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Mystifying Balancing Wine Bottle Holder
By Paul and Vernon Mayer
Photos Paul Mayer
Design and Construction Vernon Mayer
Posted: December 16, 2009
Add a whimsical air to your next celebration by placing wine bottles in a seemingly impossible balancing act using these intriguing holders. These special holders support a standard 750-ml bottle of wine in perfect repose, while your guests will stand around it staring in a state of wonder. The trick to maintaining balance is in the angle of the base cut, and the distance from the top hole to the base. This plan will demystify the process and take the guesswork out by providing the measurements that make it work for you.
(Balancing Wine Bottle Holder Plan) winebottleholderpattern.pdf )
Start by creating your template. Download and print the supplied pattern, and apply to 1/4" plywood or tempered hardboard using adhesive spray. Let the spray dry for about a minute before placing it on the template material, which will allow the paper pattern to be removed more easily.
Cut out the template. First drill the 1-1/4" holes as indicated on the template. Then, use either a band saw or scroll saw to cut to the pattern lines, and sand the edges smooth.
Prepare your stock. Any hardwood will work just fine. This is a perfect project to turn end cuts into holiday gifts, as the blank that you will need is only 3/4"x 3" x 9". Optionally, for greater stability you can use thicker stock such as 5/4 or 6/4. Trace the cut lines using the template. For better visibility, using a white pencil when using dark wood such as walnut.
Drill holes. Use a 1-1/4" bit to drill holes as positioned in the template. The bottom contour could also be cut on the band saw, but given the tight radius we generally do this at the drill press, which provides a quick hole that is consistent in size with the top hole, and leaves a smooth surface that saves on sanding time later.
Cut the base angle. Prior to cutting the curved shape on the band saw, cut the base at a 35-degree angle.
Cut rough shape on band saw. Using a band saw, cut the curved shapes, leaving the line for final shaping later.
At this point it is a good idea to test the holder for balance. Before sanding, place a full 750-ml bottle of wine in the holder to see if it stays firmly balanced. You might find that it balances perfectly without further modification. If you are slightly off, it might feel 'a bit tippy'. If you are grossly off, it won't stand on its own at all. If it doesn't balance properly, carefully feel which way the holder is leaning under the weight of the bottle and adjust the angle of the base with 'tuning cuts' on band saw as needed, or by lightly sanding with a disc sander. If the bottle leans to the right as shown by the arrow in this photo, decrease the angle of the base cut (try 34-degrees) so that the bottle holder stands more vertically. Sharpen the angle (try 36-degrees) if it leans the other way.
Sand to the line. Using a belt sander, carefully sand to the line for final shaping.
Use an oscillating spindle sander or other means to sand inside the holes. After all surfaces have been sanded using power equipment, hand sand to 400-grit to achieve a smooth feel.
Finish using polyurethane or other durable finish. One way to support small pieces like this as the finish cures between coats is to tap some small finish nails about half way into a piece of scrap wood, leaving a bunch of nails sticking out a small amount at approximately the same height. This will support the piece without much contact surface area, allowing you to finish all sides in a single pass.
Once you get the balancing part down, you can experiment with other fun shapes and designs. If you modify the distance of the hole from the base, you will also have to adjust the angle of the base to establish balance. For example, if the hole is farther from the base, you will need to cut the base at a lesser angle. By experimenting you will find the angle that works for most any design.
Paul Mayer lives in Lakeville, MN and is a hopelessly addicted hobbyist woodworker with 12 years experience building custom furniture and other fun projects. He also assists his father, Vernon Mayer, in his woodworking business Vern's Wood Goods where they build serving trays, cutting boards, kitchen utensils and other fine crafts.
Balancing Wine Bottle Holder Pattern
10 Comments
Posted December 16, 2009 // 2:23 PM good info ,I'll have to give this a try.was wondering how they get them to balance
Posted December 17, 2009 // 6:12 AM Thanks Bill. It's all in the angle of the base cut, and distance of the hole from the base. Also, do yourself a favor and go with the thicker stock to increase the stability. When we make these out of 6/4 stock, as an example, you can still balance the bottle even when it is half empty. Good luck!
Cool, Vern.
Great work. I have made many balancing wine holders for one bottle. I have seen pictures of two and three bottle holders.I have tried to make one with no success. Can you help me out?
JoeK, Sorry, I have not made one of these before, so I can't offer any guidance other than trial and error. I would start with cheap construction material and experiment with distance between bottles and the angle of the base until you get it right. I would also encourage you to use a wider base for greater stability. For multiple bottles, I would target approximately 2" of thickness at the base.
This looks like a fun project. What is the measurment from the base to the hole? or should I just trust that I am printing the plan to the right scale? I guess that I need a little more reassurance. Thanks...
35 degrees wont work on some short neck bottles , i had to recut mine to 37 degrees...
Hi Dan, Yes, there are variations in bottle sizes and shapes that require some tweaking to that angle. The best suggestion that I have here is to use thicker stock which will make the project much more stable and then the angle will be less finicky. We sometimes make this with a base that is so wide that it will stand with or without a bottle, the bottle can be full or empty, and these even work with magnum bottles.
It will balance as long as the center of gravity falls within the flat contact surface of the holder, in theory. That's why one works for a full bottle, but not a half full since the center of gravity moved. Same applies to two or more bottles. You can calculate where the center is if you are good enough with the physics and math. Most likely, people just need to feel where the 'balance point' is and try to get the angle parallel to the table top and the center gravity falls on the contact area. Fun project.
Thanks, Ted. Yes, these are quite fun. To hedge your bet a little on the balancing, you can make the project out of thicker stock. My father makes them out of 8/4 stock and they can balance with no bottle, half bottle, full bottle or even larger bottles.