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How-To: Make Your Own Mini Balsa Wood Tree

by on Dec 16, 2010

As far as unconventional Christmas trees go, this one takes the cake!  Forget trying to DIY a giant plywood tannenbaum, keep things simple with an easy-to-make mini balsa wood tree.  

I love this tree for a variety of reasons, its point at the top of the “easy-but-totally-high-impact project chart” being just one.  Really what I love about it the most is its size: perfect for those with small spaces/apartments, perfect for kids’ rooms (if they want to have their own little tree), and perfect as part of your holiday decor (perhaps to display a few favorite ornaments).  Heck, you could even give it as a gift.  Its uses and reasons to be loved are endless, so let’s get crackin’ on this mini project!

created at: 12/16/2010

What you’ll need:

  • 4 – 6 sheets of  1/32″ x 3″ x 36″ balsa wood (this should be available at craft, art, and hobby shops)
  • pencil
  • exacto/utility knife with sharp blade
  • cutting mat
  • hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • 3/8″ thick dowel 20″ long
  • hole punch tool (these are available at craft and art supply stores)
  • hammer
  • ruler
  • birch log slice (or any wood circle or block that has a bit of weight and a flat surface)
  • 2″ nail
  • drill with 3/8″ boring bit (optional)
  • tree limb templates (feel free to enlarge for a bigger tree. at 100% these templates will make a tree 11″ wide and about 20″ tall)
  • template 1
  • template 2
  • template 3
Once you’ve gathered up all your supplies and printed out your templates, check out Design*Sponge for full instructions on how to complete your mini balsa wood tree.
After you’re done making your tree and setting it into its birch log base, consider using up the rest of that log to make your own tree limb coasters.  Bam!  Two projects in one!  (See what I did there?)

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