MAKE A VERSATILE DRINKS STAND

Weary of wobbly wine glasses? Sam Coles has a simple solution

How many times have you been relaxing on an idyllic campsite, looking out to sea as the sun sets and sampling a glass or two of a cheeky red, contemplating the meaning of life – only to find that putting down your glass proves a tad hazardous, because of the unevenness of the terrain?

Now there’s a simple way to solve the problem of unstable tables! Follow the steps outlined in this article and you will have a safe repository for wine and beer glasses, and tea mugs, along with provision for holding a good variety of savoury nibbles, or a plateful of some of your favourite biscuits.

Safe platforms

The design for this stand centres on a stainless-steel threaded rod, which supports two bespoke platforms, one above the other.

The top level of the stand is designed to accommodate your wine/beer/spirit glasses and the lower one, a plate or dishes for nibbles and biscuits.

The central rod has a point at one end, which enables it to be pushed into the ground to a depth consistent with being stable. By default, unevenness of terrain, and inclines, will have no effect the stand’s deployment.

The whole structure is also easily dismantled in minutes and ideally suited for stowing in any nook or cranny for travel.

Anybody who has rudimentary woodworking skills should have no problem with the construction. The dimensions chosen are for my own mugs and glasses, so you will need to measure up your own glassware and crockery before you make your version of the drinks stand.

For a neat, durable finish, I painted the plywood elements in a cheery blue exterior gloss paint. But if you prefer, exterior varnish would be equally suitable. I covered the upper surfaces with sticky back plastic, which I think adds a pleasing finishing touch.

Tool list

Jigsaw with a fine-tooth blade

17mm spanner for M10 nuts

5.5mm spanner for M3 nuts

Pair of compasses

Drill set

Drill brace (or electric)

Sandpaper (medium grade for smoothing cut edges)

Parts list

1 x M10 stainless threaded rod 500mm long

3 x M10 stainless full nuts

4 x M10 stainless mudguard washers

30mm diameter

8 x M3 x 25 stainless screws

24 x M3 stainless nuts

32 x M3 stainless washers 1 x M10 brass blind hole hand-grip nut

9mm plywood

6mm plywood

NOTE For this DIY project, I chose to use stainless-steel elements throughout, because the drinks stand will be outdoors, with a high probability of getting wet.

Zinc-plated mild steel can be substituted if you wish, which will halve the cost of the stand, although the risk of rusting does mean that it might not last as long.

I have a grindstone, so I was able to put a point on the central supporting rod. Without a stone, it would be fruitless to try to file the end on A2-grade stainless steel. However, in that case, it should be easy enough to push the blunt end of the rod into the ground.

10 Drill two holes in the second 9mm plywood disc as shown here

7 Cutting dimensions marked up for the upper plywood disc

4 On the adjacent quadrant, offer up the glasses that are going to be used and mark the centres

1 Use a pencil and a piece of string to draw two 15cm radius circles on 9mm plywood

11 The 6mm plywood discs (now painted) mounted below the mug apertures using M3 screws

8 The upper tray after the apertures have been cut. Drill holes as shown

2 The next stage is to cut out the two 15cm radius discs, using a jigsaw

5 Clearly marked centres for both glasses and mugs

3 Next, offer up the tea mugs that are going to be used as templates and mark the centres

6 Now use a pair of compasses to mark up the cutting areas

12 For tea and biscuits mode, mount the lower tray through the second hole

9 Next, cut out two discs from the 6mm plywood and mark them as shown