5 Holiday Decorations to Craft From Scrap Wood
Give them as gifts or let your own home reap the rewards — these quality crafted pieces will last through many holidays to come
Houzz Contributor. Woodworker absorbing the philosophy of his father's 40 years experience whilst incorporating a modern twist. Check out the father & son shop: http://www.houzz.com/pro/farcorner/
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If you're a woodworker, before you gather your scrap wood as kindling for this year's yule log or turn it into "coal" to stuff stockings, consider making festive decor and gifts instead. Here are five projects you can do in less time than it takes to clean before the in-laws arrive for the holidays.
Note: These projects require a good knowledge of safety measures for power tools. You get only one pair of eyes, ears and hands; always wear eye and ear protection and avoid loose clothing. I avoid gloves when using power tools, as they can potentially become caught in saw blades and drill bits.
Note: These projects require a good knowledge of safety measures for power tools. You get only one pair of eyes, ears and hands; always wear eye and ear protection and avoid loose clothing. I avoid gloves when using power tools, as they can potentially become caught in saw blades and drill bits.
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by R. Olson Design
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| Materials and tools: • Wood scraps • Table saw • Drill press (or handheld drill) • 1.5-inch Forstner bit • Router (optional) • Band saw or jigsaw • Pull saw • Sandpaper 1. Candleholders. Thick stock (2 by 2 inches and up) is tough to get rid of, no matter how small a chunk it may be. Thankfully, tea lights are a fixture on most holiday dinner tables, and stock this size can easily host a candle. Preferably, you have appropriately sized blocks already lying around, but if not you may need to cut to size using a table saw and crosscut sled, or a chop saw as an alternative. Other than that, the only tool that's really necessary is a big enough drill bit to bore out a hole large enough for a tea light. A drill press is preferred, but if that's not available, a hand drill will work. With the grain running vertically for aesthetics, find the center point and drill your hole to the desired depth. Like holiday magic, you've just made a candleholder. Note: For these photos, I used a laminated block of various wood species and cut the shapes with a table saw. This is merely preference and not necessary; it requires more work than using solid stock lumber. |
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| Another cool option for longer scraps is to drill multiple holes along the length of the piece. Pair either creation with some wood place card holders, and you'll have a well-matched table set. |
by R. Olson Design
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2. Place card holders. Small end cuts can seem of little use, thus they're often destined for the kindling box. The holiday dinner table, however, is an opportunity to prove their worth.
This project takes only minutes, but the results can remain fixtures for years. Simply set your table saw to a 15-degree angle at a depth of 1/4 inch and run each block through.
The angled kerf (slot) provides a resting place for name cards to present themselves at a nice angle — no one needs to bend over to read the cards.
This project takes only minutes, but the results can remain fixtures for years. Simply set your table saw to a 15-degree angle at a depth of 1/4 inch and run each block through.
The angled kerf (slot) provides a resting place for name cards to present themselves at a nice angle — no one needs to bend over to read the cards.
by R. Olson Design
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Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
3. Gift tags. Oftentimes shaving a quarter inch off with a miter saw or milling a board to square will leave thin scrap pieces that can make handsome gift tags.
All this project requires is gently drilling a hole in a corner, threading a string through and writing on the tag. Lighter woods (maple, oak, ash) show pen and pencil better, but chalk on dark wood also makes for a good combination.
All this project requires is gently drilling a hole in a corner, threading a string through and writing on the tag. Lighter woods (maple, oak, ash) show pen and pencil better, but chalk on dark wood also makes for a good combination.
by R. Olson Design
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
4. Ornaments. Maybe it's your first holiday with a new family member (furry or not), or there's a certain ornament you feel is missing from your tree that you can't find in a store.
If you know how to use a bandsaw or jigsaw, cut out shapes with quarter-inch plywood scraps (thick, solid wood will put a load on branches and could easily cause them to split).
Handmade ornaments are fun and easy to make, and they bear more significance than any store-bought decoration. Make a bunch of them and hang them at the homes of friends and family for a touch of DIY this holiday season.
If you know how to use a bandsaw or jigsaw, cut out shapes with quarter-inch plywood scraps (thick, solid wood will put a load on branches and could easily cause them to split).
Handmade ornaments are fun and easy to make, and they bear more significance than any store-bought decoration. Make a bunch of them and hang them at the homes of friends and family for a touch of DIY this holiday season.
by R. Olson Design
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
5. Holiday light organizer. This is the least glamorous of these DIY holiday projects but perhaps the most useful. Using your most dilapidated piece of 1/4-inch plywood, drill two 1/8-inch holes about 1.5 inches from the edge on diagonal corners from each other as your beginning and end points.
Using a hand saw (my preference is a pull saw), cut a straight line wide enough for the electrical cord to slide through from hole to hole. Next, mark "V"s on alternating sides, which will keep the coiled cord from sliding.
As for determining how many cuts you'll need, the easiest method is to cut your board to a width of 1 foot, so if you have a 10-foot strand of lights, you'll need to make eight cuts in addition to the two designated as your two end points. For the time it takes to make this jig, you'll save at least twice as much time next year when you're pulling out untangled lights from your attic.
Using a hand saw (my preference is a pull saw), cut a straight line wide enough for the electrical cord to slide through from hole to hole. Next, mark "V"s on alternating sides, which will keep the coiled cord from sliding.
As for determining how many cuts you'll need, the easiest method is to cut your board to a width of 1 foot, so if you have a 10-foot strand of lights, you'll need to make eight cuts in addition to the two designated as your two end points. For the time it takes to make this jig, you'll save at least twice as much time next year when you're pulling out untangled lights from your attic.
Ideabook updated on Dec. 20, 2012.
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Miter saw for cutting off the block pieces is best.
Never cut short pieces of wood with a miter saw.
Holes can be drilled with a hole saw and a hand drill if you don't have a big forstner bit or a drill press.
Routers, table saws and electric planers are probably the most dangerous tools.
A table saw safety kit would be a great Xmas gift for the woodworker in your family if they don't already have one.
One idea I came up with for a scrap wood gift is a rechargeable AAA battery holder. I use one battery a time for noise-cancelling headphones. Leaving the other 3 in the unplugged charger drains them faster than taking them out, but then they get mixed up on the desk and I can't tell which are dead or charged.
I used a 2.5" piece of 3/4" stock and drilled 4 holes 0.5" apart in the long edge with a 27/64" bit. Charged batteries go in with the positive terminal "bump" up and dead batteries with the bump down.
You could do the same for AA batteries with 1" stock and a 37/64" bit.
It's worth noting too, that everyone has different measures for what does and doesn't work in their workshop — I thought Rick did a great job of emphasizing that safety always comes first for him, explaining his own personal methods, and admitting that they'll probably be different from the next individual's. Overall, it's always best to be incredibly careful on any kind of woodworking project — be honest with yourself about your ability, and always take extra precautions!