No Products in Your Cart
Mug Tree Stand[8/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 4 mug trees
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood mug tree that frees up a whole cupboard shelf. A thick post stands in a mortise in a heavy glued-up base, and six dowel pegs angle up around it in a spiral so the mugs never bump. One pack makes four trees — one for your counter, one for the office coffee station and two to give away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base halves | 8 | Boards 1–2 (three each), board 3 (two) | 7" × 4" × 1¾" | 7" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Posts | 4 | Boards 4–5, ripped in half | 14" × 1 15/16" × 1¾" | 14" × 1 11/16" × 1¾" |
| Pegs (bought ½" dowel) | 24 | Three 36" hardwood dowels | 4" long | 4" long |
Base: two 7" pieces edge-glued, grain running the same way.
Post to base: ½" deep mortise in the centre of the base, glued, plus one #10 × 3" screw from below in a counterbore.
Pegs: ½" hardwood dowel, 4" long, glued into ½" holes ¾" deep, angled 15° up, one per face in a rising spiral.
Finished size: S4S base 7" × 8" × 1¾", post 1 15/16" × 1¾", 15¼" tall overall · S2S base 7" × 7", post 1 11/16" × 1¾". Pegs stick out about 3¼".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- 3 × ½" hardwood dowels, 36" long (24 pegs)
- 4 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- Felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide), push stick
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Drill press with a tilting table (or a 15° guide block)
- ½" brad-point bit, ¾" Forstner bit, ⅝" Forstner bit
- ¾" chisel and mallet
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 4 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Boards 1–3 make the four bases. Boards 4–5 are ripped in half for the four posts. Each tree gets two matching base pieces and one post.
- 2 Cut the base pieces. Square one end of boards 1–3. With a stop block at 7", cut three pieces from board 1, three from board 2 and two from board 3 — eight in all.
- 3 Glue up the bases. Edge-glue the pieces in pairs into four bases, 7" × 8". Grain runs the same way in both halves. Clamp, scrape off the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave overnight.
- 4 Rip and cut the posts. Set the fence at 1 15/16" and rip boards 4 and 5 down the middle with a push stick. Crosscut one 14" post from each of the four strips. Each post is 1 15/16" × 1¾".
- 5 Cut the mortises. Trace the end of a post in the centre of each base, on the glue seam. Drill out the waste ½" deep with a ¾" Forstner bit, then pare the walls square with a chisel. Aim for a snug push fit.
- 6 Drill the peg holes. Mark six holes up the post in a spiral, one per face in turn, at 5½", 7", 8½", 10", 11½", 13" from the bottom end. Tilt the drill-press table 15° (or use a 15° guide block) and drill ½" holes ¾" deep, angled up.
- 7 Sand. Flatten the base seams, then sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the base edges and the top of the post.
- 8 Fix the post. Glue the mortise walls and tap the post in. From below, drill a ⅝" counterbore ½" deep and a pilot hole up into the post, then drive one #10 × 3" screw. Check the post is square to the base while the glue sets.
- 9 Add the pegs and finish. Cut 24 pegs at 4" from ½" dowel, round one end of each, and glue them into the holes. Wipe on oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats. Stick a felt pad over each screw and one at each corner.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Boards 1–3 make the four bases. Boards 4–5 are ripped in half for the four posts. Each tree gets two matching base pieces and one post.
- 3 Cut the base pieces. Square one end of boards 1–3. With a stop block at 7", cut three pieces from board 1, three from board 2 and two from board 3 — eight in all.
- 4 Glue up the bases. Edge-glue the pieces in pairs into four bases, 7" × 7". Grain runs the same way in both halves. Clamp, scrape off the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave overnight.
- 5 Rip and cut the posts. Set the fence at 1 11/16" and rip boards 4 and 5 down the middle with a push stick. Crosscut one 14" post from each of the four strips. Each post is 1 11/16" × 1¾".
- 6 Cut the mortises. Trace the end of a post in the centre of each base, on the glue seam. Drill out the waste ½" deep with a ¾" Forstner bit, then pare the walls square with a chisel. Aim for a snug push fit.
- 7 Drill the peg holes. Mark six holes up the post in a spiral, one per face in turn, at 5½", 7", 8½", 10", 11½", 13" from the bottom end. Tilt the drill-press table 15° (or use a 15° guide block) and drill ½" holes ¾" deep, angled up.
- 8 Sand. Flatten the base seams, then sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the base edges and the top of the post.
- 9 Fix the post. Glue the mortise walls and tap the post in. From below, drill a ⅝" counterbore ½" deep and a pilot hole up into the post, then drive one #10 × 3" screw. Check the post is square to the base while the glue sets.
- 10 Add the pegs and finish. Cut 24 pegs at 4" from ½" dowel, round one end of each, and glue them into the holes. Wipe on oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats. Stick a felt pad over each screw and one at each corner.
Why a mortise? A post screwed on from below can rock loose. Set ½" into the base, the post is held on all four sides and the glue and screw just keep it there.
Why angle the pegs up? At 15° a mug handle slides down to the post and stays put. Level pegs let mugs creep off the end when you grab the next one.
Why a spiral? One peg per face, each 1½" higher than the last, keeps mugs from knocking together and spreads the weight around the post so the tree stays balanced.
Make It Yours
- Bigger mugs: use 5" pegs and space the holes 2" apart for big latte mugs.
- Contrast pegs: walnut dowels in a maple tree, or the reverse.
- Ring base: rout a shallow groove around the base top to catch drips.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the posts with a push stick and a splitter or riving knife. Clamp the post to the drill-press table or in a hand-screw before drilling angled holes.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Hang mugs around the post, not all on one side. Each tree is made for six regular mugs, not heavy jugs or pitchers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Not with mugs hung around the post. The 1¾" hardwood base is heavy, and the spiral spreads the mugs around all four sides. If you only hang two or three, use pegs on opposite faces.
Yes. Cut a scrap block with a 15° end, drill a ½" hole through it on the drill press or square to the angled face, and clamp it to the post as a guide for a hand drill.
The pegs are 1½" apart in height and a quarter-turn apart, so mugs up to about 4½" tall clear each other. For giant mugs, see Make It Yours.
Planned offcuts only: the end trim, about 2" of boards 1–2, about 9" of board 3, and about 9" off each post strip. Those make coasters or a matching trivet. All 5 boards go into the trees.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes eight trees: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
