- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Time
- 1.8–3.3 hours
- Cost
- $
About this build
I think every woodworker has a pile of leftover scrap wood from other projects. Typically, I don’t throw away small wood pieces and try to use them on small wood projects. I’ve made these DIY Wooden Candle Holders from my scrap wood pile.
Tools
Essential
- Drill / Driver
- Miter Saw
- Random Orbit Sander
- Table Saw
Optional / nice to have
- Tape Measure
Materials
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Board, 4x4 72" | 1 board |
| 1 1/2" Candles | 22 each |
| Pre-Stain | 1 each |
| Briarsmoke Stain | 1 each |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
Cut list
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Board | 1 | 4" × 4" × 6" |
What to buy
Buy 1 board at 8 ft.
4" × 4"
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Instructions
1Step 1 - Trim 4x4 Board to 2 1/2"x2
The actual size of 4x4 is 3 1/2"x3 1/2". This is too large for these types of candles. So we need to reduce the actual size to 2 ½” x 2 ½”. Take a 4x4 board, and trim 1/2 an inch on all four sides using a table saw. You could just trim 1" from two sides to get the job done quicker, but then you'll have one rounded corner and three sharp corners. So that's why I trimmed all four sides. I didn't have a full 6-foot long board but I had smaller 4x4 scrap pieces laying around from my previous projects. And it works just as good.

2Step 2 - Cut Candle Block Pieces
Then with a miter saw, cut the 2 ½” x 2 ½” board into small blocks ranging from 2” to 6” long. I didn't provide lengths for these blocks, because these are totally random and you could cut any length that you'd like. You would need 21 of these blocks.

3Step 3 - Drill 1 1/2" Holes for Can
- Once all 21 blocks are cut, use a ruler or a square and draw a line from one corner to the next.
- Then draw another line from the other two corners creating an X on the top of the block. The center of the X is the exact middle where you need to drill the hole for the candle.
- Drill a ½” deep hole using 1 ½” full thread tip drill bit.

4Step 4 - Sand the Wood Candle Block
Now using a random orbital sander, sand any rough edges.

5Step 5 -Stain and Paint Candle Hold
- For this step, you could stain or paint any color you want. I used Briarsmoke stain and white paint.
- First, apply a coat of pre-stain, then Briarsmoke stain and wipe it off with a shop paper towel.
- Then lightly brush white paint over the stain to make a whitewash effect. You could arrange these wood candle blocks any way you'd like. You're done with the DIY Wood Candle Holder!

Tags
- Candle Holders
- Beginner
Reviews & builds
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.