What to make from wood for Christmas?
I’m looking for gift ideas from the shop, relatively simple things that might suit a woman’s finer emotions. I’ve made special items for her before but I’m don’t want to start repeating them.
So…anyone care to share your better ideas, drawings, photos, even links to web sites? I’m open to any suggestions, even the most obvious, because others who read this may have never made gifts from wood so they’ll surely be happy to get in on the ground floor.
Replies
what are the things you've made her in the past?
And, what kind of stuff does she really like, independant of sentiment? (I mean, does she want or need an umbrella stand whether you made it or not?)
what are the things you've made her in the past?And, what kind of stuff does she really like, independant of sentiment? (I mean, does she want or need an umbrella stand whether you made it or not?)
I've made a variety of things; some artistic, some practical, some to serve animal friends. She likes anything that comes from my heart and hands, really.
An umbrella stand is not a bad idea. Now if you have a unusual design to suggest we can proceed to selecting the materials.
A little bookstand thing that sets on the countertop. She can place a cookbook on it and it is the right angle to reada while preparing the eats.
Lots of birdhouses and bird feeders. She is insane about feeding those avian friends
A Garden shed
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I like the bookstand idea. Do you have a photos and/or a drawing?
I made a large capacity, insulated roost box for small birds not long ago. That's an area I'm always happy to explore, as we're both bird lovers. Again, pointing to a design would help everyone who may be getting interested in this topic.
Close to bedtime now. I'll see if I can shoot a photo tomorrow of the bookstand thing for you
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
so, do you have a lathe? an umbrella stand could be turned, or built square-ish, Arts-and-Crafts (as in F. L. Wright style).I also like the idea of a bookstand. My ex's father made a brilliant upright one in the 1940's t that can be turned (ball bearings). I wish i had a photo, but it's in FL.If you want to make a birdhouse, make a brilliantly elaborate, fantastical one. I don't have any specific design in mind, but I've seen some very original ideas (as well as mundane) set in by readers in a magazine my parents collect called "Birds and Blooms".
Dang- I am trying to think of the archetectural term ised for much of San Francisco's beautiful historic homes but the word isn't coming to me...
Edited 11/23/2007 10:57 pm ET by msm-s
Painted ladies?
no, but a painted ladies'd make killer birdhouses. D'oh- it's going to drive me nuts-- it's a broader term for those old belle epoch structures, and it's a term i don't think i've heard used outside of SF--nice mirror frames, jag. Reminds me of the gift my granfather liked to make for everyone- Fancy cutting boards.
Edited 11/24/2007 12:05 am ET by msm-s
Painted ladies were Victorian houses, but maybe you are thinking of Queen Annes?
Wooden earrings or other jewelry, if you're into miniature woodworking. Or a turned pen / pencil set, with box. How about a throne for her highness?
Jewelry box.
Then you'll have to fill it.Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-Groucho Marx
that's a win-win situation. gift-giving problem solved for years to come.
Do you have a lathe? You could turn some nice bowls, or Christmas ornaments. How about a nice candle box, or a jewelry box?
http://www.craftsfaironline.com/Wood.html
This link could be a springboard for some ideas. Post pictures when you're done, here and on knots as well.
Dustin
I made this for xmas last year out of wood
I'm afraid to look... Oh, hey it's a redimix truck. Pretty cool.
Not exactly what I had in mind to charm my sweetheart but it fits the topic just fine. ;-)
I've seen wooden snowflakes out of various species. Resaw the wood to about 1/8", and use a jigsaw or scrollsaw to cut the pattern.
I've personally turned Christmas tree ornaments for family and friends. The trick is hollow turning them so they're light enough to hang on a tree branch without severely bending it.
They've been very popular.
Does she have plants? If so, plant stands are a nice gift
Here's some from several websites:
http://www.target.com/Set-3-Keir-Plant-Stands/dp/B000E7UQ3K/sr=1-9/qid=1195874376/ref=sr_1_9/602-3508106-9716625?ie=UTF8&rh=k%3Aplant%20stands&page=1
http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-3508106-9716625?ie=UTF8&LID=1032073&ref=tgt%5Fadv%5FXSGT0628&afid=google&field-keywords=plant%20stands&LNM=plant%5Fstands
http://www.touchofclass.com/category/furniture/accent+tables/plant+stands+%26+pedestals.do?code=CAGC010805&pid=CAGC010805
http://www.oldgrowthagain.com/1plant.html?gclid=CNTBn-bE9I8CFShsGgodPmTulQ
Thanks for the ideas and the links. I'll save these planters for another time. Nice looking but not quite personal enough for the occasion.
http://www.oldgrowthagain.com/1plant.html?gclid=CNTBn-bE9I8CFShsGgodPmTulQ
he planters, or anything for that matter, can be made more personal by with decorative touches customized to the recipient's tastes.
>>>even the most obvious,
Bedroom toys? Careful 'bout slivers..... it's all in the finishing....
;)
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
How about a mirror. Made these for my wife and daughter. Or maybe a thread cabinet
Nice job on those mirrors! I'll admit that they're beyond my knowledge and experience. I could take a stab at 'em but I sure wouldn't produce anything that nice.
Ah'd jus' set out on de pouch steps 'n whittle away on-til fo-evah, be-fo I come up wid som-thin lak dhat.
The thread cabinet is a unique idea.
HVC,
I've always felt that boxes are the best thing to make.
Whether a jewelry box, a tool box, a recipe box, or a bread box, etc. they always make great gifts and are a great way to practice new and old jointery techniques.
Also a great way to finally use some of that scrap wood laying around the shop (nobody ever throws away those last few off cuts of birdseye or quartersawn).
I once made a sweet cherry toolbox (for me) using some scraps with some real unique grain. As soon as my wife saw it she thought it was for her. "oh, of course it's for you dear. What would I do with such a beautiful box!??!" Now it sits next to her chair full of yarn and knitting needles. She probably uses it more than I would and she sure loves it....probably 'cause she thinks it was custom made for her;)
gk
I agree about boxes being good, magazine racks for next to a favoritie chair too. I'll look around and see if I've missed anything that might need a nice box.
I have some friends and co workers I never know what to get them. In the case of slim shadey ..
the guy has everything..he just gave me a couple of cordless drills b/c h has to many of them. One he has never used. So I make simple little boxes various sizes out of scrap wood and give them away. Nothing fancy just little things to put some nit noid things or put on the desk and save yer paper clips etc.
Favorite photos all over the house? Some are bound to be in less than charming frames. Gather a few or more and make matching frames then coax the Missus to hang them in one area. Change can be a welcome thing. And if some are b/w, some color - redo the photos all in sepia or the more dramatic B/W. blonde wood (like birdseye or myrtle) looks good around color pix and mahogany, black walnut or stained wood really sets off sepia. Black and white photos look good in about anything.I collect boxes, never tire of them. Great for storage, which I always need. Favorites are handmade, some 200 years old with now warped (inlaid) pieces of wood. Find some nice river stones or tiny shells, something natural if adornment is needed. But wood, any kind is so beautiful that nothing can beat plain and polished. Or use driftwood or distressed wood if it suits decor. the wood will speak to you.I am making a standing divider screen out of scraps of lumber in crazy-quilt style inside 3 sturdy hinged frames. Screens are terrific, especially if foldable. A handsome hassack on rich wooden frame would be nifty too. Casters good idea.My carpenter is making a garden bench for me out of single-board split wood that was handmade to be used as lathe behind fireplace mantle in old Cape.Clean up some good lengths (maybe 18 inches) of uncut maple limbs or trunk (intended for firewood) & put on padded top to use for movable stools.UR a good considerate do-bee. Bet you'll enjoy yourself with whatever you choose.
I wish someone would make me a handsome coat tree for the front hall - not the elaborate Victorian style with the mirror & seat, but the upright-with many-hooks type. If you have a lathe, so much the better!
This might incorporate an umbrella holder, or not...
no- it's not a major style- it's an uncommon term probably for a sub-group of victorian, queen anne or even carpenter's gothic. i'm beginnning to think it is either a local nickname for a small subgroup, or else i had a dream about these house and woke up thinking a name i made up in my dream was real. if so, i apologize for this wld goose chase.
anyhoo- my point was if the gift is going to be a birdhouse, it should be a very original and fanciful one. OR- it could be a mini-me; a miniature of the house they live in now.
Edited 11/24/2007 10:51 am ET by msm-s
Good ideas. A fancy Queen Anne birdhouse would be cute--or if I lived in a nicer house, a copy of the house would also be cool.
Then there was the house I rented where I lived in the upstairs and the landlord/lady lived downstairs. Birds were actually nesting in a hole in the siding and were living in a stud bay! So the whole house was sort of a bird house.
I wish someone would make me a handsome coat tree for the front hall.
Do you mean that the stained and varnished DF 2X4 with the maple dowel pins, fastened to the wall behind the front door isn't good enough anymore? ;-)
Well, at least I didn't try to turn it into a Christmas gift. That would've gone over like the proverbial lead ballon. Put a ribbon on it, pull it out and say, "Here you are dear. It's that coat rack you asked for."
You are right, not that kind.
More like 6 foot tall, turned upright on attractive Queen Anne feet, with 4 hooks arranged around at about 3 feet up, & another 4, longer, near the top.
The umbrella holder would replace the feet...
Here's a 'non answer' to a 'non question:' :D
I have found that the best gifts are not only hand made, but are basic items that get used as part of daily life. For a woman, this almost always means things useful around the house.
Watch her 'typical day.' Would she benefit from a proper make-up table, sized to fit 'just right' in the walk-in closet? Or, a kitchen knife rack that sits above the counter backsplash? A wood 'paddle,' with one side tile (hot pots) and one side plastic (cutting board)? A rack in the closet, to keep the vacuum from always getting tangled in the coats? A step-stool for reaching higher shelves?
Think of all the ways you organize tools ... would such approaches work in the kitchen drawers? Maybe a vertical rack for bake pans? What about the clutter under the sink?
Don't forget the less obvious .... say, a bin by the door for dirty / muddy shoes. A cart for use in the garden. Even, a rolling 'drawer' for the mini-van, to make unloading groceries easier. Make a rolling pin or mallet for kitchen use.
What to avoid? Well, anything made from dead critters, or antlers, or rough wood is probably a real bad idea.
A great gift may not get the immediate response you seek. She'll likely say something like 'well, that's nice' at first. Only a week or two later will she say 'that gizmo sure has made things easier.'
I like your idea about fixing up things around the house.These are the roll out shelving and baskets that go in the lower base cabinets and save you from having to get down on the floor on your hands and knees when you're looking for somethinghttp://www.ovisonline.com/store/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamCat=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&txtsearchParamTxt=roll-out+drawer%2Fshelf&I3.x=6&I3.y=11&referer=grs&gclid=CJjKgaSG9o8CFSfQIgodC0qhGw
the only thing i think i could make my wife that she'd enjoy use'n... is a standing floor 3 panel mirror... she sits on the floor dry'n hair & doing make-up... something that would be heirloom quality would be cool... could make the same thing that sits on a dresser...
i made a medicine cabinet with 3 mirrors made it out of need to fit a space used large crown to frame & bring it out... turned out well and it's still in use
p
Pencil art? http://www.funonthenet.in/articles/pencil-artwork.html
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LOL. What an insane project!
http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com