The wooden mugs are done!

[Royce Meritt]

Well, here they are for your critique. This is the set of four wooden mugs for the Ducks Unlimited banquet in a couple of weeks. I stayed with the antler handles but reshaped them a bit and added the antler "medallion" on the side with the Ducks Unlimited logo instead of my original wood medallion.

The boat shaped shelf was not intended to be a display shelf for the mugs. It was just another project I was working on. The mugs look nice on the shelf so I think I will donate the whole thing as a set.

The finish I finally went with on the mugs is called "Good Stuff". It is about the only wood finish I found that is FDA approved food safe and is water and alcohol proof. It is intended as a finish for butcher block counter tops. It seems to be a nice finish. Gel form. Rub on a good coat. Let it set up for 2 or 3 minutes and wipe dry. Applied a few coats. Looks good.

I would appreciate your comments. Thanks.

[Michael Stafford]

I really like the look of them. I would not use them as a drinking utensil just because of how nice they are. :)

I think they are collector's items more than functional utensils.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

They really turned out nice, Royce.

Good Job.

Bruce

[Jerry Olexa]

Royce, Very nice work. I too would not use as a drinking vessel but would display it on a bookshelf, etc. Too good to use for drinking...

[Frank Pellow]

Royce, Very nice work. I too would not use as a drinking vessel but would display it on a bookshelf, etc. Too good to use for drinking...
No mug, even one as good looking as these, is too good for drinking a good beer. :) I expect that Royce made the mugs with the intent that they be used.

Royce, you did a great job, and they perfect in the cabinet. But, I hope that, whoever ends up with the cabinet and mugs, takes those mugs out of the cabinet every now and then.

[Mark J Bachler]

As always Royce an awesome job. Maybe I should drive over & we'll give them a test run.

[Royce Meritt]

Thanks for the nice words. The mugs certainly are intended to be functional as well as decorative. As a matter of fact a couple buddies and I gave the prototypes to these (the protoypes were a bit smaller) a VERY THOROUGH testing a couple of weeks ago.

[Jerry Olexa]

I've never be known to pass on a beer either. I understand. Good work, either way!!:D

[Kurt Aebi]

Great Job, Royce,

The handles look great and with the laser engraving on the antler burr - Excellent!

They do look too good to drink from, but I do believe that if it can hold liquid, it'll get drunk from!

Love the display shelves as well!

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!

Did you do anything special to attach the antler burrs so that they wouldn't come off with handling?

[Royce Meritt]

Thanks for the kind words Kurt. Didn't do anything special to attach the antler medallions. Just good epoxy.

These medallions are a very thin slice of elk antler from down near the base of the antler but not actually the bur itself.