Wow, can you believe that we are now in the Last Minute Elf week? Where has the year gone so far?
Now that we are just 17 days away from Christmas, 18 days from the start of Kwanzaa and we are in Hanukkah, it’s time to come up with our first entry and winner in the Last Minute Elf contest.
Dan Zehner submitted this first project, which is both clever and green. If you have access to an old barrel – whiskey, wine, water – whatever – you have the material you need to build this graceful candle stand.
Dan said that this is easy to build with just two tools – a drill press to create the bases for the candles, and a sander to round over the edges of the staves so there’s no chance of splinters. Pretty clever!
Since Dan’s project will keep fingers safe from fingers, how about keeping his fingers safe from saw blades and router bits? Dan, congratulations! You are going to receive the MicroJig prize pack!
Oh, and while you have the option to finish the piece or not, you might want to have the ability to choose a finish that will work on a very tight timeframe. That’s why Wood Magazine published this Countdown to Christmas Finishes article a few years back. Believe me, you will enjoy it!
Woohoo! Who would have thought this last minute idea would carry me to victory over terrible Christmas gifts? I hope it can similarly propel your holidays forward! If you’re looking for barrel staves, check out Etsy. There are boatloads of people selling staves for people to build a whole host of awesome projects to amaze your friends.