How to Make a Candle Holder with a Decorative Inlay

Watch me show you how to (and not to) make a Candle Holder. I made this for my wife's PartyLite candles. It is made of some Red Oak I had lying around with some walnut for a (this time intentional) decorative inlay. It is an easy, quick project, and the Danish Oil finish really lets the wood pop with its natural color.

I cut a scrap of 3/4 inch red oak I had into the base of 5 1/2 by 4 inches.

I cut another scrap of red oak to 2 1/4 by 2 3/4 for the top of the holder.

I connected the diagonals to find the center, and drilled an 1 1/2 inch hole on the drill press.

I used a 1/4 inch straight bit on the router table to cut grooves for inlays in the top.

The top came out a mangled mess. Time to try again.

I didn't have anymore oak wide enough so I cut and edge glued some narrower stock together.

Being more careful this time, I cut the grooves for the inlays in the base.

Then I cut a strip off a piece of walnut I was given, and then I cut it to 1/4 inch wide.

Using the miter box, I cut a piece over sized for the long side of the base inlay.

It was a little too wide, so I sand it down until it fit, and glued it in the groove.

When it came to making the pieces for the short sides that go between the long pieces, I held it in place and marked it with a knife, cut, and glued it in the groove.

I glued some of the excess pieces for the ends of the short sides.

While that dried, I cut the edge glued new top down to size. I used the edge joint sled to do the second crosscut because it was too small to do comfortably. A crosscut sled is something I need to make. I also ripped it from both sides to keep the seam in the middle.

No inlay for the top this time. I just used a chamfer bit on the inside of the hole.

I cut the excess inlay material with a small saw.

For a pedestal  l, I cut an 1 3/4 inch length from a 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 red oak.

I sanded the inlay flush with the surface.

I used the chamfer bit on all the long edges on the top and bottom, and all the edges of the pedestal.

Sanding is such sweet sorrow.

I marked where on the base I wanted the pedestal, and glued and clamped it in place.

Since the pedestal was end grain, I glued in some 1/4 inch dowel to reinforce the joint. It was probably overkill for this project.

I glued and clamped the top on, the put a dowel in the center.

I cut the dowels flush with the bottom, and more sanding.

I cleaned the dust with a vacuum and a tack cloth, the used a Danish oil finish and a coat of wax.

Free plans are available in SketchUp and PDF formats.