Wooden Can Crusher

This is a fun project you can make in an afternoon with just scrap wood and the right tools. I used Cherry and Sapele mainly.

You will need the appropriate amount of wood, three bolts with washers and nuts, and something to crush. Drink up!

Overall the little crusher does a good job, and was super easy to build.

Scrap wood, nuts, bolts, and washers

Here are the pieces you will need to cut out.

I used a router circle jig to cut the crusher head. It does not have to be perfect, nor round.

For the can holder, I used a piece of PVC pipe that was just large enough for a can. You can use a coping saw, or hack saw to cut the PVC.

If you are using a router circle jig to cut the crusher head, use the same settings on the jig to cut the indention for the can holder. I used E6000 adhesive to hold it in place, though it was very snug to begin with.

Since I made this without a pattern, I had to do a lot of adjusting on the fly to figure out the length to make the crushing arms, the handle, and where to drill all of the holes. You can get a good idea of where the holes need to be by looking at my pictures.

The Can Crusher in Action