Barrel Stave Bottle Opener

A friend of mine recently gifted me a few bourbon barrel staves and I set out to make him a gift in return. Because we both share another hobby that requires a bottle opener, I decided to make one. With the addition of a carved design of our home state and an industrial style cast iron opener, I am pleased with how this turned out.

• Tools
• Saw
• Orbital Sander
• CNC Router (optional) - used to carve design. Specifically I use a Genmitsu 3018-pro.
• Drill and 1/16" bit
• Small Paint Brush
• Supplies
• Barrel Stave - These are typically made from white oak.
• Sandpaper - 120, 150, and 220 grit.
• Varathane Dark Walnut Stain
• Cast Iron Bottle Opener - I bought this one from Etsy.

Starting with an aged stave will give this piece character. Inspect the stave to determine which end you would like to make the handle from. The final dimensions should be 5.75" long, 2.25" wide, and 1" thick, mark the wood appropriately.

Sawing from one end of the stave allows us to keep a neat feature on the barrel stave called a "croze". The croze is a groove machined into the barrel designed to ensure a liquid-tight seal when the barrel heads are placed.

Next, sand with an orbital sander with 120 grit, followed by 150 grit, and finally 220 grit. Be sure to sand the bottom side as well - this will prevent the black char from coming off on your hands.

To make this wood grain come alive, apply stain with a small brush. Wipe excess stain off with a cotton rag then let it dry completely.

Touching on the basics of CNC routing used to carve the state of Kentucky shape, I used Easel to upload the design and send G-code to the router. For this specific design a 1/16" router bit was used to cut to a depth of 0.1".

Carving the stained wood will show the unstained wood beneath and the design will get a nice "pop" and be more visible.

To prevent the wood from splitting, a pilot hole is drilled in the center with a 1/16" drill bit. The cast iron opener has an attached screw so it can be assembled by hand.

With that, it is ready to use! Cheers y'all!