One of the best things about woodworking is that it allows you to express yourself in a number of different ways. This lets you customize your projects and make them a unique extension of yourself.
This can be a great thing when making things for those you care about, especially around Christmas. Gifts that you’ve made yourself always have more heart than something that you just picked up at a store.
On the flip side of this, deciding what to make for someone you care about can be one of the hardest parts of a gift project. If you’re struggling to come up with Christmas gift ideas, here are a few suggestions ranging from last-minute items to woodworking projects you can start planning now for gifting next Christmas.
Christmas Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are popular gifts which can typically be made in a relatively short period of time. The simplest Christmas ornaments can be made in just a few hours – by cutting thin wood into a Christmas-related shape and burning or routing the recipient’s name, the year or other pertinent information onto the ornament. More impressive ornaments might take a little longer, but receiving a custom-made all-wood ornament will certainly wow the recipient.
Cutting Boards
More handmade gifts rapidly growing in popularity are cutting boards, which are typically relatively easy to make. Depending on how much time you have to work on the cutting board, you can either make face-grain boards cut into easy-to-use shapes or you can go for the more visually complex option of gluing and cutting end-grain boards. Either way, be sure to seal it with a food-grade finish using products such as raw linseed oil, walnut oil or beeswax. There are a few commercial food-grade wood sealants available as well.
Frames
You might be thinking that picture frames are boring, but they don’t have to be. You can certainly make basic picture frames, but you can also make more holiday-themed frames including the words “NOEL” or “JOY” with the “O” designed to hold a photo. A carved picture frame or standard frame with carved embellishments will get a lot of attention, although it will also take a lot longer to complete. Choose your woods and stains carefully to better match your recipient’s home to really knock it out of the park with your frame gift.
Mirrors
There are two ways that you can go about giving mirrors as gifts: going the easy way of building a frame for the mirror or going the harder, but more creative way by crafting a picture from wood that uses the mirror as a background. If you go with the latter, cutting out a silhouette is the best option so that the mirror behind it acts as the “sky” or other open space. If you can get a copy of a favorite picture of your recipient and base your cutting off of that then your wood project will likely become an all-time favorite gift.
Clocks
Clocks can range from simple to complex, depending on the style of clock you want to make and how much work you want to put into it. The most basic way to approach this is just a wooden wall clock by making the clock face and attaching the clockwork and numbers to it. You can burn, carve or rout the numbers to make it more impressive or use end-grain wood to give your face some visual complexity. If you want to tackle a larger project, you might consider making a cuckoo clock or grandfather clock featuring your own carvings and embellishments.
Serving Trays and Dishes
Serving trays have never gone out of style, so this is another option where you can go simple or complex: your recipient will likely love it either way. You can either go with thin and ornate custom-carved trays and bowls or you can do a thicker tray that also serves as a cutting surface for cheeses, meats or bread. Regardless of the option you choose, don’t forget to give it a food-grade finish so your recipient can actually use the gift for its intended use.
Games
Creating custom games can take a while, but the end results are worth it if you’re willing to put in the effort. You can make simple games by burning or carving individual tiles onto a game board or you can go the extra mile and cut out tiles of different woods to create a visually striking inlay. You can use off-the-shelf game pieces, extras from existing games or even turn or carve your own to really impress.
The game you choose can be customized to your recipient; you could go for something as basic as checkers, chess or tic-tac-toe to more complex games like Monopoly clones or even something like Risk if you want to pour a lot of work into it. Once you’re done, you can apply paint the board as needed and finish it to bring out the beauty of the wood.
This can be a great thing when making things for those you care about, especially around Christmas. Gifts that you’ve made yourself always have more heart than something that you just picked up at a store.
On the flip side of this, deciding what to make for someone you care about can be one of the hardest parts of a gift project. If you’re struggling to come up with Christmas gift ideas, here are a few suggestions ranging from last-minute items to woodworking projects you can start planning now for gifting next Christmas.
Christmas Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are popular gifts which can typically be made in a relatively short period of time. The simplest Christmas ornaments can be made in just a few hours – by cutting thin wood into a Christmas-related shape and burning or routing the recipient’s name, the year or other pertinent information onto the ornament. More impressive ornaments might take a little longer, but receiving a custom-made all-wood ornament will certainly wow the recipient.
Cutting Boards
More handmade gifts rapidly growing in popularity are cutting boards, which are typically relatively easy to make. Depending on how much time you have to work on the cutting board, you can either make face-grain boards cut into easy-to-use shapes or you can go for the more visually complex option of gluing and cutting end-grain boards. Either way, be sure to seal it with a food-grade finish using products such as raw linseed oil, walnut oil or beeswax. There are a few commercial food-grade wood sealants available as well.
Frames
You might be thinking that picture frames are boring, but they don’t have to be. You can certainly make basic picture frames, but you can also make more holiday-themed frames including the words “NOEL” or “JOY” with the “O” designed to hold a photo. A carved picture frame or standard frame with carved embellishments will get a lot of attention, although it will also take a lot longer to complete. Choose your woods and stains carefully to better match your recipient’s home to really knock it out of the park with your frame gift.
Mirrors
There are two ways that you can go about giving mirrors as gifts: going the easy way of building a frame for the mirror or going the harder, but more creative way by crafting a picture from wood that uses the mirror as a background. If you go with the latter, cutting out a silhouette is the best option so that the mirror behind it acts as the “sky” or other open space. If you can get a copy of a favorite picture of your recipient and base your cutting off of that then your wood project will likely become an all-time favorite gift.
Clocks
Clocks can range from simple to complex, depending on the style of clock you want to make and how much work you want to put into it. The most basic way to approach this is just a wooden wall clock by making the clock face and attaching the clockwork and numbers to it. You can burn, carve or rout the numbers to make it more impressive or use end-grain wood to give your face some visual complexity. If you want to tackle a larger project, you might consider making a cuckoo clock or grandfather clock featuring your own carvings and embellishments.
Serving Trays and Dishes
Serving trays have never gone out of style, so this is another option where you can go simple or complex: your recipient will likely love it either way. You can either go with thin and ornate custom-carved trays and bowls or you can do a thicker tray that also serves as a cutting surface for cheeses, meats or bread. Regardless of the option you choose, don’t forget to give it a food-grade finish so your recipient can actually use the gift for its intended use.
Games
Creating custom games can take a while, but the end results are worth it if you’re willing to put in the effort. You can make simple games by burning or carving individual tiles onto a game board or you can go the extra mile and cut out tiles of different woods to create a visually striking inlay. You can use off-the-shelf game pieces, extras from existing games or even turn or carve your own to really impress.
The game you choose can be customized to your recipient; you could go for something as basic as checkers, chess or tic-tac-toe to more complex games like Monopoly clones or even something like Risk if you want to pour a lot of work into it. Once you’re done, you can apply paint the board as needed and finish it to bring out the beauty of the wood.