Wooden Disc Golf Distance Driver

I wanted to have a disc golf disc just for the fun of throwing it, but didn't want to spend the money to buy one. Since I enjoy doing things with wood, I decided to try to make a wooden disc. I didn't have a lathe or CNC router available at the time, so I decided to try to make one with the tools that I had. It turned out to be a great way to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money!

Materials

1. Wood (8x8" square and approximately 1/2"-3/4" thick--I used 9/16" OSB)

2. Compass

3. Sandpaper

4. Pencil or marker

5. Painter’s tape

6. Epoxy

Tools

1. Hand saw

2. Scroll saw, band saw, or jigsaw (any saw will work, a handsaw will just take longer)

3. Belt sander (optional)

4. Random orbit sander

5. Chisels

6. A clamp

7. Dremel tool with sanding wheel

8. Razor blade

I used 9/16" OSB plywood, but if I were to do it again, I would try Baltic birch plywood or some other kind of wood that wouldn't chip and break quite so easily while chiseling and would probably try something 3/4" thick.

I used a handsaw to cut the wood to a small enough size that it would be easy for me to maneuver in my small workspace. Once you have the piece of wood cut out (it does not have to be exactly square, but it needs to be at least 8” across both ways), use a compass to draw a circle on the wood (for a 7 ¾” disc, your compass should be set at 3 7/8”).

After this is done, use either a band saw or scroll saw to cut out the circle. If you have a power sander, you can allow for a little bit of error while cutting and cut a little bit outside of the line, then sand it right to the line with your sander.

Before doing much with the circle of wood, sand the top and bottom of the disc to get any big splinters off. Now, draw a line around the edge of the disc about 2/3 of the way down from the top surface of the disc. Using a very rough sandpaper (preferably 40 grit) on a random orbit sander, sand the outside edge of the top of the disc down until there is a nice curve between the middle of the top of the disc and the line drawn previously. There should be a 2-3” circle in the center that is not sanded much. Make sure you get everything exactly symmetrical.

This is probably the hardest step in making this disc. Using a compass, draw a circle on the bottom of the disc that is approximately ¾” from the edge on all sides. Then, use a chisel to chip out the middle of the disc. Be careful not to get too deep! Also, start in the middle of the disc and work outward toward the line you just drew. This will hopefully prevent the edge from chipping out. Switch back and forth between a chisel and sander with 80 grit sandpaper until the inside is hollowed out to about 3/8” deep with a slight taper towards the outside. Again, this should be exactly symmetrical. To make it easier to sand, I used a clamp to hold the disc. If you use a clamp, make sure to use something to protect the edges of the disc while it is being clamped.

Sand down the underside of the outside edge until the edge of the rim is approximately 1/16-3/32” thick. I used a Dremel tool with a small sanding bit. Be careful not to sand too far in from the edge.

Now, use the random orbit sander with 320 grit sandpaper and sand the concave farther in as shown in the pictures. Keep the edge of the sandpaper approximately 1/8” from the inside of the rim as shown in the picture. This 1/8” of wood will not get sanded very much. There should be a smooth curve between the top and bottom of the concave.

After the concave on the underside of the rim is completed, round over the outer edge of the disc by hand with a piece of fine sandpaper.

Sand the whole disc with 320 grit sandpaper making sure to get all of the rough spots out. After this is done, use a 400 grit sandpaper and sand the whole disc by hand.

At this point, you should test fly your disc. This way if something is completely wrong and the disc doesn’t fly right at all, then you won’t waste a lot of time and money applying the epoxy. Just be aware that your disc will not be very tough right now since it does not have epoxy on it so be careful with it. At this point I could throw my disc almost 250 feet.

Before applying the epoxy, use some 1-1.5” painters tape and tape the whole way around the bottom of the disc. This will make drips of epoxy on the bottom of the disc easier to remove instead of them hardening and making a lot of unnecessary sanding. Using a razor blade, cut the tape off around the disc so it is even with the top of the round over. Then, use a sandpaper file (sandpaper glued to a small wooden stick) to sand the tape off at about the center of the round over.

To finish the disc, I used Envirotex Lite, which is very hard when cured. Mix up approximately 15mL of epoxy (7.5mL each of hardener and resin). Let the epoxy sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then, pour the epoxy onto the middle of the top of the disc. Using a brush, spread the epoxy evenly over the top of the disc. After about 3 hours, be sure to take the tape off. At this point the epoxy will still be very sticky so be careful not to touch it. If the epoxy hardens with the tape still on, you will have a very hard time getting the tape off. After 24 hours, apply a very thin second coat to the top of the disc (about 5mL total).

Now, you can flip the disc over and put a very thin coat of epoxy (approximately 7.5mL total) on the bottom of the disc. If you want to do it the safe way, you can put tape on the top of the disc to prevent any drips from ruining the finish. After 24 hours, take a very fine sandpaper and sand the bottom of the disc to get any rough spots out. Now, you can add another thin coat of epoxy (approximately 5mL total). After the epoxy is dry, sand it lightly again and then apply the final 5mL of epoxy. Let it cure for at least 48 hours.

Take your disc outside and have fun throwing it!