Place Mats and Coasters

[Jim Grant]

My daughter in Scotland has asked me to make a set of place mats and drink coasters for her birthday. Being thin items that will be subject to hot plates etc being placed on them what would be a suitable timber to use that is unlikely to twist and split over time?
I hope that everyone gets a bit of shed time in over the holidays. All the best for 2007.

[ian]

Jim

I'm not sure, but many of the wooden trivets/place matts I see are not exactly thin nor solid.
More typically they are about 20mm thick and either nesting spirals, if one piece objects, or made in a criss-cross pattern where the wood is about 30–40% of the object, the rest being space

in the absence of any study, I suspect that if enought space is included in the "matt" splitting and warping does not become a problem.

Merry Christmas everyone
ian

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I've made drink coasters which were basically just "dead' CD/DVDs inlaid into 5mm thick timber disks. They last OK but IMHO are too big, more like bottle coasters than drink coasters, and mini CDs are too small. I tried cutting the CDs down to size but not with any great success.

I've also seen place-mats made from timber, but they've all been fairly thick, about 1 cm, with cork inlays for the plates to rest on. I dislike them, as I think that although the cork protects the timber it'd be all too easily stained with a food or liquid spill.

Not much help, I know. Sorry.

[echnidna]

Use ply or 3mm mdf with suitable veneers if you want the timber effect.
A felt or cork bottom is a nice touch.

[soundman]

I've been using a square jarrah coaster about 12mm thick for about two years.... no problem with the timber... it gets pretty grotty so I just give it a whizz with the ros and re wax.

I've had a couple of timber trivets, disks for putting hot stuff for at least 3 or four years, they are made out of left over plywood speaker holes, finished with about 5 coats of poly.
they were all doing fine until SHMBO put a very hot camp oven straight off the stove on one. the timber is fine.. the finish is not happy..... will resand & re finish.

A friend who runs a chineese resteraunt has timber trivets he puts very, very hot cast iron plates on for doing " sizzling" dishes.... the burning and oil staining from the food is obvious but the seem to stand up ok considering

As long as the timber is basicaly stable and thick enough to look after its self
You dont need to worry too much about the timber.
the finish you use is more of concern.
For coasters.... the local reverse garbage has gasget punchings..... disks of neoprene/ cork composite..... I have seen that used as coaster pads.... very durable and easy to clean.
So cork/ neoprene gasget material.

cheers