Tips for simple coasters from tree-limbs?

Nate_in_NJ | Posted in New To Woodworking on February 2, 2015 03:48am

Hello Knots Members: My 10-year-old daughter is doing a project for a school science/invention-fare. She has decided to make simple coasters from sliced tree limbs. She wants to make them approx. 4″ wide by 3/16″ thick from slices of branches, with the bark still along the edge — nothing fancy, just a flat slice of wood.

I’m not a woodworker myself, and so we could benefit from real woodworkers’ guidance.

Here’s what I need to find out:

1) Where to get tree limbs:

I need to find a source for wood that can be used in the next couple weeks. We’re in New Jersey, so I thing grabbing fallen trees from a nearby public park wouldn’t work — there isn’t enough time for them to dry adequately. (Is it true that wood needs months to dry in order to prevent splitting?)

2) Type of wood and thickness:

Which types of wood should I use? Should I use a hardwood? How thick is appropriate for coasters? Does this depend upon the type of wood?

3) How should it be sealed?

Is there something non-toxic, such as beeswax, that would give a durable and attractive finish? (I’m not sure I want my daughter handling toxins.)

4) Are there any other considerations that I’m missing? Any other materials needed to prepare the coasters?

Thanks very much in advance for sharing your knowledge!

–Nate