Written by: Kyle Divine
Welcome to some next-level convenience! I can’t take credit for the original drink spotter design – all the credit belongs to Massenomics – but I knew when I saw it that it would be fun to DIY.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you a couple of ways to make a drink spotter for your gym. The difficulty for both options is easy-medium.
This article includes the video and written out instructions along with recommended tools/materials at the bottom.
Video
Instructions
The first option is fancy and takes a little more finesse than the second option.
I start with a 1×4 maple board and cut. I add masking tape before cutting with my mitre saw to keep chipping and splintering to a minimum.
It seems like a lot of extra work, and it is, but the clean cuts are worth it.
I do this for everything but the length-wise cut on the last piece and the oak dowel.
I removed the masking tape pieces and laid these out. Keep in mind that dimensional lumber has some variability in thickness. A 1” x 4” can measure ⅝ – ⅞ inches thick. These are the measurements I used. You may need to modify these cuts slightly.
On the 7 inch piece, I use my combination square to mark 1 inch from the top and find the center.
I’m using a 7/8 inch oak dowel, so I drill a 7/8 inch hole with a forstner bit. If your rack has ⅝ inch holes, you’ll use a ⅝ inch dowel and forstner bit. This hole only goes in about a half-inch.
I swap out the forstner bit for the countersink bit and drill a hole through the center.
Flip over the board and drill in with the countersink. You’ll want to go deep enough for the screw to go in and a portion of the oak plug.
I use a sander to soften the edge of the oak dowel.
A big key to the success of this build is pre-drilling before adding screws. This keeps the wood from splitting.
Add a little bit of glue and secure the dowel with a screw.
Add a little more glue before placing the oak dowel plug. Cut it flush with the surface of the maple board.
The cut doesn’t need to be perfectly flush. A quick run on the belt sander levels everything out.
Next, I mark where I’ll be drilling on the 7 5/16 piece. It doesn’t necessarily matter where they go with these holes, as long as everything is evenly spaced and symmetrical.
When drilling, remember to set the depth deep enough to put a screw in and a dowel plug on top.
I pre-drill and add a bit of glue before screwing this piece into place.
This 4 5/8 piece goes on the front. I repeat the process for this one. I mark the five holes I’ll need.
With the depth already set, these go pretty quick.
I use clamps to make sure the pieces are correctly aligned when fastening them into place.
Attach the bottom piece and the side piece.
Once those are in, I repeat the glue/dowel process to plug the rest of the holes.
I use the belt sander for sanding the plugs down so they’re flush with the surface of the maple, then head over to the router. I use a ⅛” round-over bit on my table router to round the edges.
One last bit of sanding with 220 grit sandpaper to get things nice and smooth before the finish.
I use a wipe-on polyurethane to coat. It does an excellent job of protecting the wood while keeping the natural color and making the grain pop.
Once that dries, the maple returns to its natural color.
Of course, you could skip all that fancy stuff. There is no need for premium hardwood. Cut the same pieces out of pine, forget about using masking tape before the cuts, eyeball where to put the screws, don’t bother to plug the screws, skip the finish, and be done in a fraction of the time.
And it still gets the job done!
Recommended Tools & Materials
| Tools | Link #1 | Link #2 |
| Dewalt sliding mitre saw | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt cordless drill | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt impact driver | Amazon | |
| Dewalt oscillating tool | Amazon | |
| Drill press | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt 20v random orbit sander sander | Amazon | |
| Belt sander | Amazon | Home Depot |
| ⅞” forstner bit | Amazon | |
| Countersink bit | Amazon | |
| Combination square | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Router and table | Amazon | |
| Wood Clamp set | Amazon | |
| Option #1 | Link #1 | Link #2 |
| 1” x4” 4 ft maple board | Menards | |
| ⅞” oak dowel | Menards | |
| 5/16” oak dowel | Menards | |
| 12 – 1.5” wood screws | Home Depot | |
| Wipe on clear polyurethane gloss | Amazon | |
| Titebond III wood glue | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Option #2 | Link #1 | Link #2 |
| 1” x 4” 4 ft pine board | Home Depot | |
| ⅞” poplar dowel | Menards | |
| 12 – 1.5” wood screws | Amazon | |
| Titebond III wood glue | Amazon | Home Depot |