Laser Cut Recycled Coffee Bean Drawer Made From Scrap Wood

Have you ever wanted freshly ground coffee beans, but had no way to actually grind the beans?

In this guide I am going to show you step by step how to use recyclable materials to create a coffee grinder, and be able to grind coffee beans with it.

I had to use various prototypes, tools, and study many machines in order to achieve the final product, so I hope this can solve your issue!

In this project you will be needing to use

1. Scrap wood/ wood for a prototype
2. 2ft x 1.4ft of food safe wood (0.373- 0.4 inches thick at most)
3. Wood glue or glue made for attaching wood pieces
4. A measuring tool such as a measuring tape or a caliper like shown in the picture above
5. A pen
6. Sandpaper
7. Sanding machine
8. A laser cutter or a wood cutter
9. 12 Oz. Clear Liquid Interior Butcher Block Cutting Board Oil (or any kind of food safe wood finish)
10. Antique Copper Housing Coffee Grinder Mechanism: 3 in. x 3 in. x 5 in. high

Using many different designs for coffee machine drawers/catching mechanisms, I have determined that the best suited design would be a simple drawer design as shown from my cardboard prototype.

After looking at the prototype, I concluded that it would be best for the drawer to have the ability to be moved completely out of the main box, so that you can properly take the ground coffee beans. Be sure that regardless of your design that your hole is 2 inches in diameter and that it goes up at least 1/4-1/2 of a inch (the thickness of it is dependent of the wood you use).

I used a laser cutter to cut out my pieces, however you can use a traditional wood cutter to accomplish the same task. In the other image I made sure to check if my measurements were correct for the design.

Once the pieces are cut out, you can start using the wood glue to attach the pieces together. Make sure that you glue the sides of the drawer to the outside of the bottom of the drawer as shown in the other images of the box once the glue dried.

With the second prototype you can examine how the final design will look, however if you choose to make this prototype the final product skip to step 7. I highly suggest that if you used particle board or any type of wood that was treated with chemicals and is prone to chip or leave some type of material in your ground beans to find a food safe option that way you will not risk your health and that way the taste is better.

This is step is a repeat essentially of the last one, so do what was done for the last design with the better material. I chose to use plywood as I was able to find some of it in my garage that was not going to be used anymore. I highly recommend sanding down the pieces once they are cut and especially sand the drawer part that way it is smooth and won’t splinter any pieces in the coffee beans.

Clear off any dust or any other contamination that could be on your drawer and using a rag or towel apply the oil to the inner and outer parts. Let it rest for 20 minutes and apply another coat of oil to it again. Do the process 2-3 times to ensure a good coating on it.

I luckily was able to find a coffee grinding mechanism for this project in a store, however if you do not have access to one somewhere close you can order one using the model I listed in the materials. Place the coffee grinding mechanism on top of the drawer, secure it with screws and nuts.

I am happy with the end result of this project, as this is was my first time ever doing anything with coffee beans. I really hope that if you chose to follow along this process that you are also satisfied with the end result.