DIY Network

Plywood Christmas Tree Plant this whimsical tree you make yourself.

B. Original with this easy outdoor tree.

If you want to go beyond plastic reindeer and an inflatable Frosty the Snowman for your holiday decorations, Michele Beschen has the project for you: A whimsical, 3-D plywood Christmas tree.

This straightforward project cuts out and paints up in a snap, but it's so loaded with personality you may find yourself checking to see if Cindy Lou Who is helping hang the decorations. Use treated plywood and coat with marine varnish to display outdoors, or keep in inside as an alternative Christmas tree everyone will be talking about.

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Plywood Christmas Tree

Materials:

3/4" plywood – two pieces, 2 feet by 4 feet
pencil/marker
ruler
long straight edge
jigsaw
hole saw kit
screw eyes
ornaments
paint
primer
marine varnish

Note: Use treated plywood if the tree will be displayed outside.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

• Lay out the plywood. Find the center points of both sheets, vertically and horizontally. Draw lines through the center points going both ways.

• Draw your tree design on one piece of plywood. The design doesn't need to be symmetrical; Michele Beschen chose to go with a more whimsical tree design. Cut out the design with a jigsaw (figure A).

  Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection when sawing or using any power tools.

• Center up the cut tree design on top of the other piece of plywood and trace the design. Remove the cut piece and cut out the design from the second piece of plywood with a jigsaw.

• Now, you have two identical plywood trees. The next part of the process is to fit them together at right angles to make a three-dimensional tree. This will involve cutting a notch down from the top of one tree and up from the bottom of the other, then fitting the notches together.

• On both plywood trees, measure and mark a line 3/8" to the left and to the right of the center line (figure B).

• On one tree, use the jigsaw and cut along these lines from the bottom to the center mark. On the other tree, cut from the top to the center mark (figure C).

• Remove the excess wood and fit the two trees together (figure D). Sand or trim the wood if needed to get the trees to fit.

• Take the trees apart. Use a hole saw kit to cut holes in different sizes at random spots on the two pieces (figure E).

• Sand all of the edges, including the holes. Prime and paint the tree, then apply two or more coats of marine varnish, suitable for exteriors. Make sure to varnish the edges of the plywood.

• Assemble the tree. Install small screw eyes in the holes to hang the ornaments.