I Made the Perfect Cigar Ashtray

In this video I show you how I made the perfect cigar ashtray out of walnut! Over the years I've made several types of cigar ashtrays but this one was my all time favorite and you don't need a lathe! Also, don't be afraid to leave a question in the comments section. I'll try my best to answer them all.

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Tools Used during this build:

Woodpeckers 641 Square

Amana Tool Bowl Bit

F Style Clamps

Starbond CA Glue

Starbond Glue Accelerator

Titebond Glue

Titebond Brush

Makita Plunge Router

Makita Cordless Router

Mirka Deros Sander with Vacuum

Forstner Bit

Armor Tool Bench

Delta Miter Saw

Delta Table Saw

Laguna Bandsaw

Canon T6i DSLR

Rode Microphone

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3 Zoom Lens

I chose walnut for this project but I only had 3/4 stock in my shop at the time. So, instead of going out and buying thicker stock I decided to cut and laminate the wood that I had. I cut four boards 9" x 9" square and then used wood glue and clamps to laminate the boards together with a final width of 2 1/2".

Of course, it just wouldn't be right if I made a cigar ashtray and wasn't smoking a cigar while doing it!

After the glue dried I removed the clamps and began to lay out my inside and outside circles. First, I used my straightedge to draw and line to each opposite corner forming an X in the center. Next, I used some 1/4" plywood and cut a 5 1/4" diameter circle out of it with my cordless jigsaw. I keep this template around the shop to use on all of my cigar ashtray builds. I centered the template on my workpiece and then traced the circle with a pencil.

Next, I used my compass and adjusted it to scribe an 8 1/2" diameter outside circle. This is where the center X comes in to play. After scribing the outside circle I traced it with a pencil so that it was easy to see.

I used a forstner bit at the drill press to remove as much of the center material as possible. This will make it easier on the router and bowl bit later. Over on the workbench I placed painters tape on the bottom of the workpiece and on the workbench where I wanted to secure it to router. I also placed tape on the outside edge of the top of the workpiece and on the bottom of the template. I then applied CA glue to one taped side and accelerator to its corresponding side. This is a great trick to secure your workpiece to the bench without using clamps. I put a link to all this stuff in the tools section.

With the workpiece and template secured it was time to use the router and the bowl bit to route the center circle. This bowl bit (link also in the tools section) has a bearing on the top side. Make sure to set the depth so that that bearing rides on the template while router the outer edge and this will form your circle. Once you have routed to that depth you can remove the template and increase the depth of the bit. Now the bearing will ride on the already routered edge and you can go as deep as you like. I went about 1 1/8" deep.

I know it's odd to square the ends when Im about to make the entire thing round but trust me it will make the next step easier and more accurate. I placed the workpiece in my bench vise and used a scrapper and handplan to flatten one side. I then placed that side up against the fence of my miter saw and began to square up each of the four sides.

Using my square I measured and made marks at the midpoint of each side and then transferred that mark to the edges. Next I grabbed a scrap board that was the same width of my workpiece. I clamped the board to the face of the workpiece and then headed to the drill press. With a 1 1/4" forstner bit I drilled a hole through the edge of the board with half of the bit on the workpiece and the other half on the scrap board. I ensured that I drilled hole deep enough that I felt it enter in to the center circle of the workpiece. I then did this same thing on all four sides, adjusting my sacrificial board as needed.

At the bandsaw I cut out the outer circle careful to not cut all the way to the line. This is just a rough cut out. I then used my bench sander to sand to the line and create the circle. I used my Mirka Deros to finish sand the outside and fine tune it until it rolled on edge without any deformities.

I used my cordless router and a small roundover bit to break all the edges and then finish sanding to 220 grit. To sand in the cigar rest areas I wrapped sandpaper around a dowel and hand sanded them. I then used mineral spirits to clean off all the dust and of course burned my brand on the the bottom.

Once the ashtray was dry I finished it with an all natural oil that I use on cutting boards and such. I like this finish on ashtrays because it's easy to re-apply as needed in the future and its all natural ingredients.

With this the ashtray is complete and ready to enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

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