A balancing wine holder is a piece of wood cut at an angle to hold a bottle of wine balanced almost as if by magic on a flat surface such as a dining table. Wineries sell them embossed with the winery logo and polished to a high gloss. Gourmet food and wine shops typically carry balancing wine holders as well. Both tend to carry hefty price stickers. You can make one quickly and inexpensively with one trip to the hardware store and by using common power tools. Just follow these steps to exploit the center of gravity in a bottle of wine and make it appear to float in a block of wood.
Instructions
1. Use the protractor and pencil to mark a 45-degree angle on one of the short ends of the wood block.
2. Cut the end of the wood with a jigsaw along the pencil mark so that when the cut is placed flat on a table, the wood block extends upward at a 45-degree angle over the table.
3. Measure 3 inches back from the other end of the wood to make a pencil mark on the flat surface of the piece of wood.
4. Draw a circle 1 1/2 inches in diameter using the pencil mark as the center.
5. Use an electric drill and router bit to bore a hole through the circle at a 45-degree angle through the wood. Make sure the angle is facing in the same direction as the angle cut you made on the end of the wood.
6. Place a wine bottle neck-first through the hole and set the angled edge of the wood on the table.
7. Release the wood and bottle slowly to make sure the angles are balanced and the wine bottle is supported at its center of gravity. If the bottle does not stay in place, adjust the angle in the hole using your drill and router.
8. Use the jigsaw to cut designs or shapes into the wood.
9. Sand the edge, drilled hole and any other rough surfaces until smooth.
10. Stain the wood, if desired, and allow to dry.
11. Apply several coats of spray shellac to create a shiny, polished finish.
Tags: pencil mark, 45-degree angle, balancing wine, block wood, bottle wine, center gravity, center gravity bottle
