I'm starting my first woodworking project—making Whiskey coasters for family and friends this Christmas! I'm currently in my second year at a UK college studying art and design. In our classroom, we have access to plywood sheets, but I'm unsure if plywood would be the best material for coasters. I've looked into using walnut and oak, but they are a bit expensive. What do you think? Is plywood suitable, or should I just invest in solid wood?
3 Answers
Plywood can work for coasters if you treat them with a good urethane finish. Just be aware that smoothing out the cut edges can be a bit challenging. It might be a good idea to use plywood for practice but keep some solid wood handy in case you're not satisfied with how the plywood turns out. Since you're in an art and design course, you know that good projects often require several attempts!
Totally agree! Experimentation is key!
I usually make all my coasters from solid wood. Plywood tends to swell with moisture, which could ruin the coasters. I finish mine with a simple mixture of mineral oil and beeswax that I make myself—it works great!
Wow, thank you!
That sounds like a solid finish choice!
Generally, plywood isn’t very decorative since the cut edges can look rough with all the exposed layers. Solid wood is usually the way to go for coasters. If you want a geometric design, you could use two types of wood—one for the center and one for a wrapped edge. You could also use plywood in the middle and just add a hardwood edge wrapping. Since coasters are small and don’t usually warp, solid wood is often the better choice.
Thank you! I’ll definitely look into finding a good cost for solid wood since that will be ideal. I’ll try plywood and find a finish to coat it so marks and moisture don’t damage it. At the end of the day, I’m treating this as an experiment!
Good call on the finish! That’ll help a lot!
Thank you for the advice! I’ll definitely try the plywood out 🙂