Only three more sleeps till Christmas is here! We still have our work cut out for us to get everything done before St. Nick arrives, including decorating our tree! This year we’ve made rustic Christmas ornaments to decorate it with. Here’s how we did it so you too can add a custom touch to your home for the holidays!
And just a note before we begin, we’d hate for you to sip rum and eggnog with a hand that’s missing fingers or have to coordinate an eye patch with your ugly Christmas sweater, so be sure to wear protective eyewear and have knowledge of how to properly use the tools you are working with when making these ornaments.
Step 1 - Select the material you want to make the ornaments from. We chose reclaimed Douglas fir for its unique characteristics. If you are also using reclaimed wood, make sure it’s free of major defects and/or hazards such as nails.
Step 2 - Hand sketch the design you want to make onto the wood. The holidays are stressful enough so tell the perfectionist in you to chill and try sketching free hand. We’re going to go for a classic Christmas tree and the north star.
Step 3 - Cut your shape out with the tools you have available. Because the shapes are so small and angular, we used a band saw to make relief cuts and then clamped the ornaments down to our workstation to finish the cuts with a Japanese saw.
Step 4 - Once you are happy with your cuts, sand the edges down till they are as smooth as Grandma’s gravy.
Step 5 - Next, you need to select your method of hanging. For our Christmas tree, we drilled a hole on the top of it and screwed in an i-hook. Our star got a simple drill hole. To avoid chipping when drilling through your ornament, clamp it down to a spoil board backing.
Step 6 - Now is the time for finishing touches. You could have the kids step in here with paint, do a nice oil rub, or just keep them rustic and smooth.
Step 7 - Select your material for hanging, such as twine or ribbon, and string through the hole.
Step 8 - Decorate your tree with your new rustic Christmas tree ornaments!
Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at Union Wood Co.!!!
WRITTEN BY: Todd Mitchell