DIY Coffee Pour Over Station

 

For a long time we wanted to upgrade our coffee pour over system. Something simple but pretty, a bit steampunk in design, and ultimately that could allow us to make 3 cups at once. We landed on a walnut/padauk + copper design with copper pour over devices. Hope you like!

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

MATERIALS

  • 5 BF 4/4 Walnut Scrap Padauk

  • 10' 1/2" Copper Pipe

  • 4 x T Fittings

  • 4 x Elbow Fittings Gorilla Super Glue

  • TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

  • Emmit's Butcher Block Finish

TOOLS

  • SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

  • Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD Sliding Compound Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

  • Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

  • Drill Press: https://amzn.to/2GjgOjh

  • Jointer: https://amzn.to/2I5f9j0

  • 13” Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

  • Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

  • Cordless Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

  • Copper Pipe Cutter: https://amzn.to/2I1TZlx

  • Bench Cookies: http://amzn.to/2q1qjYZ

  • Taper Jig from Rockler

  • Lots of clamps!

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Above is a model of the SketchUp file that you can download for free here to understand the copper and wood measurements!

The pour over station is built from 5/4 walnut, padauk accents, and copper tubing. Step one was to take the walnut and padauk I had purchased and mill down to their proper sizes, which was a mix of jointing for straight edges, cutting to rough size on the miter saw, creating flat edges on the table saw, and then squaring up once all of my straight edges were established.

This is a basic milling process you’ll always go through if you purchase rough lumber. I also ripped my walnut pieces into strips that would later be glued up like a butcher block.

I was pretty limited on padauk, but I also wanted it to be more of an accent than a central component of the wooden look. I don’t have a band saw to resaw, so instead i did the Table saw splitting method. That left me with two thinner pieces that I then ran through the planer and ripped in half on the table saw. You can see how the pieces then fit in with the walnut. This was for the base only.

Next was the glue up. Pretty straight forward. For the base, I glued up the walnut mixed with the padauk and used horizontal and vertical clamping to keep things straight. For the top, it was just the walnut, so much the same. I then let it cure overnight in the clamps.

The next day, I could pass both pieces through the planer to clean things up. This is probably my favorite part of the build every time I do it. Really just shows how clean and beautiful a piece will eventually be. I then measured and marked the final length of the base and cut to size on the table saw, followed by measuring and marking the top piece and cutting it as well. It was helpful to use some of the copper pieces to get this last step lined up.

I then added chamfers to the tops of each piece - adding a subtle profile really ups the overall design of the piece. If you have a router, go for it!

Next up was figuring out where to drill the three holes for the top of the piece. A pour over would sit on top of this section, and the holes would allow the coffee to filter through below to your mug. Using a mug, I measured out roughly where things should go, then spent some time honing in exactt measurements.

I then went over to the drill press and drilled out three 2 1/8” wholes. Using a clamp and a backer piece prevented tear out. I then added the same chamfer to the inside of the holes to create a more dynamic profile.

Then I sanded. Yay….

The next step was the first step in adding the copper portion to the build. I needed to measure and mark out the places the holes in the base would be drilled. I did this by centering the top part from all angles, then drilling out half inch holes in the base at each corner. These holes didn’t go all the way through the piece.

With the holes drilled, I then could measure and cut my copper piping to length for all pieces, including the vertical supports, the horizontal supports, and the connecting horizontal supports on the sides. I purchased this $12 (maybe less?) copper pipe cutter from Lowes and about 8 turns would cut the pipe cleanly. One 10’ copper provided everything I needed. I then did a dry assembly to make sure it was all even and correct. It was (first try!)

Before final assembly, I then added my butcher block finish (food safe) to the top and bottom wooden pieces. Love this stuff. Really just makes the wood pop like no other product I’ve used. Small thing - I put blue tape in the base holes to prevent any finish from getting into them.

The last portion of the build was final assembly. I drilled out small holes all the way through each of the longer copper pieces to accept screws. Then, using super glue, I assembled all the pieces and used my speed square to make sure things were square and compressed together as best as possible. Super glue worked great for this (I don’t know how to “sweat” copper).

I then used a few spacers and screws to properly seat the top piece and used the impact driver to pull it all together. The silver screws were temporary; I later oxidized them to help better match the copper color.

And then I was done. I made the mistake of not showing it in the video, but the thumbnail for the video shows how it works. Coffee on the top. Water flows through the filter and into the coffee cup below. Honestly, the coffee is amazing.

Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

 

End Grain Coffee Pour Over Station

 

Thanks for checking out the full article! 

Full video build is below, followed by detailed instructions with tools and measurements!
You can subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here!

This was such a great little project. Scrap hardwood is not easy to come by and is quite pricy when bought, so I wanted to make the most of it. I had the concept for an end grain cutting board project influenced by Homemade-Modern's coffee pour over station design a few months back. Not having the proper tools to do it or the materials, I shelved it until I knew I was ready / skilled enough to pull it off. The time is now!

MATERIALS
African Mahogany Hardwood (About 3 BF of 4/4 Stock at 8.5" long)
TiteBond II Wood Glue
Mineral Oil
Galvanized Pipe (see details below!)
Wood Screws

I started by ripping all of my wood into strips at 1.375" on my Miter Saw with the grain. A table saw works better for this if you're looking to do many cuts, but a Miter Saw with a stop was efficient for the number of cuts I made. 

Next, I grouped my strips into sets of six and laminated them together. My one regret here is not mixing up the pieces into more of a pattern based on the various looks of the end grain. Next time! 

Make sure you use lots of glue and a credit card make it very easy to spread and cover all of the surfaces. 

I then clamped all my sets of 6 to dry overnight. I lined up the ends as much as I could and used a mallet and a scrap piece to keep everything very flat (or as much as I could!)

The next day, I ran my pieces through the planer. The manual recommends to not plane anything shorter than 12 inches, but the key should be to not plane anything shorter than the distance between the two rollers of your planer. Otherwise, it will get caught and I honestly couldn't tell you what kinds of things might happen then. If I had to guess, a black hole will open up and the earth will collapse on itself. So tread lightly. My pieces ere 8.5 inches, so I was set to plane and it all came out great. I then square up the sizes of each piece in preparation for ripping strips again. 

I ripped 25 total strips at 1.5" from my 5 pieces, meaning I could get two boards (one with 12 strips, one with 13).

I laid out my pieces on my clamps, flipped a few pieces to mix up the end grain pattern, and then rotated them 90° in preparation for my end grain glue up. 

Same recommendation as before. Use ample glue, spread it well to cover all of your surfaces, square up your edges with scrap pieces or a mallet, and clamp slowly to avoid slipping. Also, you should clamp from the top to avoid bowing, and you can go back after 10 minutes and wipe off excess glue with a wet rag. 

As hard as I tried, this didn't quite glue up flat. I think my surface was uneven to start. You live and you learn. 

Now there is a ton of controversy in the woodworking community about planing end grain. This being my first project and just unsure of all of the consequences, I chose to use my stationary belt sander to flatten everything. It took quite a bit of time, but worked well and left me with a smooth flat finish on both faces and all of the sides. 

I opted to not use a router to take down my edges. Instead, I could just rotate my piece slowly on the belt sander and they rounded out very nicely. Had I wanted another edge style, I might have chosen the other route. After belt sanding, I switched to orbital sanding at 120, followed by hand sanding at 220, 320, and 400, including a wet sanding at 220. Oil won't raise the grain, but knowing this is a cutting board that will likely get wet quite a bit, I wanted to make sure I did a wet sanding to avoid having the wood rough up down the road. I was so stoked at this point at how this project was coming together. 

I'm using a food safe mineral oil specific for cutting boards for this project. This is definitely the most satisfying part of the build. Seeing the grain pop was a lovely experience. I applied two coats an hour apart and wiped off any excess oil once it had dried. 

My pour over station uses five galvanized pipe pieces including (all 1/2"):

  • Floor Flange
  • 8" Nipple
  • Elbow Fitting
  • 1/2" Nipple
  • Tee Fitting

That all are screwed together and held in place with friction. I'd recommend cleaning your pieces with a degreaser or dish soap (at a minimum) before final assembly. 

Last up, I measured out, marked my drill holes, drilled pilot holes, and screwed in and tightened my pipe flanges to one end of my cutting board. And then I was done! I'd call this first project a success. 

Now all I need to do is buy a funnel for the pour over station!

Really digging this thing!

TOOLS
RYOBI 10 in. Sliding Compound Miter Saw
12” Rafter Square
RYOBI Cordless Orbital Sander
RYOBI Cordless Orbital Sander
RYOBI Combo Power Tool Kit
RYOBI Drill Bit Set

ROCKLER Bench Cookies (Set of 4)
Wen 12.5” Thickness Planer
BESSEY Economy 2.5” x 24” Clutch Clamps
BESSEY H Style Pipe Clamps
Hand Sanding Sponges (220, 320, and 400 grit)
Rubber Mallet
5-Gallon 4.5 Peak HP Wet Dry Vacuum
Air CompressorShop Vacuum
Screw Driver
Spray Bottle (for wet sanding)

Thanks for reading! I would be so grateful if you could please subscribe to my Youtube Channel for future projects. I put out videos every other week.

Cheers!

Zach