Build a Refreshingly Alternative Plywood Christmas Tree
Let others have their traditional pine. This wooden version you make yourself celebrates modern DIY style
Content Coordinator at Houzz.com.
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Build a new holiday tradition with this fun two-dimensional tree. Made from plywood and a few metal braces, it defies gravity by cantilevering from the wall. You can wrap lights or ribbons around it to hang ornaments on, and its depth is shallow enough to keep the holiday dance floor open.
by Janet Paik
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Time: 6 hours
Skill level: Intermediate
Cost: Less than $80
My family designs and creates a unique alternative tree every year. One year a rustic trestle ladder found on the roadside served as our tree. Another family favorite was a large paper tree built on a ribbed PVC frame with Christmas lights that poked through pinholes. The versatile two-dimensional plywood tree I'll show you how to make here can work for either indoor or outdoor display.
Skill level: Intermediate
Cost: Less than $80
My family designs and creates a unique alternative tree every year. One year a rustic trestle ladder found on the roadside served as our tree. Another family favorite was a large paper tree built on a ribbed PVC frame with Christmas lights that poked through pinholes. The versatile two-dimensional plywood tree I'll show you how to make here can work for either indoor or outdoor display.
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by Janet Paik
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| Materials
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by Janet Paik
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| The setup. Make sure you have a large work area. Set up two sawhorses to support your plywood sheet. |
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1. Design the tree. I created this tree design with straight lines, so it's easy to cut out with the jigsaw. If you're ambitious, you can try freehand drawing an outline of your tree.
Note: The plywood is 8 feet tall, but consider your room's height. You'll want to leave space for your tree topper and for presents to fit beneath.
Note: The plywood is 8 feet tall, but consider your room's height. You'll want to leave space for your tree topper and for presents to fit beneath.
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by Janet Paik
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| 2. Draw the tree. Transfer the outline of your tree design directly onto the plywood. This tree's outline (the wood frame) is 2 1/2 inches wide. With your straight edge, draw nice, dark straight lines with your pencil so you can easily follow them with the jigsaw. Note: I cut my tree in two parts. The larger three-tiered section is 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall. The bottom tier is 5 feet wide and 2 feet tall, and had to be cut at an angle on the 4-by-8 plywood sheet. This way I can detach the bottom tier for storage after the holiday season. |
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Tip: Draw a light 1- by 1-foot grid on your plywood to help you scale the tree's outline from the printout to the plywood.
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by Janet Paik
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| 3. Cut the tree. Put on your safety goggles and gloves first. If you're not familiar with using a jigsaw, get used to it by cutting the exterior lines first. |
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by Janet Paik
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| Use a good jig blade with small teeth for a nice, straight, smooth cut. |
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by Janet Paik
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| Go slowly and you'll have less work later when you're sanding the edges. |
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by Janet Paik
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| Here is the finished outline of the top three tiers. After finishing this part, you can cut out the bottom tier from the excess plywood, or save it to do later. |
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by Janet Paik
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| 4. Cut out the interior. Now comes the challenge of cutting the interior edges while keeping the tree in one piece. If you are a pro with the jigsaw, you'll need to do what's called a plunge cut by tipping the jigsaw into the center of the plywood to break the surface. If that seems intimidating, drill a hole big enough to accommodate the jigsaw blade, entering the center of the tree instead. |
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by Janet Paik
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| Readjust the sawhorses as you go so that you don't cut into them. |
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by Janet Paik
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| The plywood will bounce a bit as the tree gets lighter; keep the jigsaw firmly flat on the surface. |
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by Janet Paik
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| 5. Sand the cut pieces. You'll use several sheets of 100-grit sandpaper to smooth the wood out with the sander and erase any existing pencil lines. |
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by Janet Paik
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| Tip: Consider storage. I attached a rigid flat brace on the back between the third and fourth tiers of the tree. This way it can be disassembled and packed away for next year. |
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by Janet Paik
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| 6. Clear coat (optional). A clear coat will protect the tree from scuffs and seal the edges of the plywood. It also brings out the beautiful wood grain. I prefer to use a spray paint version for quick application. Matte or gloss will work, and it dries quickly. |
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by Janet Paik
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| 7. Attach the posts. Cut three 14-inch long posts from the 2-by-2 if you haven't yet done so. These will be used to affix your tree to the wall. Most hardware stores have a free lumber scrap bin and a nearby handsaw, so you might be lucky and find a 2-by-2 board to cut these from. Your jigsaw will work, too. Attach the corner braces at three corners of your tree. I attached one at the top and the other two on the left and right of the bottom tier. |
by Janet Paik
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Here is the finished outline of the tree, with the attached bottom tier.
Note: Use strong corner braces to attach the support posts to the tree.
Note: Use strong corner braces to attach the support posts to the tree.
by Janet Paik
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8. Mount the tree. When you're mounting the tree, have a friend hold it up to help you match your post placements with your wall studs. Locating a stud in the wall is best, but wall anchors can also work. If you plan to display your tree in the living room, secure each post to the wall with the remaining three corner braces, using wood screws, drywall anchors or masonry anchors.
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by Janet Paik
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| Pictured here is the bottom left post, which I screwed in first. I then affixed the right post, then the top post. Note: After you remove your tree from the wall later on, you can use light spackling paste to fill the holes. Apply it with a putty knife or a finger, then lightly sand it and dab paint where needed. |
by Janet Paik
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9. Decorate. After mounting the tree to the wall, have fun adding string lights, ornaments and garlands. Notice the room underneath for presents.
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Or, for a more minimalist look, leave it bare. Here I tried using just twinkle lights and paper leaves from Paper Source.
by Janet Paik
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You can place the tree outside. To display this tree on an ivy-covered wall, I tied twine around it and secured it to the fence behind.
Tell us: Do you have an unconventional tree in your house? Share a photo in the Comments below.
Tell us: Do you have an unconventional tree in your house? Share a photo in the Comments below.
Ideabook updated on Dec. 13, 2012.
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but i want to try ! it's some thing new and save lot of tree!
My first year on my own, I didn't think I needed a Christmas tree as a new college grad living in the LA area. But, by the 23rd, I was homesick and sad because all the tree places were sold out of anything which fit my budget and my apartment. So, I got a big flat piece of cardboard, glued on dark green fabric and did a cutout like this for my wall and spent Christmas Eve making decorations out of cardboard and fabric. Now, 25 years later, the tree is long gone but I still have a couple of the little ornaments left.