Four Piece Carved Sandstone Candle Holder Set

This is how I made a set of four carved sandstone candle holders out of some stone that was left over after our fence was rebuilt after a big storm.

The full story behind the set can be found here.

Step 1: Cut the Stone to Length

After deciding on a design the next stage is to set to work and actually turn the design into reality. The first step to achieve this was to rough cut the sandstone to the right length. This was done using nothing more than a standard $8 300mm rod saw.

Details about the Rod Saw can be found here

Step 2: Grind the Ends Flat

Once the stone is roughly the right size, the next stage is to tidy up the ends so that they are flat. To do this I used a grinding bit with my Dremel High Speed Rotary Tool. The aim of doing this is to allow you to accurately mark out the design that is to be carved out.

Step 3: Mark Out the Design

Mark out your design. To do this I used a high speed diamond bit with my Dremel but you could also use a marking pencil if you have one handy.

Step 4: Start the Carving Process

The next job is to get out the rod saw again and remove as much waste material as possible. I did this by making a series of cuts that allowed me to snap out the resulting columns of waste rock. I could theoretically have done this using a diamond blade on the Dremel but to be honest I found it easier to use the hand saw.

Step 5: Grind Out the Design

Now that the bulk of the waste material has been removed the next step is to go back to the Dremel using a course Silicone Carbide grinding wheel to tidy up the shape of the cut surfaces.

Step 6: Finnish the Surfaces

Moving on from the rough grinding, I then changed to a finer Aluminum Oxide grinding stone to tidy up the surfaces and make sure all of the angles and curves were nice and smooth.

Step 7: Inlay the Top and Bottom

As I’d now finished work on the body of the piece, it was now time to inlay the top and bottom. The top inlay is there to hold the tea light candle and the one in the base is there to allow the addition of a felt base to protect any delicate surfaces that the piece may be sat on. To do this I started with a course grinding wheel and finished off with a fine grinding stone to ensure that all of the edges and angles were straight.

Step 8: Add Felt to the Base of Each Piece

Give the set a good wash to remove any dust before add the felt base. The felt I used for the base was found in a local hardware shop in the floor protection section. It comes in a sheet that allows you to cut the pieces to the exact size required and has a sticky coating on one side so it’s easy to use.

Step 9: The Finished Set

Once all of the pieces have been made using these techniques the set is complete and ready for use.

Comments

[Bonnie Toth]

I have been looking forward to making the sandstone candles, but I have not been able to find any sandstone columns or round stones, also not able to find a rod saw. If you have any information please let me know. Bonnie

[chuckr44]

Hi, I have a regular corded Dremel with t ypical grinding stones. Are these grinding stones fine for working with sandstone? Will I have to change them every 10 minutes when working with sandstone? They don't seem to last long when I grind metal.

[crisheram]

Really, really nice!!!

[rverma5]

nice ...

[Mrballeng]

My hat off to you. Great work!

[chicopluma]

te quedaron geniales

[hwickramasinghe]

so beautiful !!!!

[galegus1]

seria excelente que se pudiera traducir al español

saludos

[galegus1]

gracias por el articulo muy bueno

[chabias]

Very nice! Got me itching to make some now.

[claudya_dyas]

Simples e muito bonito!

[rosquillo]

Son preciosos. Me has dado una excelente idea para hacer los mismos candelabros en arcilla chamotada y cocerlos en mi horno. Gracias por el tutorial tan detallado y bien comentado.

They are beautiful. I'm going to make them but I'll use clay with sand firing them with my kiln. very good instructable.

[debdegraeve]

These are really beautiful!

[fdmjh]

Thanks for all the positive comments, I really appreciate them.

[Matthew27]

Very well done, nice smooth design that plays with light and shadows.

Please make sure you are wearing dust mask or better a Respirator to protect yourself from the fine dust while using power tools on Sandstone. A friend of mine who made large sandstone sculptures recently passed away due to his lungs being full of the sandstone dust after a few years of not wearing protection until it was way to late.

[fdmjh]

Cheers, this is a really good point that I neglected to mention. Eye and dust protection are an absolute must, you really do end up covered from head to toe in fine dust and rock chips when carving like this.

[Bernyk]

im totally making one of these to repair the delicate feelings of a female counterpart i've recently offended =S hopefully im as successful haha wish me luck =P

btw it should be apparent that i love your instructable thanks. =D

[BrianJone5]

I think your 'ible was as well done as the pieces themselves.

[howdy409]

Very creative. I love them. That is what you call recycling beautifully.

[beetlewing]

I hate instructables - they're so inspiring. Now I gotta go out and find some dang sandstone.

Thanks :)