Turning a 2x4 into 24 beautiful coasters

This is a very in depth video of how I took a 2x4 from the hardware store no one wanted, and turned it into 24 beautiful coasters. They've been sanded to 2000 grit, and polished to a glass like finish.
Enjoy!

[luvshak]

For the resawing, I would do it in multiple passes. I never take more than 1/2" at a time.

[RIP_Greedo]

Kickback when resawing the 2x4 (no riving knife) followed by crosscutting against the fence (no riving knife). Be glad you still have all your body parts.

[Hawke]

Check that your table saw blade is actually parallel to your fence. A measuring tape should be sufficient. Also verify that your blade isn't bent.

These can contribute to kickback and make your saw dangerous to use.

For the finish, you can use paper grocery bags to buff the poly, and then use your choose of wax. The wet sanding is overkill and because it's waxed over, no one will ever notice or truly appreciate the effort that went into that part, as the wax will fill in low spots and even everything out anyway.

Great looking coasters though!

[countrywoodproducts]

I cringed and my toes curled up when that piece of wood flew off the table saw. I recently had a kick back on my saw which dented my arm. My body was out of the way and I got my hands out of the way as the piece took air.
I used to make coffee coasters using pallet wood. It was perfectly dry and ready to use. Just needed some planing to clean them up.

[daniel]

Your first mistake is trying to re-saw such small pieces. You should have ripped the board in half, first, with it at its full length. This gives YOU much more leverage and more to hang onto. I do that ALL the time, and have NEVER had a kick back in 30 years of running a table saw. There have been some "scares" but that keeps you paying attention.

[eoghanbishop]

Nice job with the project and video. Use the riving knife in the table saw when re-sawing, and a Gripper or push stick, that was a nice pad save.

[Actio]

Damn, never been so scared on someone else’s behalf than this. Your lucky to still have 10 finger man :)

[timconnell]

Thnx for the vid. Anything that stops wood from going to trash is great. Pallets would be a great source for people starting out to sell and buy more tools 😉

[diybuildandlife]

I used poly and the surface sticks with a hot coffee. Also the surface has completely boiled up when left in sun

[mrglindsay]

Nice video. I am thinking though that the wax will wear off in time and the product will not be the same as when it was purchased and customer would not have expected on going maintenance.

[herbsu]

Did I see you using the fence when you cross cut on your table saw at 2:08?

[ronaldtreitner]

2x4's are usually really damp wood and if you cut it thin, especially to sell eventually its going to warp bad, etc., not the best choice for something you're thinking of selling.

[hooliganandroguefilms]

I can't believe you still have 10 fingers

[dclinks]

why did you sand 1.5”
to .5”. why not use 4/4 boards

[jonstoutenburg]

these are beautiful, with very little investment. but wouldnt a hot cup of coffee melt the wax you put on them?

[LG-erng]

would you consider putting grooves in the coaster to catch condensation? if so, how would you do that?

[nightman]

I did this using 4x4’s and after staining them and putting polyurethane most of my pieces warped even though I made sure they were on a flat surface with a vice or something heavy on top. How do I avoid this?

[josephataylor]

Watching this video gives me major anxiety.
Make a cross cut sled man...

[timconnell]

That clamp horse is an australian invention from my area. Ive meet the guy who invented it and he is filthy rich but he is laid back and nice. Not a show off. Jeans tshirt and a smile type guy.
Thought you like to know that story?

[GunninWizard]

I just use 4x4s and cut them 3/4th inch each then u dont need to worry about splitting it in half