Supplies and Tools Needed:

Paper or Cardstock

Compass or Circle Template

Pencil

Scissors

Awl

Tape measure and/or steel ruler

Wood – any species (I used walnut) – 1 pc 2” x 2” x 6 ½”, 1 pc 2” x 2” x 5 ½”

Table Saw, Chop Saw or Hand Saw

1½” Forstner Bit

Drill Press

Band Saw, Scroll Saw or Coping Saw

Sandpaper

Router - optional

1/8” Roundover Router Bit – optional

Oil for finishing

Step 1:

Cut your wood to width and length. I was using some left over stock so it was

already cut to width; I used my chop saw to cut to length.

Step 2:

Find center on the end of each piece.

Step 3:

With a 1½” Forstner Bit drill a hole in the top end of your pieces. The depth should be the depth of your candle. If using a real candle be sure to keep it in the little metal cup. Interesting little fact, the tea light candles from Ikea are a little too big for a 1½” hole, but tea lights from other sources fit perfectly.

Step 4:

With a circle guide or compass draw two 1½” circles; connect the bottom to make a heart. Find the center of one of your circles, cut out.

Step 5:

Center your pattern between your two pieces of wood, with the top edge of your pattern 4 5/8” from the bottom. With your awl (or any sharp object, a nail works) mark the center of one of your pieces.

Step 6:

Set up your drill press with a sacrificial fence (since the Forstner bit will be hanging off the edge of your wood you don’t want to cut into your good fence). Clamp a stop block at the end, this is important to make sure your holes (heart) line up. Drill the hole.

Step 7:

Stand the pieces as you want them, lay them down, remove the one with the hole in it, slide the blank one in place, drill hole in second piece. It is necessary to do this because you have to drill the hole on the back side of the second piece.

Step 8:

Trace your heart pattern onto your wood, cut out on a band saw (scroll saw or coping saw).

Step 9:

I used an 1/8” router bit to round over the outside edges, leaving the inside edges that touch with a sharp edge. If you want to route the top ends, use a push block for support while routering.