Rustic Woodland Candleholders

From CRAFT

From CRAFT

This project first appeared on the pages of CRAFT or on Craftzine.

Create candleholders from logs and branches.

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Moss, mushrooms, and all things woodland are very popular motifs for design and entertaining. The colors and texture of the forest are enchanting, and by bringing these elements indoors, you can create a lush, wintery mood. Branches and tree stumps are not hard to find, and with a drill and some accessories, it's easy to make these lovely candleholders.

Project originally posted on CRAFT.

Tools
Relevant parts
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Rustic Woodland Candleholders  ¶ 

  • Gather your tools and materials. Find pieces of logs and branches with interesting bark, moss or lichen. Don't worry about the ends of the wood; the log will rest on its side.

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Add Note Edit Step 2  ¶ 

  • Fit the drill with the hole saw attachment. Brace the log with your foot, and drill straight down into the side of the log. Hold the drill steady and apply firm downward pressure on the wood. When the saw has sunk all the way into the wood you can stop.

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • With the ring drilled out, you can start to chisel away at the core of wood. Hold the chisel at an angle, and hit it with a hammer, directing the force away from the center and towards the edge. Chisel out all of the wood inside the drilled ring.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have created a hole in the log as deep as your candleholder. As you work down into the wood, it will get a bit harder to find the right angle on the chisel and you will likely have to pry out the last bits of wood by leveraging the chisel instead of hitting it with the hammer.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • Dust off the sawdust, and drop in your candleholder. You can use these pieces in your Thanksgiving centerpiece, but will most likely want to keep them out all season long.

For more information, check out the Design category page.

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Use a 'Forstner' drill bit, and there's no need to chisel out the waste!

John, · Reply

So true, John! But I balked at the $30+ price tag on the Forstner bit at the hardware store. If I was making a bunch of these, I'd totally invest.

Brookelynn Morris,