Wine Cork Trivets
- on 08.29.08
- Woodworking Projects
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If you have been reading along with this site, you probably already know that I am a big fan of woodworking, and I spend as much time in my woodworking shop as I can. But I do have other interests, and I was trying to think of a way to combine some of them.
Well, I think I may have found a way. One of the other passions in my life is enjoying a good glass of wine. No, I am not going to go on and on about which wine or winery is best. I will leave that for others. But I have noticed that in every winery we have visited, they are selling Wine Cork Trivets, made from that winery’s corks.
wine cork trivet
So I got to thinking, I can make that at home, and have the added enjoyment of drinking the wine first. So now every time we uncork a new bottle, the cork gets saved and when I have enough saved I make another trivet.
The process is actually very simple, I started with a base of plywood, cut to 9 ¼” square. Then from my scrap bin, I cut four pieces of trim, to act as a frame. I miter the ends and I cut a reveal on the inside of each trim piece so that the inside dimensions are a square that is 8 5/8” by 8 5/8”. With the frame made, it was simply a matter of gluing in the corks. The 8 5/8” square accommodates 50 corks, when used in a two X two pattern (see above picture or design your own!)
I found cork board glue at a craft store; it seems to work better then regular yellow glue.
I also used Spring Clamps to hold the mitered corners while the glue on them dries.
 Maestro Clamp Set |
These clamps hold the miter joint tight, better then any other clamp I have found.
It seems that every winery decorates their corks differently, some with a name and Logo, some brightly colored, with the name and logo. I mixed them up to add more of a decorative look to this simple project. Oh, and if you are not a wine drinker, just ask friends who are to save their corks for you, I am sure they won’t mind emptying a bottle for you. Have fun!
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i am making a countertop for our “bar” out of wine corks. i wondered if you had a suggestion for a seal for it. we looked at different options (shellac, glass) but wondered if you had any experience with this…….i need to level it somehow. thank you.
WOW, a really neat idea. I didn’t seal the corks in the trivits, as there was no need for that, but in your case I agree that the corks have to be sealed or leveled in some way. I don’t think that I would try sheallac, or a leveling components, since the corks are so porious, I don’t think you would be happy with the results. I do like the idea of using glass. I think I would make a base piece, put the corks down, and then cover the whole thing with a shatter proof glass. That way it would easy to clean, and you could always pull the glass up if you wanted to change the design of the corks.
I really would like to know what you decide to do, and if possible would love to see a picture of the final project.
Ok probably a really simple and more then likely dumb question but when you say you cut a “reveal” on the inside of your frame pieces what does that mean? And how did you do that to get the exact size you were looking for? I have made a few of these and I can never get the inside dimensions perfect which leaves gaps around the corks. Any help would be great.
Scott:
When I started out with the trim pieces, I made them over sized so that the inside size was about 9″. After laying out the corks, I was able to determine the exact final dimension that was required. Knowing this dimension, I recut the inside edge of the four trim pieces so that I ended up with a final size of 9 5/8″. Hope that helps with your trivits
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