Whiskey Flight Boards

Two local restaurants I frequent, Hatch and Della's in Paso Robles, asked if I could build flight boards for their whiskey programs. They sent over their logos and sample glassware, and I got to combine two things I know well: woodworking and hospitality.

The Design

Each board is 14" x 6" and holds four glasses. The restaurants specifically wanted four, and the 14" length means the menu cards can be printed on legal-size paper and cut easily.

A slot along the board holds a paper menu card (1 7/8" wide, 14" long) that maps out which glass holds which tasting. I also built a digital menu template in Google Slides, with a slide for each restaurant, where the text boxes are already aligned to the glass positions. They can edit, print and cut new menus whenever the lineup changes.

Designed for the Bar

Years behind the bar shaped a lot of the small decisions. The ends of each board are chamfered so staff can get fingers underneath and lift a full flight off the bar or table without fumbling. I cut the chamfer with a 30 degree bevel bit on the router table. My original SketchUp design called for 15 degrees, but that bit was harder to source and the 30 degree one works well.

Cutting with the Shaper Origin

I used the Shaper Origin for both the logos and the glass layout, which kept everything repeatable from board to board.

The logos were cut as pockets with BenchPilot, which pockets to the actual dimensions of the shape. Without it you need to pocket first and then make a separate inside cut. I used 1/16" and 1/32" bits so the fine details in the artwork would show up. Each logo was then filled with epoxy and sanded flush. White epoxy went into Della's and black into Hatch, to match the ambiance of each restaurant.

Fitting the Glassware

Each restaurant has different glasses, so each needed its own pocket depth:

• Hatch: The glasses were more stable, so the pockets are only 1/8" deep.
• Della's: The glasses are narrower and tapered, so I tightened up the pocket diameter and went to 3/16" deep to make sure they seat well.

Black Walnut

These boards are Black Walnut, finished with Sample 73 from Foureyes Furniture. The dark, rich tone suits a whiskey program, and the epoxy-filled logos stand out against it.

Status

Finished photos are coming. The boards are still drying, so for now these are in-progress shots.

Materials

• Black Walnut
• Epoxy (white for Della's, black for Hatch)
• Sample 73 finish
• 1/16" and 1/32" bits (Shaper Origin with BenchPilot)
• 30 degree bevel bit (router table)