This project was relatively simple, and served as a nice finisher project for the semester. Basically, we made decorative strips of wood into bottle openers that collected the bottle caps from drinks as they fell, and could be put anywhere that a magnet could stick.
To start, we selected our wood of choice from a variety of wood types (maple, oak, purple heart, etc.), and cut them into inch-thick strips. After doing so, we glued and clamped them together to form a pattern that we had in mind. Once dry, we trimmed and planed the glued wood until it was flush and even, then sanded it completely smooth.
Usually this is where you would put wood oils and polyurethane coats on the wood, but instead of finish, we put holes in the wood instead. We drilled three large holes along the center of the back side of the wood piece to house the magnets, and drilled two small holes in the front side to accept the screws for the metal bottle opener. After we drilled these holes, we put the finish on the wood, glued the magnets in, and screwed in the opener.
The finished product is an aesthetically pleasing bottle opener that is also functional and easily moved. Below is a picture of one such opener.
To start, we selected our wood of choice from a variety of wood types (maple, oak, purple heart, etc.), and cut them into inch-thick strips. After doing so, we glued and clamped them together to form a pattern that we had in mind. Once dry, we trimmed and planed the glued wood until it was flush and even, then sanded it completely smooth.
Usually this is where you would put wood oils and polyurethane coats on the wood, but instead of finish, we put holes in the wood instead. We drilled three large holes along the center of the back side of the wood piece to house the magnets, and drilled two small holes in the front side to accept the screws for the metal bottle opener. After we drilled these holes, we put the finish on the wood, glued the magnets in, and screwed in the opener.
The finished product is an aesthetically pleasing bottle opener that is also functional and easily moved. Below is a picture of one such opener.
In terms of challenge, there wasn't much in this project. As I said, it was a nice little finisher project to help close out the semester; in fact, the only challenge I had with it was picking out the wood colors.