Sawdust Smart
Menu

← All topics

#gift

Tips

Freshly cut top of an eastern red cedar stump showing purple-red heartwood in the middle, a wide band of cream sapwood and thin red bark around the edge

Working with Aromatic Cedar

Aromatic red cedar is soft, knotty and full of scent. Pick boards with clear heartwood, keep knots away from holes and ends, use sharp tools, and leave it unfinished where the smell matters.

A small metal block plane resting on the edge of a light hardwood board held in a bench vise, with a few wood shavings in the plane's mouth

Easing and Chamfering Edges by Hand

Soften the sharp edges on small gifts with a block plane and a sanding block: mark two pencil lines, plane the end grain first, then the long grain, and finish with a light sanding.

Close-up of a band saw blade running down through the slot in a metal saw table, with sawdust on the table and the upper blade guide above

Resawing Thin Stock for Small Gifts

Slice a thick board into thin boards at the band saw for ornaments, tags and small boxes: mark a center line, stand the board on edge against a tall fence, feed slowly, then smooth the sawn faces.

The maker's name CHAPUIS stamped in capital letters into a dark reddish wood surface on an old piece of furniture

How to Sign and Date Wood Gifts

Put your name, the year and the wood on every gift you make: where to sign it, pencil or pen before or after finish, a steel stamp for a batch, and testing on scrap first.

Close-up of the rim and cutting spurs of a Forstner drill bit

How to Drill Clean Holes in Small Wood Parts

Hang holes, stem holes and screw-eye pilots on small holiday pieces: start the bit where you marked, stop tear-out on the back, and drill a whole batch in the same spot.

Laser-cut wooden reindeer head with small cut eyes and a fluffy red pompom nose

Laser Engraving Wood Ornaments: Settings to Test First

How to find engraving, scoring and cutting settings for thin wood ornaments and gift tags on a diode or CO2 laser: test on scrap of the same sheet, set up the bed and air assist, and run the jobs in order.

Large CNC router with a dust hose over a plywood sheet on its bed in a workshop

CNC Wood Projects to Make

CNC wood project ideas from our builds, including a cribbage board and phone stand, with links to each idea and related CNC tool guides.

Laser head cutting a snowflake pattern into a light wood sheet

Laser Cut Wood Projects to Make

Laser project ideas from our builds: Christmas village pieces, ornaments, coasters, earrings, leaf napkin rings, and more—with links to each idea.

Small toothbrush with a carved wooden handle made from scrap wood and dark natural bristles

Scrap Wood Projects to Make

Scrap-friendly builds from our ideas—mantel trees, gift tags, ornaments, a bottle opener, and more—plus how to pick scrap that is worth keeping.

Simple wooden birdhouse built from rough boards

Low-Cost Weekend Wood Projects

Weekend builds from our ideas with rough material-cost ranges under about $20 when scrap or common stock is used—links and what drives the cost.

Engraved geometric pattern on a finger-jointed cherry wood box

Laser Engraver Christmas Gift Ideas to Make

Christmas gifts to make on a hobby diode or CO2 laser, from our build ideas: ornaments, a coaster set, a tabletop village and earrings, with the size and wood for each.

Wooden cribbage board with pegs on a dark round table, with a hand of playing cards in the foreground

Thanksgiving Wood Projects to Make

Host gifts and table pieces from our build ideas, with the size and wood from each idea, to make in an evening or a weekend before Thanksgiving.

Small wooden tree and star ornaments on twine loops beside a pine sprig, red berries and a straw star on a wood table

Christmas Gift Projects to Make (and Maybe Sell)

Holiday gift projects from our build ideas, from 15-minute laser ornaments to a weekend keepsake box, with the asking prices we found for similar handmade pieces and the deadlines that matter.