DIY Outdoor Drink Stakes

I’m pretty excited about today’s build because
1. It uses only scrap wood.
2. It went together super fast (like one afternoon.)
And 3. It involves holding my drink.. We can pretty much all agree the a cold beer or glass of wine close at hand is ESSENTIAL to summertime happiness.
Yard stake drink holder

Today’s project is part of a Scrap Wood Challenge hosted by Jen Woodhouse. 20 bloggers were challenged to come up with something made of exclusively of scrap lumber. And so this Lawn Drink Caddy was my contribution:
In ground beverage caddy

It is made from a small scrap of plywood, and a short segment of 2x2. But honestly, the type of lumber used in this project really doesn’t matter. As long as you have a board on the top and something you can use to stick into the ground you could build one of these. Portable backyard Beer and wine caddy

If you are looking for other scrap wood project ideas, don’t miss the other entries into this challenge:

So how did my Outdoor Drink Stake build come together?
Wood beer and wine holder in lawn

I’ll share a quick photo tutorial, but don't take these as hard and fast requirements, since honestly I just eyeballed as I went along. There is no rhyme or reason to any of this! #KeepingItReal

Cut List:

3/8” plywood
2x2 (Vertical Post)
2x2 (Horizontal Bottle Stop)
7/16 in dowel (cut to 8” and sharpened on one end)

Tool & Supply list:

Table Saw (to rip down plywood or cut it out entirely with Jig Saw)
Miter Saw (to cut down 2x2s)
Jig Saw with curve cutting (small) blade
Drill with 7/16 paddle bit (I used a Forstner bit for my pilot hole but the paddle bit would have worked too!)
Palm or random orbit sander
Router with 1/2” round over bit
Pocket hole jig (Kreg Jig) with pocket hole screws
Screwdriver
Paint/Primer (Optional)
Wood Screws
Wood filler (this color change kind is my favorite!)

Assembly Instructions:

Step1: Make Plywood Top:

Mark a can or bottle sized circle in one corner of your scrap plywood and create a pilot hole using a Forstner or paddle bit.
Drilling pilot hole for jig saw

Cut on the line as accurately as possible with a jig saw (otherwise you will spend a lot of time sanding to get your circle perfect.
Cutting hold to hold beverage

Next mark a rectangle around your hole forming the top plate of the drink holder. On the opposite end create a channel to hold a wine glass. I found a D battery makes the perfect size stem hole. (Of course you could also make this double sided for bottles if you don’t drink wine!) Correct size for wine glass stem holder

Rip down the rectangle with a table or circular saw and then cut out the channel for the wine stem. (Alternatively you could cut the entire rectangle out with a jig saw, which is how I did it so I didn’t have to clean off my hot mess of a table saw.)
Cutting with scroll saw

Finish the cut edges (along the outside of the board and inside the hole) with a 1/2 inch roundover bit in your plunge router or on your router table. Using plunge router

Remember.. plywood has crappy finished edges, especially after you use a router on it, so you are probably going to want to sand and paint this piece. If you are using a sold wood board instead of plywood you could leave your project with the natural wood showing.
Beer and wine holder

Step 2: Create the ground spike

You need a sharp point to stick your drink holder into the ground.. you can’t shove a 2x2 into the lawn. I had an old dowel which was perfect. You could also use something like rebar or even an old tent stake if you don’t have a dowel.

First I determined how big a drill bit I would need to be just SLIGHTLY smaller than the dowel using my trust drill gauge (Seriously, if you don’t have one, I’m not sure how you survive!)
How to choose correct drill bit for dowel

How to choose correct drill bit for dowel

I then drilled directly up the center of my 2x2 with my paddle bit. I was able to go about 3 inches deep.
Drill down center of 2 by 2

A little wood glue and a mallet and I had a spike at the end of my post. I used a utility knife to sharpen it to a point, although cutting it at a45 degree angle probably would have worked too. Dowel as beverage stake

Step 3: Make a bottle stop

So far you have a hole for your bottle to slide into, but you need something to actually support the bottom of the bottle. I used another segment of 2x2 to create one. I chose 2x2 because that is what I had on hand as part of this scrap challenge, but if I was going to buy supplies for this project I may have used a 1x2 instead, just so it wasn’t as bulky.
I used a bottle to measure exactly how far down the post the bottle stop needed to be.
Measuring beer bottle for drink holder

Then I used my Kreg Jig to create pocket holes on the BOTTOM of the horizontal 2x2 to attach it to the side. If you wanted to make two bottle holders instead of a wine glass holder you would need to add a second bottle stop on the other side as well (forming a “T” like shape) Kreg jig to make drink holder

Step 4: Attach the top of your drink holder

I didn’t want exposed pocket holes on the side of my vertical post so I used a pair of wood screws though the plywood and covered the head with wood filler. I applied glue between the post and the plywood for extra strength.
Adding stake to beverage holder

I sanded the entire project and then painted it a nice neutral grey. (For no reason other than I had grey paint lying around). This is what finished project looked like. Just lying on the grass you may not know what it is. Beach or lawn drink holder

The stake on the bottom goes smoothly into the lawn (and it would be great at the beach.. keep the sand out of your drinks!)
Driving stake into ground

And there is a spot for everything. Beer and wine! Beer and wine holder for beach

A great little build for summer! And it was free thanks to my ever-growing scrap wood pile! Wood beverage caddy insert into ground