Make a Wood Dowel Christmas Tree

You are building a tree that is 14 to 20 inches high. You will use about 20 dowels for this project. Your dowels will start larger on the bottom of the tree and be smaller at the top. The bottom dowel will be 12-inches wide and the top dowel will be 1-inch wide. Working from the bottom, measure the cut for each dowel 1/2-inch shorter than the one below it.

Cut the dowels one at a time and lay them out flat as you go. You can use a miter box and hack saw. Or you can choose a faster process using an electric miter saw.

After you’ve cut your pieces, it’s time to drill a hole in each dowel. This will allow you to stack the dowels onto the center rod. Find the middle of each dowel and drill a 1/8-inch hole. Using a hand drill, be careful to drill straight down through each dowel.

If you use a round bun foot on the bottom, remove the hanger bolt from the bun foot with pliers. Or you can use square rosettes or a 1-inch by 2-inch piece of scrap wood. Drill a 1/8-inch hole straight down through the middle of the piece of wood you choose for the base. Insert a metal rod or 1/8-inch dowel into the hole in the base.

Lightly sand your dowels to remove any roughness. Use craft paint to paint the dowels. For a lighter finish, you can water down the craft paint. This will create more of a color stain.

To assemble the dowel tree, insert a metal rod or 1/8-inch dowel into the hole in the base. Thread the painted dowels down onto the rod. Go from largest to smallest. You may have to re-drill and clean up the hole in some the dowels. This will make it easier to slide down the middle piece.

Once all of our dowels are in place, trim the rod. Leave a little extra for a decorative bead on the top of the tree. If using a metal rod, use a metal cutter. If using a 1/8-inch wood dowel, trim the rod with a pair of tin snips or scissors.

Tip: If you’re using a wood dowel as the center of your tree, be careful. It can break easily.