MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! Christmas is almost here and doesn’t everyone love strolling through a soft snowy winter forest? OK my wife doesn’t but a lot of us do and we love looking at Christmas lights strolling through town. Here’s a chance for you to make your own small Christmas Forest you can put on your mantle and it only takes a few minutes, a saw, and some paint. This is an absolutely great project to get your kids involved in. They could do some of the cutting if you’re using a small band saw or a scroll saw and of course they can do all the painting and even rig the lights. This is the perfect Christmas Project. So let’s see how it’s done.

Tools and Materials

So, to make your Christmas forest all you’re going to need are a few pieces of 1 by 6 and 1 by 8 and maybe if you want some small trees one by fours. Now if you’re new to woodworking when I say 1 by 4 that’s what they call a nominal dimension. The real dimension is about 3/4 thick by about 1-5/8 inches. Whatever sets of materials you’re going to choose, they need to be about 8 inches long. This beginner woodworking project does not take very much in the way of materials.

As far as tools this is a perfect time to use a hand saw and “cutdown a Christmas Tree”. You could also use a bandsaw, jigsaw, or scroll saw which are really good for kids because they can help you out quite a bit. I used a table saw with a Taper Jig. You can make one or buy it from Rockler.

And of course the most important thing when it comes to kids is decoration so you’ll need paint sparkles and battery operated lights. Check below for some links to those items.

[Picture of materials]

Layout

The only trick to laying this entire project out is how you lay it out is with regard to material utilization. In other words you can get 2 trees out of an 8 inch 1 by 8. Similar for a 1 by 6. Mostly just by cutting diagonally and then flattening the bottom.

I suggest actually laying out the pieces on the wood before you start any work. This will give you a good idea of how many parts you can get out of each piece of wood that you have.

By the way, don’t feel constrained by the dimensions below. You can make them taller, shorter, thinner or fatter Just like real trees.

Check out the plans below

[PLANS]

Cutting

Cutting and this is also very easy if you’re using a table saw with a sled or a hand saw. Actually, any kind of saw makes this pretty easy. You’ll need to do more layout though if you’re using a hand saw or a jigsaw. With your layout done all you need to do is cut along the lines.

For this project I used a Taper Sled that I made. It works really well. And you can buy one from Rockler too if you don’t have time to build it.

Sanding

All your pieces need to be sanded. I suggest sanding with an orbital and 220 grit paper and going over all the edges too. If you’re using an orbital Sander hit all the sharp edges just to knock them off a little bit that way it’s more comforting whenever you pick them up. It will also get rid of any splinters that may be hanging around so the kids don’t get stabbed.

Assembly

Ha fooled you, no assemble required. BUT… totally optional, you can attached a three quarter by three quarter inch by two inch piece at the bottom of each tree. Do this with some CA glue. The purpose of attaching this little block is to make sure that the pieces stand up on your mantle and don’t fall over. These little blocks can easily be cut from the scrap that you have leftover.

Finishing

Now comes the fun part. Grab several colors of green paint, some paint brushes, glitter, stars, and whatever else your kids think would be fun and start painting. Let them do whatever they want. And this will be a Christmas they remember.

The last step is to string the tiny wheat grain light bulbs if you’re using them. These little battery operated packs bring a lot of dazzle to your little forest.With all that done I’m sure the kids are jumping for joy can’t wait for Christmas and are hoping for to get all their presents. Santa Claus is on the way and you’ve made Christmas something very special.