Let's Build a BETTER Wooden Christmas Tree!
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- čas přidán 4. 11. 2023
- Wooden DIY Christmas trees are very popular right now, and for good reason! They are quick and fun to build and they are selling fast! I have a different way of building them than other woodworkers I've seen. I also think hardwood trees would be so much better than the pine versions. I'll show you how I build both and let you decide!
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Came for the wood, subbed for the beard!
This was by far the most detailed tutorial for these trees that I've seen! Thank you for giving the precise measurements, angles, and tips for getting better joins!
Awesome, thank you!
The solid cherry looks amazing, nice work on the builds and explaining. I cover all the details in my builds as well so I can respect how much time this takes vs. just throwing together a build with music.
Thank you!
I can't wait to try making these. Never made them before, but with your detailed directions, it should e easy.
You can do it! If you have questions just let me know!
Really enjoyed this. Aspiring woodworker here. Great job spelling things out.
Awesome, thank you!
Great video and excellent advice on everything. I love the cherry. It's a pleasure watching your methods.
Thank you so much!
Enjoyed your video. Made a couple trial versions and they came out good. Being frugal, I ripped a standard pine stud in half & squared the rounded edges. Since thickness was less than 3/4” I adjusted the couple lengths that take the thickness dimension into account. Came out presentable (gift worthy), added an angel tree ornament in the center & gave to elderly widow next door. Made her holiday season 😊
That's really awesome! Thanks for sharing!
The cherry Is my pick ! beautiful work, Sir. Recommendable instruction ! Thank you !
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video! Will be giving this a try this weekend. All are beautiful but my fav is the cherry wood. Thank you!
Go for it!
Thanks for sharing. These look much better when the 4 “limbs” are cut as parallelograms rather than trapezoids. This also allows the addition of a couple of shelves across the inside.
haha, I literally said the same thing and didn't see this comment
You can do them that way if you prefer, but not all the pieces can be cut like that so you will be changing the setup a lot more or the tree won't go together.
All you have to do is not flip the board 180° before making the 2nd cut, on the 4 branches. Not additional set up required….
Great Video.....I made a bunch of these this year, and they sold out at markets. I really appreciate your tips and tricks for gluing and assembly. I also appreciate the detailed measurements. I will be making more of these for next year.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful!
Good job and project thx for sharing enjoyed it Keep building God Bless
Thanks 👍
Nice video. Thanks for sharing your version.
Thank you!
Nice video. I've been wanting to make these and your video was clear, concise and now I am going to the store to get the lumber. Thanks.
Awesome! Let me know how they turn out!
Thanks for teaching how to do the trees.
My favorite is the cherry.
That’s my favorite too! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the explanation. Really clear and really nice
Thank you! I’m glad to hear it’s helpful!
Legend man! Great tips in there! I especially like how you show all the parts!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Good stuff. I like the results!
Thank you!
Very nice! I'm looking for a simple project to dip my toes into as a beginner and this looks like it will work nicely. Thanks for the great video and detailed explanation.
Awesome! Hope they turn out great! I have a few other beginner level projects on my channel you can try and another Christmas project coming out in about a week!
Those look great! Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
I am in LOVE with the solid cherry! This video was so interesting and relaxing to watch. I want to explore woodworking SO bad, and this seems like such a good entry into it. Thank you!!
You can do it!
Just start with some basic tools.
Excellent, thanks for the tips, I am hoping to get in the craft fair game next year and will definitely add this to the list.
Awesome! Glad you got some useful tips!
Cherry…thanks for this video, can’t wait to build one!!
My favorite as well! Have fun building!
Hola! 🖐Great videos, thanks for taking the time to go through this a step at a time. My daughter-n-law just aske me to build a few of these, I'm glad I found your video. Take care and have a good one, Adios!👊
Glad it was helpful!
Solid Cherry every time
I agree! Love cherry!
Thank you, sir
👍
Walnut! I do love my dark woods. Especially for something like this.
Right on!
Thank you
Walnut!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Excellent work and presentation!
Of course cherry is the best second would be walnut .
Thanks! Those are my choices as well!
Pine with darker walnut stain trees are my favorite
Thanks! The dark walnut is nice!
Wow, nice video! I can see you have definitely upped your game, good job
Thank you! Trying to get a little better every time!
Definitely the cherry! Nice dude!
Thanks! That’s my favorite!
Thanks for this video! I really appreciate dimensions in inches, I found a video that I used last year to make one tree for my grandmother, but the cut lengths were all in millimeters, which I could do, but wasn't the easiest (although he was at least still using a 1x3, or close enough that it's what I went with anyway) ;) (Also, I didn't have a miter saw last year, so it was all done with a circular saw... part of why I only got one done, instead of the 3-4 I was planning so I could *also* give ones to my mom and aunts.) I did the green paint, with a gold paint pen for like "Merry Christmas" and such on it, and used a Forstner bit to make a hole in the base for an electric tea light.
Awesome! Hope this video helps you make even more of them even faster this year!
Great video it is the best I've watched
Wow, thanks!
Suggestion, make a jig to fit all of your pieces so all you have to do is glue and nail them, and it will also increase production
I thought about using a jig, however home store pine is so variable in thickness and has lots of warped and twisted boards. Any jig would have to have enough play in it to work and not have big gaps in the joints.
@@biscuittreewoodworks Different suggestion: Do the top pieces first and the do the bottom. Then you aren't handling the bottom twice...would save a bit of time.
I had a little trouble with some spring outs on some of the pieces I was nailing. Hoping my next set will be better, but overall these look great. Awesome tutorial!
Focus on getting the angles right like I show and the rest should fall into place!
Took my first leap into woodworking with this project, and I'm super happy with the results. Wish I could post a picture. I was really coasting until I had to use the brad nailer, lol. My advice practice on cheap lumber first, before you go strait for the oak (like me). I ended up doing the bases of my trees different opting for a more A-frame design using approx. 3" wide piece of wood for the bases (excluded completely the base tree trunk piece in the original tutorial), and used smaller 2" wide for the branches. I also used a semi-transparent white stain for a more modern danish look. Thanks again for this great tutorial! The white stain also really helps hide the brad nails and wood putty.
That's awesome! Congratulations on finishing your project and so glad I could help!
Solid cherry of course
Nice video ,, Hope to make the Xmas trees very soon. Thanks.
Awesome!
Great video with great tips. Just subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
They are all great thanks 😂 from Wales UK
Thank you!
“ and probably run another pair of shorts”. Another? Someone has been through this before! Haha. Great video, thanks!!
Unfortunately, I have ruined plenty of shorts in the shop! Table saw kickbacks, router table kickbacks, router bits coming loose while routing... after a while you just keep an extra pair in reserve!
That’s exactly the way I’ve recently built mine, ca glue for the win 👍😂.
I guess it's true what they say, great minds think alike!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
@biscuittreewoodworks Hey, I had a problem with the top not fitting
It should fit together just like the video. It’s 3/4 of an inch longer than the other side pieces so you get the overlap on top.
@@biscuittreewoodworks thanks
I like the solid Cherry best.
Thanks, me too!
I love the CHERRY
Thanks, me too!
Cherry, my husband likes to work cherry wood, the cherry one is our favorite
Mine too! I love working with cherry!
and now people cant stop making them!
They are incredibly popular and easy to make!
Solid cherry
👍
SUPER
Thanks!
Wonderful video
Very informative and educational
As to which tree/wood is my favorite ?? They all are
Thank you and God Bless
Thank you!
Great tips. I can’t build these fast enough. I use a jig to build mine. I have the jig built with just boards on one side so I can do any thickness I want. Would love to do some with hard woods. Thank you for the content. Sub!!
That's awesome Ron! Sounds like you have a good jig figured out! I definitely recommend building some hardwood versions to diversify and increase your profit margin!
Awesome video with technique...you are a step above....keep it up!
Thanks!
Walnut. Thanks!!!
👍
Another great video. Keep them coming.
What block plane did you use? I don't see it in the list.
Thanks, will do!
Almost the same way I build them, but you will be faster using an additional clamp for the top piece instead of unclamping the bottom piece. You can also skip the center line marking by simply adding a visual guidance on your fence.
Thanks for the tips
Best video I’ve seen. I’m brand new to woodworking. Only question I have is what is the measurement in inches where the sides overlap together?
I don’t measure it. Just get the angles right and the overlap will fall in place where it needs to be for no gaps. It’s going to roughly be 3/4”-1”.
Definitely gonna try a stain with a whitewash to see how it turns outs
Sounds good, I'd like to see how it turns out!
Thank you for this great video. New woodworker question though: I don’t have a brad nailer. What can I use instead? Just hand nail the brad nails?
No, you won’t be able to hammer in brad nails by hand. They are way too thin. Your alternative would be to use the CA glue trick I showed on the cherry version.
Great video. Why do you not use the same glue method on the pine as you did on the cherry?
No reason you can't, it's just a little faster with the brad nails. Also the pine is more of a rustic look already and the nail holes aren't as off putting as on the hardwood.
Great vid, thank you. I’m struggling to make the cuts all the way through because my mitre saw is much smaller and doesn’t quite get through the whole piece. When I used a friends bigger saw, I ended up making all the cuts 1/8 inch short because I couldn’t work out how to take the saw blade width into account. Any tips?! Cheers from the UK
1/8" should affect much as long as it's consistently the same between all the pieces. My advice is to setup a stop block like I did in the video and make a test cut to verify your measurements. You can always aim for the first cut to be a little too big then sneak up on the perfect cut.
Like your plan/design, although mine don't seem to match up together nicely like yours. Not sure if my miter saw at 30 degrees is off a tad or not. Also, what is the overlap on the side pieces, 3/4" or 1"? Thanks!
The correct angle is very important! The overlap isn’t that crucial, it’s roughly 1”, but I don’t measure it. The way I build them it’s whatever is needed for the proper fit.
Thanks for the tips!Excellent explanation
What about the price for the set?
Or individual.
It's going to depend greatly on your local market and how well you market them to your customers. The price I get in my area may not work where you are, or even for someone else in my area. Just in my area I see people selling individual wood trees between $20-$50. Test them in your market at what you feel is a fair price. If you sell them faster than you can fill orders, then the price is too low. If no one is buying them, then the price is too high or you need to improve your marketing strategy.
Cherry = the best ! I don’t like the dark-stained version though..sorry ! Nice video, thank you ! 👍🪵👍
Not a problem! I'm not a fan of stained pine in most cases which is why I did one in cherry!
Walnut would be my choice
It is nice!
Love the CHERRY Version 👍🏻. Can I ask what would these sell for in US $ ? Im based in UK so I can get an idea for a few Christmas offers or maybe just gifts here
It's really going to depend on your local market, how good you are with taking good staged photos, and how well you market them. The single pine trees are going for between $30-$50 in my area. The pair of trees go for $50-$65. I recommend adding around $10-$15 more for hardwood variations. The best way to find the right price is to set a price and see how many you sell. If you sell out very quickly and can't keep up with orders then your price is too low. If you can't seem to get any interest in them then the price is too high.
Those look great! The cherry came out very nice. What do you typically sell them for? I have made some rustic ones from pallet wood in the larger size for a craft fair this weekend. I think I will try some with Cherry in both sizes.
Depends on your market and the buyers you are trying to target. Some areas you can get a lot more for hardwood versions that are nicer construction. Even in my market it depends on the buyer. Some people would be willing to spent well over $100 for them, while others wouldn't give me $10. I didn't make very many of these, but if I was trying to sell them at a craft fair I would have them priced around $70 a set and see how well I did. Adjust your prices depending on how they are selling. You could go to a different craft fair and end up with completely different prices.
@biscuittreewoodworks Thanks. I was goings for $60 a set. Unfinished. Going to see. I have a couple more craft shows before Xmas. Thank you. Have a good holiday.
Cheery
👍
Great explanation. How would I go about calculating the pieces if I want to make a larger size, say twice the size of your large one. Double your measurements? Thanks.
No, doubling the sizes will not quite work since these pieces overlap each other, the math and angles just don't work out that way. The best way to do it would be to draw it out or use a CAD program. Other than that, trial and error.
@@biscuittreewoodworks I thought so, thanks for replying back.
I made 3 of different heights using some old 1x oak I had laying around...problem I ran into was I just shortened every original dimension by 3 inches and it did not work. I had to make adjustments on the fly. How would you turn this into a BIG tree that could be placed ourdoors?
Because the boards overlap and thickness of the boards is a factor, you can't just scale the sizes up and down to make larger or smaller trees. The best way would be to draw it out to scale on paper or in a drafting program to get all the correct measurements. The other method is to do like you did and use trial and error until you get something that works.
Hi, Gene! 🐕
😍
Hi. Cherry, is the best IMO. Great video. I am new to Woodworking. I enjoyed watching so much that I subscribed.
What is the Overlap for each "Branch"
Thanks.
Overlap is about 1”, but it’s not critical. I align them by eye. If you build them correctly they will meet together with the correct overlap.
@@biscuittreewoodworks Thank you.🙂
Nice job! I like the CA glue method. Can you tell us the CA glue you use as well as the activator spray? Thank you! Affiliate links would work.
Sure, I use Stick Fast. I added a link in the video description for the kit. These aren't like the cheap superglue where the entire bottle dries out after only one use. I've had these for quite a while.
@@biscuittreewoodworks Thank you! Good information!
How far down did you bring the board? S and what size of brad nails did you use
18 gauge brad nails. Not sure what you are asking about on the board. Measurements and angles are listed in the video. Was there something else I didn't explain?
Two questions. Is there a reason you didn't miter the top so there would be a more precise point? Have you thought about painting them green or red? By the way, I do like the cherry and would love to see in walnut too.
If you miter the top you would have to change the angle for those two cuts only. This creates the opportunity for mistakes and adds additional steps in to the process. Also, most miter saws won't cut that angle so you would have to make a special jig to hold the pieces at an angle to the fence. So to keep things fast, simple, and reduce errors, all angles are at 30 degrees and you just overlap the top.
If you want to paint them, you can. I just prefer the wood look. And yes, walnut would look awesome for these!
Use a French’s mustard cap on the round glue bottle, it works great
I hate how hard it is to open those Titebond glue bottles!
I think it looks way better when the tree parts have the bevel parallel, its more uniform and gives more of the outline of a christmas tree.
You can do them that way if you prefer, but not all the pieces can be cut like that so you will be changing the setup a lot more or the tree won't go together.
What length brad nails did you use
1 inch.
How long do you have to wait for the a CA glue and applicator to have a strong bond. Do you need to nail after using it
It bonds almost instantly, but you can give it about 5 seconds or so to be sure. It's a fairly weak bond so be careful with it for about an hour or two until the wood glue dries. If you use CA glue and wood glue like I show, you don't need brad nails. The brad nails don't have any real strength in this application anyway, they just hold the parts together until the glue dries.
@@biscuittreewoodworksoh okay, I was just confused because I thought you meant it would cure in a few seconds in the video, but it’s all clear now.
The only thing I don't see is the overlap values for the branches and top of the tree?
I don't specify an overlap measurement. If you assemble them the way I show in the video, the overlap will fall where it needs to be to close up the joints. This allows for your lengths or angles to be slightly off and still have a good fitting joint. It will roughly be 3/4" to 1" overlap.
Help! What length nails are you using? Mine keep going through!
1 1/4” 18 gauge brad nails.
What grit sandpaper works best?
For best results I almost never use a single grit of sandpaper. Check out the video on staining that I linked in the description. It fully explains the sanding, staining, and finishing process.
I tried making with a 1 inch thick board but it does not line up. Any suggestions
That’s because the dimensions and angles are made for 3/4” boards. If you change any dimensions, the joints will not align. If you want to use 1” material I recommend building the tree top to bottom and leave the bottom of the tree for last. Then you can measure the gap to cut a bottom to fit.
Are these cuts at 45" or? I'm assuming they are, but who knows, could do them at any angle right?
No, you have to cut the angles at 30 degrees for the joints to line up. I say that at 0:35 in the video.
@@biscuittreewoodworks ahhh must have just glossed over you saying it, thanks for the reply!
if I make a jig and clamp it with just wood glue, would I still need the CA glue and applicator?
No, the CA glue eliminates the need for clamps in this case. If you plan on using clamps, you don’t need CA glue. However you are then waiting for the glue to dry in your jig and clamps before you can build another one. If you are only building one, that’s fine, but if you are building multiple trees it is really going to slow down your production.
@@biscuittreewoodworks alright, that clears it up, thank you
Why stand the stock on edge rather than flat? Which, when using the one pony show (SCMS), is safer in all ways.
Just preference, I feel safer with the blade in vertical 90 degrees than coming down at an angle. If you prefer the other orientation, there's no problem doing it that way. These could be done at the table saw with the blade tilted as well.
If you are making a lot of them, you should probably make a jig for the assembly. That would make it faster and more consistent.
You could, but these go together so easily I don’t think it’s necessary. If you do build a jig, make sure it has enough play to account for variations in wood thickness and warping that you get from the home store pine.
@@biscuittreewoodworks
I was thinking of an outer or inner border. not both. But yeah. I guess I was a bit condescending in my comment, to assume you had not thought of it. And I regret that.
@@yossiyaari3760 No problem! If you do come up with a better solution, please share!
@@yossiyaari3760I tried a jig once didn’t work for other wood varieties.
Are the lengths measured from the longer edges or the shorter edges?
All lengths are from the long edge.
@@biscuittreewoodworks thank you
I'm guessing your measurements are on the long edge?
Correct
Like the shirt logo. Go 2A
Question: Why am I seeing 10 pieces in the cut picture and 8 used in the build? What did I miss?🤷♂
One of the easier methods I've seen. Tried the jig thingy. Didn't work for me.
Thanks.
Yeah, I didn't like any of the jigs I've seen other people do, which is why I didn't do one. Not sure where you saw 10 pieces to try to clarify for you. Do you have a time in the video you saw this? Each tree should have 8 pieces each, I cut 16 total pieces at one time to do both the large and small tree.
@@biscuittreewoodworks What am I looking at at 1:24 and 1:34? It looks like more now. OMG! They're multiplying.
Also review the numbers in the cut list. What am I seeing there.
I'm 80 so I confuse easily.😁
Thanks. I'm going to try your method tonight just eyeballing it. Seems like a better method than measuring overlap and if it is off by a hair, so are trees. JimE.
@@JimE6243 Ok, I see. That is all 16 pieces for both the large and small tree. I build them in sets so I cut all the parts for both at the same time. Hope that helps!
@@biscuittreewoodworks Ahhh. I missed that part too. It's hell to get old. Thanks.
@@JimE6243 no problem! Let me know if you have any other questions!
As a metric guy I wonder about the lumber dimension. You say it is 1x3, but is that 3/4 inch in reality, or was this just for cherry? So I'm gonna look for some 18mm pine?
I doubt that the thickness is cruical, but 18mm should work great
I'm not sure how lumber is dimensioned outside the US. I know here, if you buy construction grade dimensional lumber a 1x3 board is really 3/4 x 2-1/2. Cherry and all other wood that you get from a lumber yard or sawmill is sold by the board foot which is a very different measurement system. All that said, 18mm is pretty close to 3/4" so you should be fine.
What size nails are you using in your air nailer?
For this I used 1” 18 gauge.
@@biscuittreewoodworks Thank You! This is the absolute best Christmas Tree build I've seen.
@@michaelmattia932 Thanks!
The cherry
👍😀
The Cherry by far
Thanks! I agree!
Looks great now ave decent reliable mitre saw gonna attempt these this year. Although on the whole measurements between store hardwood dealer etc this is one reason i can never understand the American measurements on yt. Go to mm its allot easier than say trying figure out say 3/16ths or 13/64ths a mean come on over here 25mm is an inch and people work in mm everywhere you buy wood. 🏴👍🤯
That would make things so much simpler, but I’m afraid we are stuck in our old ways!
@@biscuittreewoodworks yea must say don't ever think across the pond will ever change. Although would make things so much easier for u guys. And watching creators on here. 🏴👍
It’s not hard for “Us”. We know how to measure Imperial and metric
I’m just a little confused with the cut list for the big tree, it seems like it’s too many pieces? Was that list for 2 trees or did I miss something?
That is for both trees. Cutting all the parts at once is more efficient and you get both trees out of a single board.
@@biscuittreewoodworks I see…ok, thank you. Great video!!!
What size Brad nail is that?
1 1/4” 18 gauge.
Thanks
How much you can charge for each tree?
Pricing is very dependant on many factors; your market, how many competitors you have and their pricing/marketing, customer's budget, your skills at building them as well as marketing them, materials cost, labor costs, etc. My advice is build some and post them for sale with really good pictures from multiple angles and make it look like it's on the front page of Country Living Magazine. If they sell faster than you can keep up with orders, then your price is too low. If no one is buying then your price is too high.
An even more premium version would be using miter joints at the peak and the bottom of the tree, instead of butt joints 😉
I knew I should have used dovetails!
So dumb question here... where are you taking the measurements from? The long side? The short side? Overall length?
From the blade to the stop block. The way I'm cutting the pieces this ends up being the long side of each board.
Perfect! Thanks for the reply!@@biscuittreewoodworks
You should rub a little wood glue into the end grain first and let it soak in. That way the glue will bond much better if you're not using brad nails.
If you're using brad nails you don't even need to bother with the glue with such a light weight piece.
Yes, you can preload the end grain with glue to get a stronger bond, but it's not at all necessary here. I disagree with using brad nails alone, even on a project this small and light. They are going to work loose very easily. If you sell something to a customer that is falling apart by the second season, you won't have a repeat customer.
@@biscuittreewoodworks I guess my experience with brad nails is different. I've made shop jigs with them alone that get moved and banged around a lot, and they've held up just fine. This would be moved twice a year: once to the shelf, and once back to a storage box. Just my 2 cents. Glue is cheap so not a huge difference.
@@johndoe6032 I this case it’s the angles and very little surface area that would make them weak.for example you could get away with just brads on the base that gets attached to the bottom, but not the other joints of the tree.
Can't figure out the dimensions... are those outer or inner sizes??
The measurements are all taken from the longest side of the boards.
I found my dumb issue: I was using a 2x3.... finally I was able to salvage 90% of my cuts by doing a new shorter piece for the bottom.