the candle holder project for a 3" pillar candle Dec 2004 |
Sandra saw an idea for homemade candle holders in a craft magazine. We put our own twist on it & with Xmas coming up we thought we'd make a few for family & friends. |
shopping list: - 3/4" MDF or plywood for the flat surface - chair rail trim of choice - wooden dowel for feet - wood glue - clamps - drill / drill press - drywall screws to secure feet - paint (green & red shown) - glaze (gold shown) - clear spray - felt blanket (self-adhesive felt to put on bottoms of feet) - sandpaper |
I decided that 5" x 5" was the right size for a 3" candle. I cut these out of scrap MDF and some out of scrap plywood. 3/4" seemed right. I used the power miter saw to make sure it was square. |
Sandra & I went to Lowes & browsed through their trim section & decided on this chair rail. One piece was about $12 & produced three candle holders. For a small project like this, I was looking for a pattern that was really small & intricate. A larger pattern on a small box like this would look odd. I then cut the trim at 45 degree angles to fit around the 5" piece of wood above. I numbered each side of the sq base & marked & cut each piece of trim to match |
Notice that there is a thinner piece of plywood lying on the workbench--this allows there to be a uniform "lip" around the top of the box. (it is upside down) Good wood glue & clamps makes a strong bond. Let it dry completely. (Slater apparently has done some artwork on my wood scraps...) |
Then glue & clamp the other sides. The hole in the center is for a nail to poke through to hold the candle. The other 4 holes are just slightly predrilled for the feet. Using the drill press allowed these holes to be straight & for the feet to fit well. |
Here's the box without feet. The dark stain along the back side is some wood putty I used to fill some gaps. No, I'm not that good--there were plenty of gaps ;-) |
After I did a couple, I realised it was better to drill this & the other holes before assembling the box |
The pictures I took don't really show the affect of the feet. The box "hovers" about 1/2" off the table. You really don't see the feet, just the space between the table & the bottom of the candle holder. Setting up a jig like this allows you to cut all the feet at all the same length. (have I mentioned lately how much this saw ROCKS?!) |
I first drilled a small hole all the way through each foot---that allowed a drywall screw to anchor them to the base. Next, a larger hole needed to be drilled to allow the head of the screw to go up into the foot. I made this jig to hold the foot---b/c it's hard to hold a small round dowel when drilling with a larger bit. Important to drill to the proper depth so your screw doesn't do through the top of the candle holder! |
On the left you can see the end that will afix to the underside of the candle holder. On the right you see how we'll screw the leg to the base. |
As to not mar a table, I made felt pads for the bottom of the feet. A nickle was the right size template. Buying a sheet of "felt blanket" was more cost effective than buying pre cut circles. |
the finish: 1. Spray paint color of your choosing. This is "claret wine." Paint the feet same color. I used satin finish, which is between a shiny & flat finish. 2. Then brush a glaze* over the sides completely. I used "bronze" or Ram Pants as my friend, Bistro, calls it. 3. Wipe off the glaze with a towel. The glaze will hide in all the nooks & crannies *Glaze dries slowly & wipes off easily. 4. After the glaze dries, spray a couple coats of clear over the whole thing. 5. Add a bit of wood glue to the top of the feet & screw them into the base. Finished! The project was fairly simple, but a little time-consuming----that's why everyone didn't get one. (sorry) If you'd like one, twist my arm or offer me Starbucks gift cards ;-) |
off-white & silver for the Mygrants |
black & silver for my mom |
