There are several tutorials on how to create a wooden dowel Christmas tree. Most of these projects require a ton of drilling and a ton of sawing. On the other hand, this wooden frame Christmas tree DIY is much easier to recreate and looks more minimalistic and Scandinavian inspired. This project can be completed in a couple of hours and is simple enough for beginners. Follow along to learn how to make one for your home.
Gather Materials
Supplies
(2) 5/8” wooden dowels, 48” in length(2) ⅜” wooden dowels, 48” in length(1) ¼” wooden dowel, 48” in length(1) 1-¾”square dowel, 36” in length(10) ¾” brass cup hooksGold-plated wire
Tools
Drill pressDrill⅝” drill bit5/64” drill bitSmall hand sawAngle finderTapeSandpaperWood glue
Dry Fit the Dowels on the Base
This Christmas tree is composed of three main parts: the base, the main frame, and the branches. The hardest part of this tutorial is drilling the main tree frame angle to the base dowel. You could eyeball this and get it close, but to be exact, we opted to use an angle finder and a drill press for precision drilling. The first thing you will need to do is to place the square dowel flat on the ground. This piece will act as the tree base. Next, create a tee-pee shape with the two ⅝-inchh dowels and place each dowel one inch from the end of the base in the center. Mark this spot with a pencil. Once you create the main shape of the tree, use masking tape to tape the top together in the shape of an X. Then, use an angle finder to capture the angle of the round dowel against the base. You will use this angle when drilling the two main holes. If you use a drill press, move the bottom of the press so that the angle between the press bottom and the drill bit is the same as what’s on your angle finder.
Drill Two Holes in the Base
For this next step, test out your angle on a scrap piece of wood if you have it. Essentially, you are going to create two holes in the base. The wooden dowels will rest in these holes, so the angle should be exact. Once you are confident in the angle, drill about ½-inch into the square base. If you don’t have a drill press, use a handheld drill and mark the angle you need with a pencil on the side of the base.
Fill Holes With Wood Glue and Insert Dowels
Fill your newly drilled holes with wood glue and press in the two rounded wooden dowels. Allow the dowels to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Use Wire to Secure Tree Top
Once the wood glue has dried, your main tree frame will be secure. Remove the tape at the top of the tree and use wire to wire wrap the top of the tree for further support.
Screw In Brass Cup Hooks
Next, mark where you want each branch to go. We marked off four branches and had each branch slightly offset so they weren’t perfectly level. Then, use a 5/64-inch drill bit to pre-drill small holes for your brass cup hooks. Once you have the pre-drilled holes, screw in your brass cup hooks and make sure the opening is facing upright. You might need to use needlenose pliers to open up the cup hooks if the dowels don’t fit.
Cut Dowels to Size
Place each dowel into the brass cup hooks. The thicker dowels are placed on the bottom two rows and the thinner ones are placed on the top. Eyeball how long you want each dowel. Use a hand saw to cut each dowel to size. We cut ours so that they were tapered.
Decorate the Tree!
The final step is to decorate the tree. The nice thing about this wooden tree tutorial is that the dowels are easily removed from the cup hooks to add ornaments and other decorations. Focus on a theme and make sure the ornaments aren’t too heavy or fragile.
