Pay it forward for Christmas

I have always tried to follow the pay it forward philosophy…
Good for you… and good for them…

-- Drink twice... and don't bother to cut... @ larrysworkshop.wordpress.com For lovers of all things timber...

I have also always tried to follow the pay it forward philosophy. Nothing makes me feel better than helping out a stranger (except for realizing that God gave me the opportunity to do so). But, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS remember that Dollar Tree is evil! Over 90% of their product is made over seas. They pay their employees minimum wage and their managers between $10 – $11 an hour to make sure that they cannot afford quality, American made products…. Which keeps the vicious circle going and going. Think of your family, friends and neighbors the next time you want to pick up one or two things from Dollar Tree.

-- Cheers and God Bless

I’ve been making and giving candle holders from my scrap wood for a while now. This Christmas I've made a bunch of them and I didn't think about making a project for them on Lumberjocks untill I saw this forum topic. Making tea candle holders like this would be a great project to use to teach kids how to make a simple woodworking project. My next door neighbor has a 10 year old son and I’m going to let him make a few candle holders to give as gifts. The wood I made the latest batch from was from an elm burl log I sawed over two years ago. The narrow boards with a live edge were so beautiful I didn’t know what I was going to use them for, but I never throw out wood that has this kind of potential. All I did was to cut the best burl parts out of the strip, sand them and drill 1 1/2” holes to use as tea light candle holders and rub in some tung oil. After the oil hardens, I wax them with paste floor wax. It doesn’t take long to make these candle holders and they make beautiful decorations. I’ve got one on top of my entertainment center with holly branches around it for color contrast.

-- Hal, Tennessee http://www.first285.com

This is a great concept, I have done this for a long time. I enjoy giving Christmas tree ornaments to friends and family. Everyone seems to enjoy getting these and it makes me feel good to see their expression when I hand it to them.

Thanks for your post… Have a Very Merry Christmas

-- Chuck Emery, Michigan,

Well done to all, I have always enjoyed giving the products of my woodworking but candle holders are a great way to give a gift relevant to Christmas. A bit late for this year but I will include some in my project list for next year.

Thx for the great idea.

Doug

-- Living is a constant gamble, life is about working the odds in your favour

I got one done for some unsuspecting person. It is made from Alaskan Black Cottonwood and finished with clear gloss spray. The first time I bored a hole in it , It came through the side and I was going to scrap it, but I don’t have much of this wood so I cut it off. In trying to keep the rustic look, I got out the brass wire wheel and went all around it and it changed the look nicely.
Here is it and an extra piece to go with it.

And this is the Wire wheel that I originally used to clean the dirt out of this driftwood:

-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!!