Are you trying to come up with a unique gift idea for the dad or husband? Here’s an idea we think every man will appreciate. In fact, we think the whole family will want to have one for themselves! 🙂 A beer mug!
Men love beer. We’ll wager you do, too. These days, it’s a cool thing to be seen drinking. Other than that, we suspect our fondness of beer is a fundamental, maybe elemental part of being human.
Maybe you’ve heard the bold claim that beer and bread are the cause of civilization. The simple grain of the barley beckoned to ancient Sumerian hunter-gatherers, showing them a life that could be lived in one place, without the need to roam as nomads. The first arable crops, so the story goes, were barley. The first farmers are thought to have been brewers and bakers as well.
Maybe they drank from vessels much like this! This DIY beer mug was made the bushcraft way. No power tools, just a hatchet and a knife — a good hatchet and a good knife! No screws or wood glue to hold the pieces together, just ropes and propolis (a natural, safe adhesive)!
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Are you in for the challenge of hiding your power tools for a while? Here are the only things you’ll need…
You’ll need these materials:
- 2 Logs (diameter about the size of your hand)
- Polyester Rope
- Sandpaper
- Propolis
And these tools:
- Pencil Marker
- Hatchet (here’s a well-designed, high-quality hatchet that allows for steady strikes)
- Knife (this 5-inch long knife has a good handle perfect for projects like this)
Keep scrolling to read DIY-er
Steps to make a bushcraft beer mug!
First you’ll have to gather some wood.
Choose straight-grained species – I got a piece of elderberry (not because elderberry is THE beer mug species, just because I got a piece left). Any straight- or spiral-grained species will do the job, no worries.
You’ll need a log with a diameter about the size of your hand so don’t sight too small.
Use a hatchet to cut it down (or cheat like me, use a saw – first penalty point).
The aim is to hollow it out.
Draw the cutting lines on the top of the log (to get equal parts) & split it in 8 with a hatchet – see why you need that straight-grained wood?
Once you’ve got those 8 parts you’ll cut off their tips, leaving just 15 to 20mm (half an inch) from the side.
While hatching the log your cut respects the grain of the wood & you’ll obtain perfect contact between every piece.
Let it all dry in a well-ventilated area.
Your beer mug needs a handle. Not just any handle, a strong handle – you want to raise all that beer, no? Look for some natural wooden elbows or fork-style branches.
Peel it & let it dry.
Once those parts are dry, reassemble the log.
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