I absolutely love candles. I love the way they can light up a room and change the atmosphere. Today I am going to show you how to make a candle holder set.

Step 1: Step One: Finding the Perfect Platform

You want to choose a large platform piece. In order to do this you need to find a large log and cut it so that it is about two inches thick. After you have your piece you need to sand it until it is smooth. In order to get the platform piece smooth you need to use a circular hand sander with a NORTON P80 grain sand paper. After the P80 sand paper you need to switch to a P100 grain, which is a smaller grained sand paper. Once you finish sanding with that you finally use the P220 NORTON sand paper. After sanding the platform in this order your platform should be very smooth and ready for the next step.

Step 2: Step Two: Candle Holder

In order to create your own unique wooden candle holder set you need to gather varying round tree branches or small tree trunks. Birch trees work the best because the are aesthetically pleasing and the bark is smoother and easy to work with. Once you have your logs you need to cut your pieces to the sizes you prefer. I have varying sizes for my holders. I have five half inch thick pieces. Two of which are platform risers for the holders to sit on. The other three are going to be candle holders. I also have a two three inch candle holders that will sit on the risers, and one five inch candle holder that will sit flush on the platform. After these pieces are cut you are ready for step three.

Step 3: Step Three: Drill the Holders

After all your pieces are cut you need to drill out the holes where your candles will sit. Since I am using tea candles my holes will be drilled in the center of the holder with a 1.5 inch diameter and a .5 inch depth using a Forstner Drill bit. After The holes are drilled out you are ready for step four.

Step 4: Step Four: Staining

After your holes have been drilled out you may choose the type of stain you want your wood to be. I choose two different stains. I choose a Red Mahogany stain for the candle holders and a Gunstock 231 Stain for the platform and platform risers. When staining you want to make sure there is no dust on the wood. After you finish staining the wood you let it dry for 24 hours and prepare yourself for step five.

Step 5: Step Five: Assembly

last but not least step five! Polyurethane your candle set. Put at least three coats of polyurethane on the set and let it dry for about forty minute intervals. Then glue down your candles with wood glue and let it dry over night. After all these steps are completed you have successfully completed your candle holder.