DIY Wood Christmas Trees

How we created a Christmas tree forest for FREE using scrap wood

Through the course of constant DIY projects, we’ve accumulated quite the pile of scrap wood. This month, we’re making an effort to create new projects out of the scrap wood rather than buying anything new.

After we created a cute Christmas Countdown that was shaped like a Christmas tree, I was inspired to make our first scrap wood project–a Christmas tree forest! We made about 50 trees in less than 2 hours. They are super simple, but look so good!

Alright, let’s start DIYing!

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Tools

• Miter saw
• Glue
• Optional: Clamps

How to Make Wood Trees Out of Scrap Boards 

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Step 1: cut the wood

Select an angle that is 45-degrees or greater and set your miter saw.

Cut the top of the tree by creating a triangle with your miter saw.

Mark where you want to cut the next board. Place the board you are going to cut underneath the triangle you created in step two. Decide how much overhang you want and then mark the board with a pencil. Cut your 2nd (3rd) tiers.

Note: you can make your trees different sizes by changing the board size or by changing the angle.

If you want to make your trees even more unique, cut some trunks out of 1x2s or square dowels. 

Step 2: glue

Glue your pieces together to create trees. We would start from the top and work our way down. We glued the second piece to the top piece and then we glue that on top of the 3rd tier. We let them dry standing up.

Note: If you have larger trees, you can clamp them together as the glue dries.

STEP 3: sand

Sand your trees using 120-220 grit sandpaper.

Step 4: stain or paint

That’s it! If you like the look of the trees, add a Christmas Countdown to your forest! We have a very simple tutorial that includes a free printable so you don’t even have to think about spacing for the numbers and nails! Check out the full tutorial here.