Bottle Opener with Magnetic Catch
I couldn’t come up with a very good name for this one. Magnetic Bottle Cap Catcher, Cap Catcher, Bottle Opener with Magnet, Magnetic Bottle Opener? I ended up with “Bottle Opener with Magnetic Catch”. If you can’t name it, then describe it. Whatever the name I thought this was a pretty fun and easy project to make. I’ve seen these at craft fairs, and online. All different flavors of wood and different types of catches. Some magnetic, some just a simple cup attached to the bottom of the board.
For this one I decided to try the magnetic catch at the bottom. Which strangely felt like a science project when I got the magnet. I was a little floored by how powerful these things are. It’s called a rare earth magnet; which after a little searching I found it’s really not rare (not even a little). If you decide to make one of these be sure to read all of the warnings about the magnets. For the bottle opener hardware they have a ton of these in different sizes and designs. I thought for mine I would simply use one that has the best team in the NFL on it.
For a little extra help with this project I also put together a video of how I made this below. If you make one of these be sure to post it over on the WoodLogger Facebook Page. I’d love to see how yours turns out.
Materials & Hardware
Not a lot for this one. I used a scrap piece of Oak that I had.
- (1) 1″ x 4″ x 4′ – Oak (This would allow you to make several of these)
- Wall Mounted Bottle Opener (I chose one with an Indianapolis Colts Logo on it)
- Rare Earth Disc Magnets(I chose one that was 2″ x 1/4″ magnet but you could also use a 1.5″ x 3/8″ Magnet
Milling & Assembly
 | For the board to hold the opener I chose to use oak. You probably use just about anything you wanted. For the cuts on this one, I chose to just use my miter saw. Nothing tricky about this one. |
 | I changed my mind twice on the profile. At first I thought a simple board would be nice, but then debated between a round over or chamfer bit for my sides. I ultimately decided on the chamfer bit. It’s a little more decorative, but it turned out great! |
  | Another thing I debated on was how to mount the board. Ultimately I decided to use a couple of key hole slots in the back. I have a jig from Rockler that I use for this. It helps in lining up your cuts. |
 | The last thing I needed to do to my board before finishing it was to drill a hole in the back for the magnet to sit in. I wanted to use the largest Forstner bit I had, as I wasn’t sure how strong these magnets were going to be. I used a 2″ bit. However, in hindsight I probably could have used a 1 – 1/2″ or possibly even a 1″ bit. Obviously you’ll match the size of the hole to the size of the magnet. |
 | I wanted to finish the board before I installed my hardware. I stained it using a golden oak finish. After I stained it, I sealed it with a gloss finish. |
 | Next up I inserted the magnet into the back of the board. It was a perfect fit. The magnets are quite strong. The magnet I used had a pull of 49 lbs. The wood definitely cuts down on the strength, but this one still worked really well. |
 | The last step was to attach the bottle opener. There are a LOT of these to choose from. I went with an Indianapolis Colts opener. These would make a great gift if you have friends who have a favorite team. |
What about DropCatch or Clink & Drink?
Great tutorial,
I’m really stuck on how to attach this to the wall without drilling into the wall or damaging the wall in any way.
Can you think of anything that I could use? A command brand product would be great.
Thanks
Yeah, I don’t know of any good way other than to use wall anchors for this, or make sure you hit a stud. I will say though that the opener actually works great.
If you have the option to put on a fridge you can also drill smaller holes at each corner and insert magnets.
What size magnet would be good if I had to go through 1-1/2″ of wood, assuming the original board is 2″ and a 1/2″ deep hole for the magnet
Hey Dean, sorry I have no formula for this. It was simply trial and error for me. I went large on mine cause I wasn’t sure how well it would work. In hindsight i probably could have gotten away with something smaller. These magnets are crazy strong.
I tried a couple of different strength magnets, and it was more about how deep of a hole I was able to drill. You probably need to get the hole a half inch away from the surface or else you’ll have to get a ridiculous strength magnet. The magnet I used was about an inch in diameter and 85lbs of pull force. When I tried it an inch and a half away it hardly worked. At a half inch it works like a charm.
Hi, thanks for this, I googled for some help, and this was the most useful.
I followed your instructions and I managed to make a bottle opener board with an old offcut of oak floorboard. It’s not as good as yours, but I still feel pleased with it, because I’ve never attempted anything like it before.
I wish I had your array of tools – they look great. Then again, I wouldn’t know how to use them safely. I was limited to my husband’s hand-held drill and a 10mm wood bit, so I used ten 10mm magnets from some old name badges – I clustered the holes together; drilling them as deep as I dared, and it works fine.
Thank again :-)
Oh that’s awesome. Glad you found the post helpful. Sounds like you’re ready for your next project. The tools will come. I’ve accumulated mine over the years.
Good luck…
I used two magnets – one for catching the cap and one for attaching the board to the refrigerator so I didn’t need to mount it somewhere.
Chuck how did you secure the magnet to the wood? I’m also interested in making this and putting on a fridge.
Watched your video and you never said how long you cut your board.
Aachh.. Sorry I missed that. I think I cut mine to a length of around 1 foot, but any suitable size would work.
Great video, great instructions.
Talk about some different wall mounting options.
I was wondering how many caps this magnet will hold before they start falling off? Thank you
I made one of these recently before I found your site. I used a couple 1″ magnets and drilled them so that it left about 1/4″ of wood.
One thing I learned from the instruction on my magnets is that if you place a metal plate behind the magnet, it directs the magnetic field in one direction. Imagine the magnet on it’s own has a spherical field, when you place a metal plate behind it, if it is a larger half circle in the opposite direction.
I noticed a significant improvement in cap catching once I added a metal plate behind my magnets.