DIY Network

Bottle Candelabra Build a funky candelabra from bottles. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-144

This hip "bottle-abra" will really light your fire!

If you can use a drill, you can turn old beverage bottles into a fun and funky candelabra.

B. Original host Michele Beschen is all about showing off your creativity—and there's no better way to do it than making a cool piece of functional art out of something you'd usually toss in the recycling bin. It just takes some bottles, some fiberboard and a few tools, and you're ready to get to work!

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Materials:

7 small (single serving) glass beverage bottles
1 larger glass bottle
drill or drill press
1/8" glass/tile drill bit
bucket of sand
gloves and eye protection
½" medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
jigsaw
hole saw bits
router
small drywall screws
O-rings
silicone glue
socket or drill-driver extension with magnetic Phillips-head attachment
paint (optional)
tapered candles

Figure A

Drill Your Bottles

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection and leather gloves when drilling glass.

• Place one of your smaller bottles bottle upside down in a bucket of sand to hold it steady for drilling.

• Put a small amount of water on the bottle bottom to keep the drill bit cool.

• Drill into the bottom of the bottle with steady pressure (figure A). Don't force or rush it; let the drill bit do the work. You can do this with a hand drill, but a drill press gives you more control.

	Figure B
	Figure C

Cut Your MDF

• Cut out pieces of ½" MDF wide enough to fit around the large center bottle and long enough to extend out on both sides. Michele Beschen cut hers into a whimsical curved shape.

• These pieces of MDF will fit over the center bottle at staggered heights. That means you need to cut a different-sized hole in the middle of each one, so they'll fit at different points on the curved larger bottle. Cut these holes with hole saw bits.

• On the back side of the cut MDF pieces, router the inside edge of the hole (figure B). This will help it fit better over the curved center bottle.

• Do a dry fit of the MDF pieces and the center bottle to make sure you're happy with how they fit (figure C).

• Paint your MDF, if you like, before assembling the final piece.

	Figure D
	Figure E

Assemble Your Candelabra

• Fit O-rings over the small drywall screws. This will keep the screws from scraping against the bottles when you attach them.

• Set two of the small bottles on one of the pieces of MDF to determine their placement (figure D). Draw a faint pencil line around the bottom of the bottles.

• Apply a bead of silicone glue to the bottom of one of the bottles where it will come in contact with the MDF.

• Fit a drywall screw onto the magnetic Phillips-head attachment and carefully guide it through the bottle's neck and out the hole in the bottom. Place the bottle on the circle you drew on the MDF and gently screw it in (figure E). Don't over-tighten—you could snap the bottle.

• Repeat for the other five bottles.

• Take the MDF piece with the largest hole—which will be the bottom tier of your candelabra—and run a bead of silicone glue around the inside of the hole. Fit it over the large bottle, make sure it's sitting level, and let the glue set. Once the glue is cured, repeat for the other MDF pieces.

• Once all the glue is cured, add tapered candles and enjoy your "bottle-abra!"