Tree Branch Coasters

Making your own coasters is an inexpensive, decorative and useful craft that you can use around your home. Coasters protect your tables from water rings and provide a decorative touch. My daughter made some wonderful coasters recently as a homemade gift for a loved one. She made it out of cut branches from our peach tree and carved designs by using a wood burner.

 

We had pruned the peach tree in the back yard and stacked up the pruned wood near the outdoor grill for smoking meat, when my daughter spied it and decided to make coasters as a homemade Christmas gift. She chose branch pieces that were big enough to easily sit a glass or cup atop of and then used a chop saw to cut the branch into about ½ inch thick pieces. After cutting the branches into correct sizes, she practiced making designs with a wood burner into a piece of cut branch until she found a design she was happy with.

Wood burning techniques are easy to learn, even for a beginner. A wood burning kit is inexpensive to purchase. It usually cost around $10 brand new. A wood burning kit includes a pen-like tool that plugs into an electrical outlet, plus several tips that attach to the pen to create different marks. Let the tips cool down before changing them out or use small pliers to change out the hot tips. It is a good idea to rest the hot wood burning pen in an old coffee cup when you are not using it, because it is less likely to be accidently knocked over.

 

My wood burning kit came with five tips. It has a grading tip which is used to create a teardrop pattern or to create light and dark shading. It also has a universal tip used to create lines of varying thickness. It has a dot tip which is used for soft details and delicate work. It has a bent fine tip used for creating fine detail work. Lastly, it has a script tip used to create broad lines, curves, and for lettering.

Look at the monogram coaster she made. It is absolutely gorgeous! I hope you can make your own tree branch coaster.