gifts that cost me next to nothing

allen levine

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new york city burbs
Ive found that women between the ages of 15 and 85 love these little gifts.
Its nothing new, but I use all the cut off pieces that most usually dump or use for kindling.
I use any stain I have laying around, and dont usually stain or polyurethane any of them till Im doing something else requiring polyurethane.
(Ive never had anyone complain about them burning or igniting, and Ive made Id guess around 50-60 so far over the past 1.5 years)

Take a scrap of hardwood, figure out a pattern, take out the 1.5 inch forstner bit, and bingo, its done. (now I rout the sides all at once, this way I dont have to set up the router more than once, I cut the holes, and leave them in a box till IM ready to rout, and I stain when Im doing something else, so theres really little time consumption invovled)

Sometimes I get fancy and will put a nice glass voltive in the middle of circular ones, use green and red tealights for christmas, theres little limit.
When I have time, I make step like shapes, pyramid shapes, always using a piece of scrap.

The women I give them too, or my wife gives them too love them.
The fact that it was "handmade" , adds a bit, since its more personal.
Ive never met a woman who doesnt enjoy a candle now and then(Only the young moms dont want candles around, but they like it for show)
Heres a few in different states of completion.
Just sharing(a bag of tealights usually cost around 2 bucks for 50, but if you look for sales, it brings the price of these down to next to nothing, and it takes a minute to make.)

and Im quite sure the women would prefer a nice salad bowl or turned piece of wood, but these take no time and dont cost anything(using the scraps)The one on the right sells for 30 dollars in a candle catalog Ive seen.(second from right, 4 candles, that was from the white oak chairs I redid.)
 

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all the secretaries and bank tellers that I usually give perfume to over the holiday season through business, are all getting one of the 12 candle holders.
Im almost sure they will all love the candle holder better, wont cost me 1/20th what the cologne costs, and the boyfriends and husbands that are allergic to certain colognes will certainly appreciate it more.(red mahogany stain looks great with oak,a favorite woodstain color)
 
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Allen, you've just given me a new product to sell at my craft fairs this fall!!! Thank you for posting this. I printed the picture, and I intend to make some of these for the fall season.

Nancy
 
Hope you sell out everything!
Have a great show.(dont forget to get the red and green tealights for the fall season. They were a big hit for me as gifts. NWL up here in the NE had a box of 25 for 1.99, white are 50 for 1.99, but usually can get those cheaper)

*I do buy one thing for them,now, usually at a 99cent store. The little self sticking felt buttons. I learned from experience people dont want their expensive coffee tables scratched.
 
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this plywood sheathing was getting cut up, it started to warp, and the 4x4s are just junk laying around behind the house.
Eventually, it all has to be cut into 3 foot lengths to dispose of.
I wash the PT with soap and water, dry it, cut some of the ply down. A little of the same stains, maybe 45 minutes to build. Got me some beautiful planter boxes.(and all the material used expcept the glue,brads and stain, were going into the trash.
 

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Hi Allen :wave:,
Several nice projects you have pictured here. I am always on the look out for the nice and quick, easy projects. They can be quite relaxing to work on. The candle holders looks inviting as does the planter box.
Thanks,
Shaz :)
Any more tricks up your sleeve?:D
 
I have a basment full of wooden shelves, Id guess built around 1930s,.
I think its some form of pine, its yellowed out, to a tan, not many knots.
Its all getting tossed. Im thinking of cutting it all down, taking out the nails, which are al mostly in the corners, and making some kids things out of it, cradle for dollies, small chair and desk to color on., maybe a toy box.
If I get ambitious in a few weeks, Ill post the a pic of the wood, just to make sure its cheap pine before I cut it up.
 
my fears have come true.
Someone we know saw the big candle holder, but only a 3/4 inch one, wanted to know if Id make and sell her 4 of them.
Ok, I did, Ill admit it, even though Im not one for getting involved in sales.
she called this morning, she wants 5 more. I only had wood for 3.
She said, oh, no problem, I dont need them till end of next week.
This is why I dont want to be in the business of woodcrafts for sale.

I dont own my own drillpress, and I actually had to make a moron jig today so I can knock them off in 10 minutes each.

(not that its a huge deal, but my headcold is kiling me, I have a load of company coming shortly, and I had 5 other things in the shop to clean up this morning and all I really should have done was stay in bed.)
 

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now that I can make a finger joint, Im using all the less than 12 inch cutoffs and going to start making boxes with covers.
I made my first one today, dont even know what species wood I made the cover with, I found it laying it a bin, cut it straight, and made the cover.
Im even going to slice off a thin piece of scrap, and engrave a name on the inside ofcourse, with the dremel, should be interesting.
 
even though I havent really used my drill press for anything important yet, the table makes a nice area to hold all my running scraps.
Im not really cheap, nor broke, but I enjoy a challenge.
Instead of throwing it all out, I figure something out eventually.
This pile, I will make one hanging plant holder, one napkin/plastic utensil holder, and a wine rack.
The wine rack will have mostly some type of lap joints, so it will take a bit of time. No time now.
The square plant holder took me all of 4 minutes to put together.
If you have time, cut the top and bottom round, and if your strips of scrap of wider than 1.5 inch, (mine were only 3/4 inch) Id suggest cutting the side supports on a bit of a cure outwards, with round top and bottom, its a great gift, or a great item to sell at craft fair.(Not a huge money maker, but if you have a 6-8 inch round top and bottom with curved sides, it will fetch 20 bucks)Just offering some suggestions. My work in this pic is less than 5 minutes and crude, but Im going to keep this for myself.I will round out the edges eventually.
my vase is the bottom of spring water bottle, just used for show. (like I said, just tossing simple ideas out there)
 

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I hate them things

Just kidding. I'm always going about the house blowing out candles. Our neighbors nearly burned their house down last year. This was their family homestead. Been in the family for generations, and big. Probably has 4-5000 sq.ft. Yep, the lady of the house went off to church and left a candle burning.

I think if I was selling them I would include a note about safety. And maybe a disclaimer......
 
Candles scare the daylights out of me. I have a bag of those tea light candles, thought about what you described for our outside parties, but noway nohow are they coming in the house. Have kerosene lamps for electric outages, just feel safer with them.
 
Its a top notch gift in my book. Candles will always be very popular.
Its a huge business today. Id guess 20% of the retail stores in america carry candles one time or another.

outdoor parties, when, what time, Ill be there. I dont have outdoor bbqs or parties at night without buring several tiki torches with citronella in them.(not that I think it works, but they look good)
 
had alot of free time, made use of all those oak throwaway scraps.
Not much I can do with 3/4 inch x3/4 inch, so I put together a small wine rack.
I wont be putting the wine rack makers out of business, but Id rather put it together and play with dado blades then make it landfill.

I noticed I put the rack together backwards, meant to have the dadoed sides turned inside. Too late now. Some stain and poly, just tossing the ideas out there.

(thats tightbond III woodworkers wine, I believe the year was 2008)
 

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