Beginner ideas

It Is Better To Light One Candle

...than to sit and curse the darkness.

Well thats so true, but up here in Alaska on the shortest day of the year, with only 5 1/2 hours of sunlight, we like to light more than one.

Heres an easy project that is instantly practical. I made the first three-light holder at my sons request. The four-light was made specifically for Advent. The wood is a 100+ year Doug Fir 2x4 (and a real 2" by 4" too) salvaged from my friend Daves attic remodel in Cincinnati. It was heavy, and hard as a rock! It was also just right for this project - thanks Dave!

First I transferred the angle for the ends from the original, did the lay-out, and cut the ends:




Then I bored the holes:


I scribed a line in from both sides to create the side bevel:


I wasnt trying to match the angle from the ends, as I think it looks just fine when they are not the same.

I chalked the side for easier visibility and stared hogging off wood with the scrub plane:


Im not sure why, but the surface looks flat in the photo, but trust me, the scrub was set pretty coarse and the grooves were deep.

Once I got close to my line, I switched to a cambered #6:


The final smoothing was done with a #5 1/4 "junior jack" plane.

Complete:


With oil and wax and next to the original:


And with flaming wax:


This is a fun project for that special piece of wood youve been hoarding (come on, admit it, we all do it...) that also works fine with a nice chunk of 2x4. Its also a good project for kids.

Have fun and light a candle - or two, or three...