IDEAS BOOK - HOW TO MAKE WOODEN TEALIGHT HOLDER

Photo by: Michal Krzyzanski

I went to the garage the other day to clean up the wood before winter. Last year we haven't had time to get it done, so this season I wanted to be prepared. Evenings are getting longer, so there is more time to have things sorted before it gets really cold. When cleaning I found this old piece of timber that meant to go to the rest of the wood, but I thought it would make a nice tealight holder instead. I had this flat wood bit bought some time earlier, so finally there was a chance to use it. I didn't even realize this project would be so easy to make. In other words if you got spare minute or two and a piece of unwanted wood you may have this lovely tealight holder ready in less than an hour.

Photo by: Michal Krzyzanski

SUPPLIES:

- piece of wood

- drill

- flat wood bit ( approx. 40mm wide)

- measuring tape and pencil for the marks

- sander with two grid types of sanding paper (low and high)

- wood varnish if you want to color it

- tealights and lighter (that's kind of obvious)

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STEP 1 - Measurements

Using tealight as a mark draw the circles in desired place with a pencil and measuring tape. Best way to do that is to divide the space evenly, but feel free to chose different layout if you want. Then find the middle of each circle by drawing diameters - that's where you will start drilling from. Make sure you leave enough space in between each circle. Double check everything and go to the next step.

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STEP 2 - Drilling

Using a drill with a flat bit start making the holes. Put the end of the bit right in the middle of each circle and then start drilling. Be very precise with it, damaged wood can't be repaired easily, so begin slowly and continue until you reach desired depth. Holes shouldn't be deeper than a tealight (approx. 1.5cm) otherwise you may find it difficult to take them out later. As you can see below I rushed too much with the first hole from the right, but that was the first time ever that I used a flat bit, so I guess it wasn't that bad after all.

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STEP 3 - Sanding

Having the holes done, you may start the sanding process. Use low grit sanding paper first to remove the dirt and all the splinters. Make sure the surface is as smooth as possible. Then do the same with the higher grit sander and repeat until the surface is perfectly smooth. When it's done wipe the dust off with wet cloth and let it dry.

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STEP 4 - Painting

Now it is time to experiment. By painting the wood you will give your tealight holder this unique kind of look, so choose the color carefully. I painted mine with satin oak varnish at first and then I changed my mind and made it washed white instead. I had to sand it again before I did that, but I like this brighter finish much more. If you prefer to keep it natural use wood oil instead of varnish, just to protect the surface.

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Photo by: Michal Krzyzanski

STEP 5 - Finishing

I thought I was done with the painting when I colored my tealight holder white, but I decided to go one step further and put some No.'s on it. I used a numeral stencil and spray painted it white.

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So my question is can there be anything better in the long winter evenings than sitting in the candles light? I guess only sitting next to an open fireplace, but that's a subject for a different story altogether... In the meantime good luck making your own tealight holders and don't forget to share your opinions with me.

See you soon!

Photo by: Michal Krzyzanski