Years ago I was given a wall mounted bottle top opener in a western theme. I don’t drink beer often but I came across the bottle opener the other day and had a lightbulb go off for a simple but fun project. I decided to make a box to mount the bottle opener on that could catch the bottle tops. It had to be easily removable from the wall so it could be emptied when full. I was off to the drawing board. (I actually do have a drawing board in my shop). This is what I came up with and a simple walk through of how I made it. These bottle top openers are available in various places on line such as BottleOpener.com as well as others. A Google search will give you plenty of options in a wide range of prices.
To carry on the western theme (and because it is one of my favorite woods to work with) I broke out the reclaimed cedar barn wood. I mounted the bottle opener to a piece of scrap wood and took and empty bottle to get an idea of the measurements I would need. I then sketched it all out and started cutting. I cut the back long to elevate the bottle opener above the opening of the catcher. I cut the sides at an angle to dress it up, help contain the falling bottle cap, and to keep the long back from looking odd sticking up above the catcher. I cut a bottom and then notched the front to allow the bottle to swing down when opening it. I sanded all the inside surfaces with 150 grit sandpaper and then glued and screwed the whole box together. To mount the device to the wall I needed something that would make it easy to remove the catcher from the wall so I opted to use a french cleat.
The french cleat has been around for a long time and is perfect for this project. Normally, french cleats are used to attach cabinets to the wall and there is a recess in the back of the cabinet that will allow room for the cleat. Since my back is a simple flush back I also had to mount a board along the bottom edge of the catcher to keep the catcher hanging flush. To make a french cleat you use two boards mounted over/under one another with opposing 45 degree cuts. This is what holds the catcher to the wall. The piece of the cleat that is mounted to the catcher has the 45 degree cut coming in to the back of the catcher and the opposing wall mounted piece trails into the wall. Here is a picture of the two pieces to help clarify what I mean.
I sanded the outside, attached the bottle opener, and hung the cleat on the wall. I left the wood unfinished because even though this is hanging outside near the extra fridge, it is on the covered porch and does not get wet. I love the unfinished look so I left it that way since it would be safe to do so. I put it to good use that night with its’ first bottle cap. I love it! Have a great day and God bless!