How It's Made: Coasters

We’ve met so many great people at markets, and a lot of them ask us the same question — how do we make our coasters? This question always leads to a fun conversation. Some folks want to understand our creation process so they can share their ideas with us, while others are just baffled that our coasters are handmade, not manufactured. We’ve even met a few people who want to try using our process to make coasters themselves. We wish them luck, because it’s not easy! 

Here’s a look behind the scenes at how we do what we do. 

Of course, a quality coaster starts with quality materials. Our coaster bases are like a foundation, a blank canvas for our art. We have a pal out in Amish country who does CNC milling to our exact specifications. We gave him the dimensions for our wood coaster base, and he sources high-quality Amish wood and creates them using a CNC router. We use solid wood in oak, cherry and walnut varieties for our coaster bases. 

Then there’s the abalone shell. We’ve been asked before whether we’re traveling far and wide to find abalone. You know, long walks along California beaches, snorkeling in Mexico, scuba diving off the coast of New Zealand… Yeah, we wish. Alas, we’re not living the life of luxury just yet. The answer is far less interesting: we order it online. 

We get abalone shell in a veneer format, 9”x11” composite sheets of genuine shell. We have gathered that the shells are harvested in New Zealand and then processed in China. Buying in bulk helps us save on cost per sheet, but it’s still not cheap, especially to ship across the sea. It is well worth it though. Abalone shell has a beautiful iridescent quality that cannot be duplicated.

Now for the designs themselves, we use 1/16” wood veneer. To source this, we use a Wisconsin-based wood milling company called Ocooch Hardwoods. They offer “project-ready” wood that’s perfect for laser cutting, and shout out to them, because every order has been perfect, on time, and of impeccable quality. Check out the grain on this curly maple!

And as for the epoxy resin? Not all epoxies are created equal. We use the highest quality, crystal clear, food safe table top epoxy. Why? Because inexpensive, craft-grade epoxy has a tendency to turn yellow with age, and we absolutely can’t have that. So we get the good stuff, and it’s worth it, because we’ve never had a yellowing coaster. 

Now that we’ve gathered our materials, let’s get into the creation process. 

This is where the laser comes in. We were lucky to find a gently-used Thunder Bolt laser machine for a great price secondhand. This laser offers the working space as well as the cutting and engraving options that we need. If you’re familiar with laser cutting, you know how this part goes, but if you’re not, here’s what happens… 

We use a graphic design software to create each design from scratch. For our rose window coasters, we typically start with a clear, good quality photo and trace the pattern “by hand” in the software. Once the design is perfected, we transfer the files to a laser-compatible software. There, we can program the laser to use precise amounts of power and speed to cut the design on our 1/16” wood veneer. The power and speed settings are very important. Too much, and the edges will burn to a crisp. Too little, and the shapes won’t cut out at all. 

So we use the laser to cut out the wood veneer design, and we also use it to cut circles of abalone shell veneer. Then we assemble the abalone shell and wood veneer into the coaster base. This seems like a pretty straightforward step in the process, but we have learned that wood has its quirks. It can be prone to warping, especially very thin cut wood veneer like we use. So to make sure the inlays lie perfectly flat in the coaster bases, we add weight on top. We decided that this extra step is absolutely essential after learning the hard way a few times. 

Once the glue is set, it’s time to pour the epoxy resin. Anybody who’s worked with resin knows that it takes some practice. There is a skill to it. Once mixed, we have to pour the epoxy quite quickly, before it gets tacky and hard to work with. And once poured, it’s time to torch it. That’s right, a blowtorch helps jumpstart the curing process and eliminates any air bubbles. Using wood, which is porous, and adding multiple inlays, there are plenty of opportunities for air to get trapped under the epoxy and cause bubbles. We torch it multiple times during the first few hours of curing, just to be sure we get ALL the bubbles out. It’s not a foolproof method, and there are other factors at play, like the temperature and humidity of the room. This an especially challenging step, and we honestly haven’t perfected it, but we have come to accept that it might always be precarious, that we may always have some coasters that don’t come out right. That’s okay with us. 

Once the epoxy has cured (24-72 hours later) the coasters go back into the laser, this time for an engraving on the back. And then the final step: danish oil. Danish oil provides a beautiful finish for untreated wood. It’s light, easy to apply, and brings out the natural beauty of the woodgrain. 

Phew! Our coasters are finally finished. They’re ready to ship to your home, or to be packed up and brought to our next market. 

Well there you have it — handmade coasters, step by step! Go ahead, give it a try it at home, we dare you. 😉 Or save yourself the time, hassle, and money, and just keep getting them from us. You're welcome!