PROJECT: Coffee Clip

PROJECT: Coffee Clip

A good cup of coffee is something many people enjoy. And with the popularity of purchasing a bag of beans over a can of coffee, these little bag clips with a built in scoop are fun and practical gifts.

Spoon groove cut with a dish carving router bit
We used a 1-1/4″-dia. dish-carving bit to form the scoop’s bowl recess.

Made from a piece of wood 3/4″ x 2″ x 6″, the only tools you need are a drill press, band saw and sander. But there is a twist: we used a 1-1⁄4″-dia. dish-carving router bit in the drill press to bore the scoop recess. It creates curved edges around the bottom of the scoop bowl.

Cutting spoon recess with a drill press
If you do the same, the bit may chatter slightly when used in a drill press, so clamp your stock securely to the drill press table.

After the bowl has been bored, move over to your band saw or scroll saw. Narrow the thickness of the stock in the clip area down to about 1/4″ — it does not have to be exact. A long slice down the back comes first (we used a fence as a guide), then back out of the cut, move the fence over and, with the blank on one edge, make a short cut to remove the material.

Sizing coffe eclip stock at a band saw
On the band saw, first cut the clip area of the stock to about 1/4″ thick.

Next, cut the long slot in the clip. It should be about 1/8″ wide and will take a couple of passes to achieve. When that’s done, you’re ready to shape the outside of the scoop. The final shape is up to you; it can be straightforward or a bit fanciful, as you wish.

Cutting out the clip slot for coffee clip
Next, remove a slot in the clip that’s about 1/8″ wide. Then form the outside profile of the clip. That shape is up to you.

We have provided a downloadable PDF to give you the hole and slot placements, but the outside shape is for you to determine. A bit of sanding, and the project is done. You can apply a finish like shellac or let the oils in the coffee seal the wood. Then pour yourself a cup of Joe!

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