Client logo · CNC-cut walnut · Epoxy inlay · 3-day turnaround
The ask. Will runs a small brewery and had a logo but nothing to put it on. He wanted a wood tap handle — simple, dark, with the logo and lettering filled in black. No other constraints. A short brief, which puts the weight on execution rather than concept.
The design. Drawn in Fusion 360: a tapered shaft rising to a round face that carries the logo, with the lettering running vertically down the taper. The proportions do the work here — the circular head reads clearly across a bar, and the taper keeps the handle comfortable in the hand while giving the letters a surface that stays legible at a glance.
The build. Cut from walnut on the CNC, with the logo and lettering machined as recesses and filled with black epoxy. Epoxy rather than paint for a reason: a tap handle gets grabbed constantly with wet hands, and painted graphics wear at the edges. Cured epoxy sits in a machined pocket, mechanically locked to the wood, and it outlasts the finish around it.
Fitted with a 3/8″-16 threaded insert, the US tap standard, so it mounts to any commercial faucet. Setting that insert square to the shaft and at the right depth is the part with nothing to do with how the piece looks — it’s the difference between a handle that stands upright on the bar and one that leans.
Design through finished: 3 days.
Specs
| Material | Walnut |
| Construction | CNC-cut, single piece |
| Graphics | Machined recess, black epoxy fill |
| Mount | 3/8″-16 threaded insert, standard tap compatible |
| Finish | Polyurtane |
| Dimensions | 8″x 3″ x 1″ |
| Turnaround | 3 days, design to finished |
Capabilities shown: CAD design · CNC machining · hardwood finishing · hardware integration · working from client brand assets
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