Introduction: How to Make a Wooden Flower
You need a decorative element on a present? Follow the instructions in this post to create a great looking wooden flower.
Please also watch the video on YouTube about this build and subscribe to my channel!
Step 1: Materials
- A hand plane. For example a Stanley No.4.
- A hot glue gun with glue sticks.
- A pair of scissors.
- A piece of wood.
Step 2: Create Shavings
Set your plane up for creating relative thick shavings. Try to keep the
thickness consistent. You will need between 15 and 20 usable pieces. The rest of the scrap wood will be used as a base later.
Step 3: Cut the Petals
Take your pair of scissors and the shavings.
Now cut the shape of a petal out of each shaving but instead of a pointy
end cut a flat edge which we will used for gluing later. The grain and curl should run along the width of the petal. Do not try to be too accurate. Imperfections and different size will let it look more natural. You will need about 15-20 petals for one flower.
Step 4: Glue the Flower
Next take one of the smaller wooden petals and roll it. This will be the
centre of your flower. Use a blob of hot glue and stick the first piece to the base. You can cover the base with tape to keep it more simple to separate the flower and the base later.
Repeat this with as much petals as you need to get nice big flower. The
bigger the flower gets the bigger the petal pieces and the more flat the angle should be. In some cases you can secure the petals with an extra beat of hot glue. Adjust the pieces as you go and as I said imperfection makes it even more realistic.
Step 5: Enjoy the Flower
You should finish the flower with spray lacquer to protect it and keep
it stable. Otherwise the petals will curl unevenly when the moisture changes. You could also spray it with a colour to get an even more natural look.
20 Comments
4 years ago on Introduction
My name is Mohamed. I do it with pride and I am very good at this creative art, but I want to work abroad with my country
6 years ago
Do you have plans for any other type of flower(specifically Carnation)? COOL Idea.
7 years ago
What type of wood did u use?
Reply 7 years ago
It was just a scrap piece of spruce from a 2x4.
7 years ago
Ooooh something that doesn't require major investment in tools and materials. Will have some cut offs when ive finished my book case so will have a go. Thank you
7 years ago
Well made and explained true!
7 years ago
Well made and explained! Will have to give this a try when I'm in wood shop or whenever I find my planer (too many times moving)! I wonder how it'd look with some of the exotic woods!
7 years ago
I love this idea! Wish I had a hand-plane so I could try it.
7 years ago
I think this is so cool.
7 years ago
Love it , Looks so real
7 years ago
Great idea! Very easy and simple. Would you paint it to make it look more real?
Reply 7 years ago
You can, but personally I like the wooden look. Read the comment from TimothyJ999 below for some great additional tips!
7 years ago
Lovely project and a great idea! Just a few suggestions, if you want to get more artistic and elaborate.
A small container full of sand or salt, heated to about 350 - 400 degrees on a hot plate, can be used to delicately shade the edges of the petals. Experiment with time, depth, and temperature for different gradients and shading effects.
Also, thin shavings of wood like this can be easily dyed using colored water. Again, experiment with technique: some kinds of porous wood will absorb the water along their length, producing a color gradient. Poplar, basswood, and balsa are good for this.
You can also use highly figured wood (quilted or birdseye maple, quilted mahogany, lacewood, etc.) to get some very beautiful, iridescent textures and effects on the surfaces of the petals. Some of these are very hard to plane though, especially maple--you need a low-angle plane and a razor-sharp blade.
Thanks!
Reply 7 years ago
Thank you for all your great suggestions.
7 years ago
you are an amazing freak of nature! that looks TOTALLY REAL ( :^D
7 years ago
perfectly sharpened and polished plane, tuned to perfection = gossamer shavings.
The wooden flowers are nice and a great idea, but a plane that well taken care of is the true measure of beauty :-)
7 years ago
What a beautiful rose ! I could not tell the difference in the final picture ..... Very well done and looking forward to more great ideas ! ?
7 years ago
vneer??
7 years ago
These flowers look great and they will never wilt.
7 years ago
This is super cool! You should enter one of the contests with it.