Game of Thrones inspired Oak and Epoxy Coasters

19/06/2022

Many years ago one of my close friends gave me some wooden coasters turned from a tree root. Over the years the surface has become sticky and worned down to look at. After watching too many woodworking and epoxy videos on YouTube I decided that I wanted to create something myself to try it out. The choice fell on creating new coasters for my desktop. I've always been fascinated by epoxy resin tables so my goal was to incorporate that in the build as well. I started looking online after designs to draw inspiration from and stumbled across some 3D printed Game of Thrones inspired coasters.

First cut on CNC

After Second Cut on CNC

First Epoxy tests

I've never done much woodwork but luckily I have a brother-in-law who is very skilled in woodworking. He helped me choose the wood type and cutting the wood. We chose oak for two reasons. It looks really good after applying a darkening oil and he had some scraps that I could get from free. Being a Northern Jutlander I couldn't pass up getting some free wood.

Epoxy Close Up

Epoxy Close Up

Epoxy Close Up

The Epoxy pour made a mess so a lot of sanding had to be done in order to get the surface flat and get the epoxy flush with the wood. After sanding the majority with a orbital sander I finished the surfaces up with increasingly finer sandpiper. All the way from 220 to 300 to 600 to 1000 grit.

Sanded Before Oiling

Finished Coasters

Finished Coasters

When the coasters were sanded I had to decide which oil I wanted to finish them with. The choice was between linseed oil which I had laying around or Danish oil. The choice landed on Danish oil as it should be more water resistant than linseed oil which was a huge plus. I bought some and tested it on a scrap piece from the cutting process and I was satisfied with the color it brought out in the wood. Next step was to apply several coats of oil to the coasters over a few days allowing the oil to dry completely between coats. I am extremely pleased with the final look and can't wait till they have fully cured.

Now to make a new coaster holder!

To be continued...