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Country living, DIY, & a Dash of Fun!

DIY Homemade Bottle Cutter

I’ve been wanting to make some different things out of my collection of empty wine bottles that I’ve had stashed away in my cupboard for who knows how long.  Not having any special tools for cutting glass, I looked all over the internet, trying to find the best and cheapest way to cut glass bottles.

First I tried the ‘string on fire’ method, first tying a string around the bottle, lighting it on fire for a minute or two, then dipping the bottle into hot and cold water.  It DID work for the most part, but for the 3 times I tried it, the cut was uneven and jagged every time.

So I decided to try the method of scoring the bottle first with a bottle cutter, then alternately dipping the bottle in hot and cold water to finish the job.

To do this I needed a bottle cutter so I ended up making my own cutter for about $8 bucks.  (By the way it works GREAT!)

The cuts were much smoother.

Every now and then I get a bottle that just doesn’t get a nice smooth cut, but most of them do nicely.

Check out my video on how to use this homemade bottle cutter.

Tools:

  • Hand held drill with bits
  • 60 grit sandpaper-for smoothing out sharp edges of glass after cutting

Supplies:

  • Everything except the glass cutter I found just laying around in my shed
  1. One 2×4 approx. 4in long
  2. One 2×4 approx. 1 1/2ft long
  3. One 3/4in PVC pipe approx. 6in long
  4. 2 screws to secure PVC pipe
  5. Two or three angle braces (mine didn’t even match)
  6. Some screws to secure angle braces
  7. Hand held glass cutter (I bought mine at Home Depot for $7)
  8. Two screws to secure glass cutter

Drill two holes into the glass cutter

Center and screw in at one end of the longer 2×4.

Make sure the tiny blade sits just above the 2×4

Drill two large holes on one side of the PVC, then drill two small holes through the other side for screws to fit through

Screw PVC to the edge of the 2×4

Using a bottle as a template, place it onto the 2×4, making sure to line the blade up where you want the bottle to be cut (scored)

Without moving the bottle, place the smaller 2×4 against the bottle top.

Secure the small 2×4 with an angle brace, centering it on the back of the small 2×4

Screw in the 2nd angle brace, making sure to off-set it to one side so that the bottle tops don’t rub against it.  Although I didn’t, you can add a third angle brace if you wish

For longer or shorter bottles you can readjust the smaller 2×4 by simply re-screwing it with the angle braces

Oh, and don’t forget to sand the rough edges when you are done cutting the bottles!  I used 60 grit sandpaper and it only takes a few minutes per bottle.

Time for you to build one and give it a try!

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8 Comments

  1. Wow I never though this could be so simple. Just some 2X4 and other small tool, and I can cut glass bottles. This could be so much fun. I think my sister would love this. She is very crafty. I am sure she could come up with some fun ideas with this. Thank you so much for sharing.

    • Tee

      Exactly Kody!…who would have thought? I’m sure your sister could figure out some great ideas using cut glass bottles!

  2. Kirk

    Help me figure this out: how to cut a bottle, not around the circumference, but in half from top to bottom.

    • Tee

      Hi Kirk!

      I haven’t yet tried this one but I looked it up on youtube and found a great video on how to do HERE
      I’ll have to give this a try as well!

  3. Lori Coleman

    Will this work for a square shaped liquor bottle or is there a tweak that can be done to enable it to do so?

    • Tee

      Hi Lori!
      I don’t think a square bottle would work simply because you have to spin the bottle as it cuts, and a square bottle won’t spin.

  4. OMAR MEYER

    Hola Lory, me gustaría recibir información sobre cortes de botella. Tu video me pareció extraordinario. Gracias por compartir,
    OMAR

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