DIY Wooden Christmas Trees: An Easy Project to Make and Sell
These simple wooden Christmas trees are a fun project to build, make great handmade gifts, and can be a nice little side hustle during the holiday season.
In this project, I'll show you how to build two versions. The first uses inexpensive pine lumber and is designed to be quick and easy to batch out. The second uses solid cherry hardwood and a slightly different assembly technique to create a more premium-looking product.
Both versions use the same basic design and dimensions, so once you understand the process, you can easily make several at a time.
Before we get started, be sure to follow me on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram so you know when I have new builds, plans, and woodworking tips!
Materials and Tools
For the basic pine version, you'll need:
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One 8-foot piece of 1x3 pine
For the hardwood version, you'll need hardwood lumber such as cherry, along with wood glue, thick CA glue, and activator spray. I also use Osmo hardwax oil for the finish.
Tools used for this project include:
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Building the Basic Pine Christmas Trees
The basic version is made from inexpensive 1x3 pine. An 8-foot board is enough material to make both trees.
The entire project is built using 30-degree cuts at the miter saw. Using a stop block makes it easy to cut multiple pieces to exactly the same length.
Cutting the Pieces
Set your miter saw to 30 degrees.
Next, install a stop block to keep your cuts consistent and easily repeatable.
Before making your first cuts, remove the square end of the board. After each cut, flip the board over so the angled end rests against the fence of the miter saw. This keeps all of your bevels going in the correct direction.
For both trees, you'll need the following pieces:
Larger tree:
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1 piece at 12 inches (base)
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1 piece at 6-3/4 inches (top)
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7 pieces at 6 inches (branches)
Smaller tree:
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1 piece at 6 inches (base)
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1 piece at 4-3/4 inches (top)
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6 pieces at 4 inches (branches)
Pay attention to the orientation of each cut. Flip the board after every cut so the angles are facing the correct direction.
Once all the pieces are cut, you're ready to move on to sanding and assembly.
Sanding and Preparing the Pieces
Before putting everything together, take a few minutes to clean up the parts.
Remove any stickers, sand away rough spots, and break over the sharp edges so the finished trees have a nice, smooth feel.
A spindle sander makes quick work of this, especially when you're making multiple trees. I was able to get all of these pieces sanded and ready for assembly in just a couple of minutes.
It's much easier to take care of the sanding now than to try to get into all those little corners after the tree is assembled.
Assembling the Pine Christmas Trees
One of the tricks that makes assembly easier is using a flat reference surface and a clamp to hold everything in position while you work.
Start by clamping a straight board to your workbench. This gives you a flat surface to reference against while assembling the tree.
For assembly, you'll need wood glue, a clamp, and a brad nailer.
1. Assemble the Bottom Section
Start with the 12-inch piece that forms the base of the larger tree.
Take two of the 6-inch branch pieces and position them on either side of the base.
Instead of trying to hold everything in place with your hands while driving brad nails, use a clamp to secure the pieces.
This is one of those situations where there's no reason to make things harder than they need to be. A clamp will hold everything securely while you apply glue and drive the nails.
Apply wood glue to the mating surfaces, position the pieces, and secure them with brad nails.
2. Build the Top Section First
Here's where I do things a little differently than you might expect.
Most people would continue building the tree from the bottom up, adding the next set of branches and working toward the top.
I prefer to assemble the top section separately first.
The top of the tree is one of the most important areas to get right. If you build from the bottom up, you don't have much support when you get to that final joint at the top. It can be difficult to keep everything tight and properly aligned.
Instead, take one of the remaining 6-inch pieces and clamp it to your reference board. Position the 6-3/4-inch piece against it to form the top of the tree.
Now you can clamp everything securely and get a nice, tight joint.
Apply glue and secure the pieces with brad nails.
3. Finish Assembling the Tree
With the top section assembled, bring the bottom section back and clamp it to your reference board.
Now you can install the remaining two 6-inch branch pieces.
Since the most critical joints are already assembled, you have a little more flexibility when positioning these pieces.
Take your time to get everything aligned, then glue and nail the remaining pieces in place.
Find the center of the bottom of the tree and glue and brad nail the base onto the tree.
Once the glue has dried, remove the tree from your workbench and you're ready for finishing.
4. Assemble the Smaller Tree
The smaller tree is assembled using exactly the same process.
The dimensions are just different:
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The 6-inch piece is the base.
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The 4-inch pieces form the branches.
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The 4-3/4-inch piece forms the top.
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The remaining 4-inch piece completes the base.
Follow the same assembly order, building the top section separately before bringing it back to the bottom.
Staining and Finishing the Pine Trees
For the pine trees, I wanted a darker appearance, so I used wood stain.
Before applying the stain, I recommend using a pre-stain wood conditioner. Pine can be difficult to stain evenly, and conditioner helps prepare the wood for a more consistent result.
Once the stain has completely dried, apply a couple of coats of lacquer to seal and protect the wood.
At this point, the basic trees are finished and ready to display or sell.
Building a Premium Hardwood Christmas Tree
If you want to offer something a little more upscale, you can build the exact same design using hardwood.
For my premium version, I'm using some cherry offcuts from previous projects. This is a great way to use up smaller pieces of hardwood that might otherwise sit around taking up space in your shop.
One thing to remember when working with dimensional lumber is that the actual measurements are different from the nominal measurements.
A standard 1x3 board from the home center actually measures 3/4 inch thick by 2-1/2 inches wide.
For the cherry version, I milled my lumber to those same dimensions so all of the original cutting measurements will still work.
The good news is that you don't need to change the design or make any adjustments to the cut list. Just prepare your hardwood to the same thickness and width as the pine.
Chamfer the Edges Instead of Rounding Them Over
For the pine trees, I sanded a small roundover on all the edges.
With the cherry version, I wanted a slightly cleaner, more refined appearance. Instead of rounding over the edges, I decided to add a small chamfer.
You could do this at the router table, but I used a small block plane.
A couple of light passes along each edge is all it takes to create a nice chamfer.
I think this gives the hardwood trees a more finished appearance and helps set them apart from the basic pine version.
Assembling the Hardwood Tree Without Brad Nails
This is where the hardwood version gets a little more interesting.
With the pine trees, I used brad nails to hold everything together while the wood glue dried. That's quick and easy, but it leaves small nail holes that aren't particularly attractive.
You could fill those holes with wood filler, but they'll still be visible. Since this is supposed to be a premium product, I wanted a cleaner assembly without any visible fasteners.
The problem is that the shape of this tree makes traditional clamping difficult. There are several angled joints, and getting clamps positioned to apply pressure in all the right directions would be a challenge.
I also considered using dowels, biscuits, or Dominoes, but getting those positioned correctly in all these angled joints would be more trouble than it's worth.
Instead, I'm using a combination of regular wood glue and thick CA glue with activator spray.
Using CA Glue as a Temporary Clamp
The idea here is to use the CA glue to hold the pieces together immediately while the regular wood glue has time to cure.
Start by clamping the bottom section of the tree to your reference board, just as you did with the pine version.
Apply regular wood glue to the mating surfaces, but leave a small area without wood glue.
In that area, apply a small amount of thick CA glue.
Next, spray the activator onto the opposite mating surface.
Bring the pieces together and hold them in position for a few seconds.
The CA glue and activator create a quick bond that holds everything in place. This essentially takes the place of the brad nails or clamps used in the pine version.
The regular wood glue is still important. CA glue by itself can be brittle, so I wouldn't rely on it as the only adhesive for a joint like this. The wood glue provides the long-term bond, while the CA glue acts as a temporary clamp to hold everything together.
Continue assembling the rest of the tree using the same technique and the same assembly order as before.
The result is a hardwood tree with clean joints and no visible nail holes.
Finishing the Cherry Christmas Trees
Cherry really benefits from an oil-based finish that brings out the natural color and depth of the wood.
For this project, I'm using Osmo hardwax oil.
One of the things I like about this finish is how simple it is to apply.
I use a white abrasive pad to lightly work the oil into the wood. You don't need much finish, so apply it sparingly and spread it evenly over the surface.
Once you've worked it into the wood, take a clean cloth and wipe away the excess.
That's it. It's a very straightforward finish that does a great job of bringing out the natural beauty of cherry.
More Ways to Customize Your Wooden Christmas Trees
The two versions in this project are just a starting point. You can change the appearance quite a bit by experimenting with different woods and finishes.
For the pine versions, I made one using an Early American stain and another using a walnut stain.
The cherry version is left with a natural finish, which really shows off the color and grain of the hardwood.
You could also experiment with other hardwood species or use different stain colors to create a variety of products.
If you're planning to sell these, having a few different finishes available gives customers some options without requiring you to change the design or production process.
Final Thoughts
These wooden Christmas trees are a great example of a simple project that can be made more efficiently with a little planning.
The pine version is inexpensive, quick to build, and easy to batch out if you want to make several for gifts or holiday sales.
The hardwood version takes the same basic design and gives it a more premium appearance with chamfered edges, clean glue joints, and a natural oil finish.
If you're looking for a woodworking project to make for the holidays, give these a try. And if you're thinking about selling some of your work, this is a good opportunity to put a simple, repeatable process to use.
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