DIY Wooden Earrings

In this tutorial I go through the steps that I took to make these DIY wooden earrings from Padauk, Walnut and Maple.

Step 1: Watch and Learn

I have a youtube tutorial where I go through all these steps showing you how I made these earrings. Check it out and let me know what you think! Please subscribe to the channel so you don't miss when we upload a new video.

Step 2: Resawing Stock

Obviously these earrings need to be as thin as possible and to get the laminated (Sandwitched) look I was after I needed the three pieces of stock to be about 1/16". To accomplish this I started off by resawing the stock to slightly less then 1/4". NOTE: I ran each piece over the jointer before resawing so I had one side already squared up, I ran this side of the stock against the bandsaw fence.

Step 3: Planning to ~1/16"

To safely plane this boards down to the 1/16" I used a few dabs of CA glue to adhere them to a squared piece of stock that I used as a planer sled. I then ran the sled through the planer until the boards were approximately 1/16".

Step 4: Laminate Boards Together

I used a foam paint roller to spread a thin layer of glue on the boards and layered them in the pattern I was after. I glued three laminations using these patterns; Padauk, Maple, Padauk: Maple, Padauk, Maple: Walnut, Maple, Walnut. I then clamped the three separate laminations in parallel clamps and let them dry overnight.

Step 5: Cut Hearts

I have the privilege of having a CNC in my shop so I used that to cut the hearts out but I am sure a scroll saw would suffice. I designed the cutouts using sketchup, imported and adjusted using Easel and let the X-Carve go to town!

Step 6: Clean Up Taps and Tearout

When the CNC finished it's paths I used a sharp utility blade to cut the tabs holding the hearts into the board and then I cleaned the majority of the tabs off using the knife as well. When the hearts were free I sanded them with 220 and 320 grit paper.

Step 7: Drill and Finish

I needed a small hold in the top of the heart to pass a section of wire through to hang the earrings. I marked this hole using a awl to prevent the bit from traveling and then drilled slowly and with high RPM using a 1/16" drill bit.

When the appropriate holes were drilled I finished the hearts with several coats of spray lacquer. (Probably 8-10 light coats per side.)

Step 8: Hang the Earrings

To hang the earrings I used some sections of 20awg wire, bent a small eye that will go inside the heart and hold it in place. I slid this wire though a small heart and then through a big one creating a heart within a heart, then clipped off the excess wire and carefully bent another eye at the top. This top eye attaches to the earring loop in addition to holding the hearts together.

Step 9: Enjoy!

When you are finished attaching the earring loops you are done! I was extremely please with how the earrings I made turned out, they were surprisingly strong and shockingly light. They were a big hit with the ladies in my family.