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Every December the scrap pile earns its keep: this reindeer is a 2x4 body and neck, 1x8 side slabs, four 2x2 legs splayed at 10°, and a 4x4 offcut for the face — modern, angular, and readable as a deer from across the yard, which is all a holiday deer needs to be.
The angles do the character work: the 15° cut on the body board sets the chest's forward lean, and the 10° leg splay gives the stance. None of it needs precision — it needs CONSISTENCY, all four legs at the same angle.
Two assembly notes from the source builder that save real annoyance. First, the top neck piece goes on LAST, not in step 2 where the diagram implies — attached early it keeps the body from sitting flat on the bench while you work. Second, the leg trick (same family as the kids' picnic table de-wobble): attach each leg with ONE screw, stand the deer up, rotate legs until all four feet land flat, THEN drive the second screws. Splayed legs land where they land; the single-screw pivot lets you negotiate.
Build it raw for rustic, paint it white for modern, add a red nose for the obvious reason. It's a scrap project — if the proportions drift from the cut list toward what your offcut bin offers, the deer will not mind.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2, 8 ftLegs and ears. | 1 each |
| 1x8, 40"The two side slabs. Any similar-width scrap works. | 1 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftBody and neck. | 1 each |
| 4x4 scrap, 8"The face. Two 2x4 offcuts sandwiched together substitute. | 1 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2-3/4" | 15 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 1-3/4" | 15 each |
| Paint (optional)White for modern, raw for rustic, red dot for the nose. | 8 oz |
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.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Body2x4One end cut at 15° off square, long point measurement — the chest lean. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| Neck, front2x4 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 17 3/4" |
| Neck, top2x4Attached LAST so the body sits flat during assembly. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 14" |
| Body block2x4 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 6 1/2" |
| Ears2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 11" |
| Sides1x8 | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 20" |
| Legs2x2Long point 10° off square — the splay. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 21" |
| Face4x4 | 1 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 7 1/2" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
2 boards
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 →
Screw the body, block, and front neck pieces together with the 2-3/4" screws per the diagram's geometry — the 15° cut leaning the chest forward.
Leave the TOP neck piece off for now, on the source builder's advice: attached early, it keeps the assembly from lying flat while you work everything else.
Center the two 1x8 sides over the body core and attach with the 1-3/4" screws — these slabs give the deer its mass and hide the core's screws.
Attach each 10° leg with a SINGLE screw. Stand the deer up. Rotate legs on their pivots until all four feet sit flat and the stance looks right, then drive the second screw in each.
This is the build's best trick and it transfers to any splayed-leg project: one screw is a negotiation, two screws is a verdict.
Screw the 4x4 face on from the back, add the 2x2 ears, and NOW attach the top neck piece.
Sand if it's a gift, paint if it's modern, leave raw if it's rustic — and make two more, because a lone reindeer on a porch reads as lost, but three read as a design decision.
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