Stackable Wooden Shot Glasses – with a Dragon!

Want to turn something useful and stackable, following an easy pattern? Then the wooden shot glasses are just the thing for you (and you can ignore the dragon part, too). Beverage containers on the lathe are not that new, but these are also easy to store because they stack! And in addition to that, they can be customized in different ways and this technique will still work!

Watch the video, and read more about the planning of this and possible finishes!

Planning the wooden shot glasses

Here you can find the sketch for this project, in which I mainly tried to figure out the shape necessary to facilitate repeatable stacking. Paper is a good method to work out this kind of ideas since you can sketch and test them more quickly than on the computer. That is unless you are very practiced in 3d modeling, and then you probably do not need the paper either.

On the right side, you can see the steps that I thought would yield the chosen form. This is also the sketch that I mentioned in the video without showing it, and as you can see, there is not that much to it. I hope it can inspire you to turn a few wooden shot glasses yourself!

Surface Finishes

Since the wooden shot glasses are meant to be used as beverage containers, the question of an appropriate surface finish is bound to come up. It should be food safe and possibly be able to deal with not only water but also alcohol. There are special food-safe finished available, but they are generally not cheap and I do not own any. But there are alternatives.

One option is to leave the wood “raw”. Since these shots are turned from a single piece it is possible for them to split if they go through the wet-dry-cycle often enough, but the danger of that is rather slim, depending on the wood. Since you only use them for small amounts, and they are usually emptied quickly, this is definitely worth a try.

As alternatives, there are a number of oils suited for the task, as long as you use them without additives. Linseed oil, for example, is a classic, but only if you use it pure and not with additives meant to make it cure faster, like boiled linseed oil. After all, you do not want those chemicals in your food. Walnut oil would be another alternative, but in general, you should do a taste test with a single piece when using oils. Most also need time to cure, too.

I have made good experiences using beeswax, with which you would rub the surface, then heat it up using a hot air gun so the wax can melt. Then you can polish it. This is the method I would choose when the untreated version does not last.

Thanks for reading! If you are into woodturning, here are some more for you to check out. If you like what you see subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss a release again. And as always, remember to be Inspired!