YOU CAN BUILD A MACHINE THAT TURNS WINE BOTTLES INTO GLASSES
A plywood machine with a red-hot coil and a microwave motor that cuts wine bottles into glasses in about a minute.
by Well Done Tips
Workshop
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- a weekend
- license
- CC BY-NC-SA
- repo
- repo FINISHED0 stars
●●●●○ · a weekend · CC BY-NC-SA · 0 stars · repo FINISHED
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This is a practical upcycling tool for anyone who wants to turn empty wine bottles into drinking glasses or planters. The build is mostly plywood joinery and salvaged parts — the turntable motor comes from a broken microwave, the heating coil is nichrome wire you can buy by the metre, and the voltage regulator is a cheap AC dimmer module. The adjustable holder lets you cut straight across or at an angle, and it even slices bottles into rings for lampshades or candle holders. The thermal-shock method (heat a line, tap with a wet brush, watch it crack) works consistently in the footage and is faster than scoring with a blade. The hardest part is not the build — it is working safely around a mains-powered coil that glows red and stays hot for minutes after you switch it off. You need to keep flammable materials clear, work on a stable surface, and always sand the fresh glass edges smooth. The guide does not include measurements for the plywood frame, so you will be measuring and adjusting as you go. If you have never wired mains voltage before, this is not the project to learn on. For someone comfortable with basic AC wiring and hand tools, it is a satisfying weekend build that turns glass waste into something you can actually use.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —26-step Instructables guide with photos, published 19 April 2024.
- —Parts list is in the YouTube video description.
- —No CAD files — the plywood body is hand-measured and cut to fit.
- —Licence is CC BY-NC-SA — you cannot sell the design or built units.
- —No PCB, no code — this is mechanical with mains-powered AC switching only.
- —The coil runs on mains voltage and gets red hot; thermal shock creates sharp glass edges that need sanding before use.
Parts to buy
9 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
This build involves mains voltage — for adults comfortable with electrical work only.
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
DIY Automated Glass Bottle Cutter
Build walkthrough with time-lapse footage of the cut and parts list in the description. About 2.37 million views as of April 2024.
More builds like this
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the full 26-step guide on Instructables (Start here for the photo walkthrough and wiring diagrams.)
- 2.Watch the YouTube build video (The parts list is in the video description.)
- 3.Salvage or buy a microwave turntable motor(The 5–6 rpm motor is the cheapest part if you pull it from a broken microwave; if you buy new, check the speed rating.)
- 4.Order the nichrome coil wire and silicate block(These are the only specialist parts; everything else is hardware-store stock.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The guide does not include exact plywood dimensions — you measure and cut the frame to fit your motor and holder parts, so expect some trial-fitting.
- Mains wiring mistakes can kill you or start a fire. If you have never wired AC before, get someone who has to check your work before you plug it in.
- The coil stays red-hot for minutes after you switch off; touch it too soon and you will burn yourself badly.
- Glass edges are razor-sharp straight off the cut. Sand them smooth with wet sandpaper or a grinder before you handle the glass or drink from it.
- The thermal-shock method depends on a clean, fast heat line — if the coil is too cool or the rotation is uneven, the crack will wander or the glass will shatter.
- The CC BY-NC-SA licence means you cannot sell the cutter or the glasses you make with it commercially. It is strictly personal use.
Can I use a different motor instead of the microwave turntable?
Yes, as long as it runs at 5–6 rpm and has enough torque to spin a full bottle smoothly. The microwave motor is free if you salvage it and already runs on mains voltage.
How much power does the coil actually use?
The coil is rated 2 kW, but Well Done Tips measured only about 400 watts at his voltage-regulator setting. You dial it down until the coil glows red but does not overheat the silicate block.
How long does one cut take?
About one minute of spinning over the hot coil, then a few seconds with the wet brush to make it crack. The footage in the video is sped up 9×.
Can it cut thick glass or only wine bottles?
It cut a thick bottle cleanly in the demo footage, and it also sliced bottles into rings by adjusting the holder angle and position.
Do I need to buy a silicate block or can I use something else?
Silicate (calcium silicate board) is a high-temperature insulator that does not crack or catch fire. Substituting wood or regular ceramic will fail or burn.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The coil runs at only 400 watts even though it is rated for 2 kW, and the whole cut takes about a minute. Would you dial it hotter to speed things up, or is slow-and-steady the safer call for clean cracks?
Well Done Tips
Well Done Tips is an Instructables user and YouTube creator who builds practical workshop tools and upcycling machines. The automated bottle cutter was published in April 2024 and has drawn over 2 million views for its simple thermal-shock method and salvaged-parts approach.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM2d ago
Practical notes from our verification: the Instructables guide has 26 photo steps and clear wiring diagrams, but no dimensioned drawings for the plywood frame — you are expected to measure and fit as you go. The parts list is in the YouTube video description, not on the Instructables page itself, so check both. The licence (CC BY-NC-SA) explicitly forbids selling the design or the glasses, which is the single biggest trap if you are thinking about making these for a market stall. The footage shows clean cuts on wine bottles, a thick glass bottle, and sliced rings, all using the same thermal-shock method — heat, spin, wet brush, crack. It works, but only if you are comfortable wiring mains voltage and sanding razor-sharp glass edges smooth before you use them.