to flatten the bottom of the mug square to the side before turning it on the latheRouter table - for rounding over the bottom of the mug and the edges of the handleRotary tool (like a Dremel) - to help shape the handle

Tools and other materials

ClampsHose clamps (these make the glue up way easier)Sandpaper - 80, 150, 220, 320 are more than enoughGlue - 5min epoxy, wood glue, CA glueChisels - to carve the attachment points of the handle

Making Beer Tankards on the Lathe:

1. Credit to Gustavo Beckman for the awesome pic!

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Step 1: Choosing Your Wood

Basically any wood will do, but combining differentmaterials and choosing what will best fit your designwill add complexity and elegance.

More often than not I ask my wife to engrave ourprojects, and that means there will be a themedepicted on it. It's nice to choose your woodaccordingly. Here are some examples:

We took a great trip to Redwood National Park anddecided to create a mug fitting the experience. Forthat, we bought a chunk of redwood from a woodcarving store nearby - That makes your project evenmore personal!

Once I made a mug with a ship design, and chose

quarter-sawn oak for being the wood used in rumbarrels.

I like to go to hardwood stores and look on thediscount bins, because you don't need a lot of woodper mug and you get high quality lumber for cheaper.

Recycled wood is nice but then you use what youhave and not necessarily what you want.

If you want to go cheap and use pine: it can be veryinteresting, but the growth rings will very likelybecome prominent as the softer part of the woodshrinks. That is not necessarily bad but should bekept in mind if you want a smooth round shape.


Step 2: Designs and Dimensions

Here is where you can go wild or keep it simple.Google is your friend as always, find what pleasesyou the most and use it as a reference to make ityours.

Size - For me a very important aspect is to not makethem too big as I find it to be a bit pointless and out ofproportion. I like them to hold the contents of a 12ozbottle plus the foam. Part of the beauty of using thesemugs is to top them off, and unless you drink bucketloads of beer, it'll only get about half full and that'skinda depressing. And it'll get warm before you finishit (unless you chug it).

If you have any design software, it is really useful toillustrate your ideas because it enables you to makeslight changes in the shapes and curves while youkeep the previous layouts for comparison.

More details added to the shape means moreattention in sanding tool marks and wiping off theexcess finish.

I usually buy the wood first and figure out themeasurements later, but I have failed once or twice.

The structure I use is that of a staved cylinder, inwhich a set number of pieces has an angle cut on thesides and are then bundled into an hexagon, octagonor however many pieces you decide to use.

I'll explain mainly a construction using 6 sides. I likehow it looks and more sides will mean more cuts andmore sides to sand off the tool marks. Also, if usingcontrasting woods, more pieces will mean less spacefor an engraving in one particular stave.

To calculate how wide each of the 6 staves needsto be:

Roughly define your desired outside diameter anddivide it by 1.73204 (this coefficient means the largestcircle inside the hexagon has its diameter divided bythe width of the stave).

The inside diameter will depend on the thickness ofyour wood. You can calculate the minimum innerdiameter as (Outer diameter - 2 x Thickness) x1.155. The difference between the outer diameter andthe minimum inner diameter will define how narrowyou design can be.

The angle to be cut on the table saw is 30°.360°/6sides is 60°, which divided by 2 makes 30°.When two 30° sides are put together they make a60° angle and will close into a hexagon.

The length of the stave (i.e. how tall is your mug) willof course depend on your design!


Step 3: Cutting the Staves

After cutting the pieces to the proper width, it's time totilt the blade (or the table).

It's good to set the fence to cut just slightly shorterthan your top edge. That way you ensure your piecewon't loose width.

The last picture of this step shows a segmentedpiece. This design had a difference between the basediameter and the top diameter that was too big for thethickness of my wood. To amend that, I cut the topportion slightly narrower, making a smaller hexagonand allowing my to fulfill my design.


Step 4: Gluing Up in Two Parts (or One If Your Angles Are Perfect)

I find it very difficult to cut the angles dead perfect onmy table saw, but there's a foolproof way of fixingthat.

First, sand the cuts to remove any saw marks. Thenuse wood glue to join the staves into two sets ofthree, with a dowel separating them. This will allowthe two halves to pivot and neutralize any differencein the angles. Tighten hose clamps around yourpieces an let it dry. If your piece is short, 2 hoseclamps will do. If it's the length of two mugs, placeanother one in the center to prevent the wood fromflexing at that point

Hose clamps will pull all the pieces towards thecenter with equal force, causing the pieces to self-align. If they slide up and down a bit under the clamptension, they're only going to a spot with bettersurface contact, which will create a tighter joint.

After the glue cures, all you have to do is sand flat thetwo exposed angled cuts of each half.

A very important word is to glue your sandpaper (80grit is ideal) to a rigid and flat surface (like a flatboard). If you allow the sandpaper to flex it'll eat awaythe edges of your staves instead of flattening them.


1. Plexiglass with 80grit sandpaper glued in place2. clamp it so you can use both hands to move your piece

1. not gluing your sandpaper to aboard is NOT the best way

1. This helps opening and closing the clamp quickly without slipping 1. Any slippage can be sandedflush on the belt sander

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1. It took me a long time sanding the angles to glue all the pieces at oncewithout the dowel technique

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1. This is what happens without hose clamps

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Step 5: Attaching Your Piece to the Lathe and Shaping It

This is where you'll only learn with hands onexperience. There are tons of good videos showingessential wood turning methods. Videos are the bestway of understanding how to assimilate this craft, andthe important thing is to pay attention on how toposition each type of chisel relative to the wood. Thatalso differs between end grain and side grain. Youreally want to avoid catches (meaning the woodgrabbing and digging the chisel in a very violent way).

The purpose of the chisel is to remove woodeffectively and cleanly. For that, the most importantthing is to keep them sharp. I had very frustratingmoments because I though my chisel edges were"good enough".

Even though the sharper, the better, I only have a beltsander with 80 grit and a Dremel with fine sandingdisk to polish the edge. With a bit of work I get themreasonably sharp, but I'm still on the path of properlysharpening my tools.

When shaping your mug, it's nice to take advantage

of the waste material and experiment by addingunplanned details, if you don't like it, you can still getto your original design.

I believe that there are people with way moreexperience that made very instructive videos, so I'llmake my own when I achieve a higher level. Lookinginto Wood Turning avoiding catches you'll learn todo it right by learning how to not do it wrong (if thatmakes any sense).

Forstner bits help with hollowing, but the slowestspeed of my lathe is still too fast for them. On top ofthat, my tailstock is slightly misaligned, so it tends toseize on deeper cuts. On a side note, I did buy thecheapest Harbor Freight lathe on a Black Friday.

I like to hollow enough to hold the 12oz of beer, butnot so hollow that the walls are thin towards thebottom. That way the mug keeps a good dry weightand a low center of gravity (avoids tipping over).

1. Making the bottom square to the sides means less wasted material atthe lathe

1. For this one, I used the bottom as the attachment point on the lathe

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1. This is the wrong screw for this because the cone-shaped head will cause it to strip the wood before ittightens enough

1. This is wrong! The tip of the chuck jaws should also be pressed againstthe wood

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1. This kind of attachment gives better support for removing the tailstock on a long piece 1. The boring part (duh)

1. Carving shallow slots andburning them with a wire createseasy embellishments (use highspeed setting for this)

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1. Beeswax to coat the inside

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Step 6: Creating and Attaching the Handle

I take a lot of time making sure that the handle designmatches the mug. I tend to get influenced by othermug designs and end up using much of their shape.But I tend to dislike the majority of handles out there,and they are a good portion of looks on the finalpiece.

Don't settle with all the effort you made on the mugand then skimp on the handle. It WILL look ugly.

Also, this is where the hand will grab, so it's importantto make sure it's comfortable to hold and that theperson that's getting it can put the knuckles around it.Taping a paper template of your design on the muggives you a good notion on how big the opening mustbe.

When shaping the handle, a router table is veryhandy to give a consistent and symmetrical roundingof the sharp edges. If working a more tapered/curveddesign, it's a lot more work to make it equal on bothsides by hand.

I use 5 min epoxy to glue the handle because after

cured, even the parts with poor wood-to-wood contactwill be reinforced by the hardened resin. The epoxydoesn't need a lot of clamping power, which is goodon a curved surface with the handle prone to slidingout of place. Here are some ways to attach yourhandle:

When surface mounting: Drilling tiny holes on bothmug and handle creates a strong anchoring effect.This type of mounting can be a lot of work whensanding the profile of the mug on the handle andleave no gap.

Carve a recess on the mug: This makes the handlemore secured and it's easier to make it look good,with no gaps and properly aligned. It doesn't need tobe a very deep recess. Drilling anchoring holes is stilla good idea.

Invent a different way: If you come up with apractical and neat way of mounting the handle, oddsare it'll have a very innovative design.

1. Channel carved with chisel, very easy to attach2. Round hole made with drill, very easy to attach

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1. shallow slots give extra support and ensure the handle is aligned

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1. This guy has big hands 1. This is way too small

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1. This one kinda looks like a flying buttress

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1. Tape both the mug AND the handle and trim the excess, this stuff will notcome off if it touches the wood

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Step 7: Decorating - Woodburning and More

Adding details will dramatically increase the look andreaction to the mug.

You can engrave it with a carving bit on the rotarytool, add metal accents like studs, wrap a stringaround a slot, paint or draw with a fine tip pen.

Transferring a pattern with graphite paper goes a longway on ensuring you get a decent result regardless ofyour skills.

I like the effect of woodburning, specially because mywife is pretty good at it. If you want to know moreabout it, here is the link to her instructable onPyrography:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Wood-burning-101-...

1. Double J monogram for a newly wed couple

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1. Landscape from the Redwood National Park2. Beautiful Redwood purchased near the park

1. A coin we got at a park visitor center

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1. Hemp thread on a slot carved to it

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Step 8: Adding the Finish and Sealing the Inside

I like to finish the mugs on the oustide with one coatof Danish Oil and at least two coats of Polyurethane.I have used Danish oil on the inside before, but I wantto give the inside the more natural treatment possible.

The search for food safe finishes is quite annoyingsince they go by compliance of regulations of directand indirect food contact, but it gets me confused onwhether using it to hold a drink makes it more thandirect food contact.

I am aware that the most practical product is a type offood grade epoxy resin that cures transparent andhardens to a plastic. There are a few out there andthey tend to be a bit pricey.

For now, I am satisfied with applying a coat of moltenbeeswax and buffing it with some cloth wrapped

around a screwdriver handle on a drill. It works prettywell, but I had the mug flying out of my hand andhitting the wall after bouncing on the floor. Yes, it didbreak but I fixed it.

The trick I use to do this safely is to sit down and holdthe mug between my legs. That way, your body willabsorb the vibrations and prevent the mug from flyingwhile having both hands free to hold the drill firmly.

Also, warming up the inside of the mug with a heatgun helps buffing the beeswax.

You could use a drill press (it could still fly from yourhands), but I prefer the speed control of the hand drilland I can also see what I'm doing from the top


Step 9: Enjoy It With a Decent Beer and How to Clean It

Alright, when your finish has cured it's time to give it acoat of finely crafted beer finish. Comes on ale orlager sheen.

Must be applied cold and emptied with moderation (ornot)

Number of coats depends on how lit you want ''it'' tobe.

Please, these coats are on the inside only.

When done for the day, give it a rinse of warm waterand let it drain, it's just beer after all. Soap wouldpotentially leave taste.

It's for BEER, don't put soda, milk, or anything hot (itwill melt the beesxax)

After a few uses, wipe a little bit of food grade mineraloil. After a lot of uses, maybe some more beeswax. Ihave used my first one for over a year pretty muchevery day and only buffed beeswax once because Ifelt like having it shiny on the inside again.

I hope you make one and enjoy it, thanks for coming!

Please consider voting if you liked it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1KlUFAXLLA&edit=vd


making beer tankards on the lathe

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