Eight staves. Twenty-two and a half degrees. Ten days. The same coopering technique used to age bourbon — sized for your hand.
A whiskey barrel uses the same mathematical principle — staves cut at precise angles, arranged in a circle. A barrel uses around 35 staves held together with metal bands and moisture. We use eight staves, glued with Titebond III, sealed with food-safe epoxy. The math is identical. The execution is entirely our own.
There are 43 minutes of hands-on time in every cup — spread across 10 days. The glue needs to cure. The epoxy needs to cure. The wax needs to set. None of it can be rushed. That's what makes it last.
Before finishing → After washing & water test
Every cup starts as rough lumber. I mill it, cut eight staves at 22.5 degrees, glue them up, fit the bottom, sand inside by hand, round the lip for feel, then four coats of food-safe epoxy — each coat sets before the next goes on. Full cure takes weeks. Then the wax. I don't rush a single step.
The flagship. A full pint-sized coopered cup built to last a lifetime. Eight staves of solid hardwood, food-safe epoxy interior, handmade wax finish. This is the one that started it all — born from a request for something like they'd seen at a renaissance festival and refined over a decade.
His little brother. Same coopering process, same epoxy interior, same wax finish — sized for a proper pour. Born because my wife refused to drink her wine from a glass and said the PintWood was too big. She still uses hers for wine. Half our customers have never touched whiskey.
Pairs perfectly with the WhiskeyWood. Comes with cherry and oak wood shavings. Handmade, same shop, same standards.
The natural companion to the PintWood. Catches caps so you don't have to.
Our own blend. Beeswax, carnauba, mineral oil, orange and lemon oils. Keep it beautiful.
Every Pintwood can be laser engraved — names, logos, dates, artwork, anything you can send us a file for. The bottom is a secret: engrave a date, a name, or a logo — nobody sees it until the cup tips up for a sip. Then everyone does.
We've made sets for wedding parties, family reunions, brewery collaborations, and C-suite corporate gifts. We've done 1 cup and we've done 300. Every single one by hand, one at a time.
A brewer once traded us free beer for the day in exchange for a custom cup made on site. We thought that was a fair deal.
These photos were all sent to us unsolicited. Nobody asked. People are just that proud of what they're drinking from.
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My name is Dave. I'm a stay-at-home dad in Wake Forest, NC, a former software salesman, and — apparently — a cooper.
I didn't set out to make cups. I set out to be there for my daughter instead of sending her to daycare. The garage became my second office. The table saw became my thinking space. And somewhere along the way, a pint-sized wooden cup built from eight staves and a 22.5 degree angle became the thing people couldn't stop buying.
The PintWood came first. Then my wife refused to drink her wine from a glass — said the PintWood was too big. So I made her a shorter one. That became the WhiskeyWood. She still uses it for wine.
I've been making these cups for over ten years. Thousands of them. For wedding parties and family reunions. For a stranger who bought two at a festival, took them to Colorado, and sent me a photo in front of the Rockies. For brewery collaborations. For a dad who wanted his kids' names engraved — knowing if the epoxy pour went wrong, we'd start the whole ten days over.
I've never spent a dollar on advertising. Every cup that's ever left this garage found its next owner through a craft festival, a conversation, or someone who got one as a gift and had to have their own.
Before any cup leaves this garage, it gets hand washed and filled with water overnight. If it leaks, it doesn't ship. Every single one.
That's the only marketing I've ever needed. I hope one of these ends up in your hand.
Every order is a conversation. Tell us what you're looking for — wood species, size, engraving, quantity — and we'll figure out the rest together. No automated checkout. Just Dave.
