Introduction: Christmas Stocking Holder
I was asked to make a stocking holder for a family member recently. They have five kids and needed a place to hang to 5 stockings for Christmas so this is what I came up with.
Supplies
- 3/4 Plywood
- 1x4's, Furring strips or scrap wood 2 inches wide to 3.5 inches wide depending on how many sides you have.
- Wooden screw in ball (like the kind you see on the deck posts.)
- Decorative metal hooks or make your own from wood
- Glue
- Masking Tape
- Red and White spray paint
Step 1: Prepare You Stock.
Feel Free to watch the video and if you need any more details continue on with the Instructable.
Start by cutting your boards to length. I found 39 inches to be a nice length after you add your ball to the top and everything. Then rip your boards to width on the table saw. 2 1/2 inches worked out perfectly for my 5 sided post. If you are doing a 4 sided post i would cut it to 3.5 inches wide or just use a 4x4 from the store. A six sided post maybe try 2 inches wide or stay at 2.5 and just have slightly bigger post.
Step 2: Cut Your Angle
Set your angle on the table saw for your desired number of sides on your post. To figure out your angle take 360 divided by the number of sides of your post and then split that number in half. 360 divided by 5 = 72. 72 divided by 2 = 36. I set my blade to 36°. A 4 sided post would have 45° angles and a 6 sided post would have 30° angles. Cut the appropriate number of pieces to make the sides of your post.
Step 3: Assemble Your Post
After you have all your pieces cut for your post you can begin assembly. I laid all my pieces with the narrow side down and held them together with several pieces of blue masking tape. After the tape was in place i flipped it all over so i could glue the seams. Add the appropriate amount of glue to your joints and then roll the whole thing up. If you are impatient like me you can you use brad nails to hold you pieces in place while the glue dries. Or you can clamp it all up and wait for the glue to dry before continuing.
Step 4: Assemble Center of Post.
After your post is all together you will want a something to screw the base to. I made a little piece that fit inside the post and drilled a hole in the center. I sprayed paint inside the post to get an outline of the shape i needed to cut out on the band saw. After my piece was cut out I glued it in place and held it with brads until the glue dried. To find the center of my pentagon I used a square on the table and lined it up with the point at the top of the pentagon and kept rotating the post until I marked all the points. Where all the lines intersect is your center. Drill a hole here so you can attach the base with a 1 1/2 screw.
Step 5: Make the Base
For the base use 3/4 plywood. It doesn't have to be anything fancy since it will be painted later anyway. The base will be 15x15. I cut mine on the table saw from scrap plywood I had. After I had the base cut out i used my router with a 1/2 round over bit to ease the top edge. You can use a router table for this or just stick your router in a vice.
Step 6: Attach Your Base
Once your base is complete find the center by drawing a straight line from corner to corner. Drill a small pilot hole for your screw. Apply a small amount of glue to the bottom of the post and screw the base in place.
Step 7: Make the Top
Cut a 5x5 square on the table saw or chop saw out of 3/4 plywood. Find the center the same way you did on the base. Drill hole in the center for your wooden ball. Put a nice profile around the top with your router and roman ogee bit. Put the top in place eyeball it for center and ensure it's in line with the base. Use a small amount of glue and again if you are impatient brad nail it in place.
Step 8: Attach the Hooks
Measure down 2 to 2 1/2 inches for your stocking hooks. I used a piece of scrap wood that was 2 1/2 inches wide to make the marking faster. Hold your hanger to the line and drill pilot holes for your screws. I found that if you have a self centering drill bit this step is a lot easier. Attach your hooks.
Step 9: Paint
Once everything is assembled it's time to paint. I removed the wooded ball and screwed it into a piece of scrap wood to make painting easier. I then painted the ball red. Paint the entire post with a few coats of white. When the white paint is dry use masking tape to create your stripes. I used to pieces of thicker 2 inch or so tape and then put a narrow piece of tape up the center of that to create my pattern. I masked off the entire base and a straight line just under the hooks and the entire top. After everything is masked off spray on your red paint. When the red paint is dry peel off the tape and admire your new stocking holder. YOU DID IT!
If you want to see exactly how i did it check out my video on YouTube
