Make A DIY Spiral Christmas Tree

Based on the Tannenboing Christmas Tree that appeared a couple of years back, this spiral Christmas tree is something to make as a eco-friendly option to buying a fake tree.

28/11/2019

better homes and gardens

Loosely based on the Tannenboing Christmas Tree that was available a few years back, this DIY spiral Christmas tree is made using plywood and is an eco-friendly option to a fake (plastic) Christmas tree. Grab your tools to make your own DIY spiral Christmas tree - it's not as difficult as it looks.

The spiral Christmas tree shown here is made using Marine plywood, which is of much better quality, but you can substitute with shutterply or pine plywood.

 

 

 

 

 

YOU WILL NEED:

1 of 800 x 800mm 3mm or 4mm plywood

1 of 1200 x 2400mm 12mm plywood

1 of 25mm pine or meranti dowel, 1800mm length

1 of 15mm pine dowel

Heavy-duty nylon fishing line

20mm screws

30mm wood nails

Wood glue

String line

Compass

Paint and equipment to finish

TOOLS:

Drill / Driver plus assorted bits

25mm spade bit

Jigsaw plus steel cutting blade (small fine teeth to reduce chipping)

Multi or Orbital Sander plus 120-grit sanding pads

Straight edge

Tape measure and pencil

 

HERE'S HOW:

Download the PDF for detailed instructions

 

1. Use a straightedge to draw diagonals across the plywood to find its centre, then drill a hole through it. Attach 15mm dowel to the ply using a 20mm button head screw. Make sure the dowel is tight so it can’t rotate.

2. Wrap a length of string around a screw - driven into the bottom of the dowel. At the other end, create a loop so a pencil will sit inside it at the edge of the plywood.

3. Move the pencil around the ply keeping the string taut until you reach the centre. As the string wraps around the dowel it reduces its length by an equal amount on each revolution, creating the spiral.

4. Loosen the dowel and rotate it 180°. Repeat Step 3 to draw a second spiral on the inside of the first one. Remove dowel.

5. Use your jigsaw to start cutting the spiral. For a fine cut, fit your jigsaw with a steel cutting blade and set it to a slow speed. Cut both spirals at the same time working your way around the board. To access the second spiral, do a square cut to it from where the first spiral meets the edge of the board. To start cutting, cut 1 spiral from the edge of the board. At centre do not completely cut through so the 2 spirals are still joined.

6. Along the diagonal lines drawn across the board, drill pairs of 2.5mm holes on each of the segments of the spiral it crosses. Favour the holes towards the inside part of each segment.

7. Lightly sand the spiral to remove rough edges and cutting marks. Remove dust, then apply 2 coats of paint. Here exterior paint was used that does not require a primer coat.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Use scrap 4mm plywood to make a compass. Drive a small nail through it towards 1 end. From here, drill holes 100, 200 and 300mm from the nail. Make the hole big enough so your pencil will fit through it. Use a compass to draw three different sized circles on the 12mm plywood.

9. Use your jigsaw to cut out each of the circles then sand cut edges smooth.

10. Glue and nail the 3 circles together to make the base. Use a nail or drill bit to align the centres of the circles. Leave the glue to dry.

11. In the centre of the smallest circle, use a 25mm spade bit to drill a hole 25mm deep.

12. Insert the pole into hole in the stand and then paint.

13. Place spiral on top of stand and screw through the centre of spirals into stand using screws.

14. Tie nylon fishing line through holes at top of spirals. Continue down the tree tying off each of the spirals through the pairs of holes. Stand back occasionally and eye the tree to make sure the tree looks even.

 

 

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