Outside Drink Pole

Supplies:
Coffee can with lid
Dowel rod (1/2″)
Silicone
Rubber band

The main reasons for a person to buy an outdoor table and chairs? They need a place for family and friends to sit and a place to put drinks. That table will cost hundreds, but if you just set out some lawn chairs, and make your own drink holders, you won’t need it at all. There’s a quick drink holder that you can create to set beside each lawn chair so the person has a place to set a beer, soda, water, or other beverage. A drink pole is made to hold bottles, cans, or other containers, and will really come in handy.

You won’t believe how quickly you can make an outside drink pole. You’ll need a small coffee can with a lid, a dowel rod, and a couple of other things. First up, the coffee can. It should be large enough to hold a drink but not really larger than that.

Punch or drill a hole in the bottom of the coffee can, right in the middle. The hole should be as large in diameter as the dowel rod that you use. The dowel rod should be a half-inch or so in diameter. Cut the dowel so that, when someone is sitting, the dowel will be about as high as the chest. Allow a few inches for inserting it into the ground.

Wind a rubber band around and around the dowel, at one end. Slide the can onto the dowel so that the dowel is even with the can, on the inside. The rubber band will prevent the can from sliding down on the pole. If the dowel goes into the can a beverage glass won’t sit level. On the inside, put a little bit of silicone, and use something to spread it thin. The silicone should be spread onto the end of the dowel, around the edges of it, and onto the can. Encircle the dowel, on the bottom of the can as well, with the silicone. Snip off the rubber band if you can; it won’t hurt to leave it in place.

Before making the drink poles, poke a hole in the ground for each one, and push the dowel into it as deep as you need it to be. Stand one of the drink poles in one of the holes, pack the dirt tightly around it, and scoot a lawn chair up beside it. Create several of the drink poles and you’ll always have a place for family or visitors to join you out in the backyard. Starting to rain? Cover each can with its lid and you won’t have to worry about water getting into the cans.