Pendant From Scrap Wood

Sitting in our garage is a large bucket, filled to the top and overflowing with scrap wood, such as red wood planks, old half varnished plywood, and dirt covered garden stakes. As I was retrieving a pencil I had left on the work bench earlier, I had to weave my way around several pieces of wood lying on the floor. This set my mind thinking on what I could do with the scrap wood. When I walked inside, I saw my dad's old scout things laying on the table. Among these, were polished wood pendants on chains. Almost immediately I rushed back and grabbed a piece of scrap wood, ready to set my tools to work.

1. Scrap wood. Mine was redwood.

Tools

1. Pocket knife

Not Pictured

1. Scroll saw. A band saw or other type would work here as well.

2. Sand paper. You will want at least two different grits, one fine and one rough.

3. Drill with a smallish drill bit. The exact size depends on the size of the pendant.

BE CAREFUL!

Knives are sharp. Even dull knives can cut you, and cuts from dull knives are more painful. If you are cut by a dirty knife, it can get infected. So don't get cut.

Scroll saws are also very dangerous. If you think about the concept of a scroll saw, you would want to be careful, or you might cut your brain. When I explain to my friends that a scroll saw is a serrated saw blade, moving up and down at incredible speeds, flinging sawdust at your face, they just look at me, and say, "You have one of those?" Once again, be careful when you are using high powered saws. They can cut of your fingers very fast, and wear safety glasses to avoid getting blinded by sawdust. If you are not holding down the wood, the blade can make the wood jerk upwards, as well.

So be safe.

To start, saw a piece roughly the thickness you want your pendant. Draw on the wood the shape it will be with a pencil. It can by any shape, but don't make it too small if you plan on drilling a hole in it.

Cut the shape out of the scrap wood using the scroll saw. By this time, my first design had gotten too small to use, and I had to redesign a new piece. Trial and error is your friend in this project. Whittle you piece down, making it thinner if needed and filleting the edges. This will help later with the sanding.

This step is tedious. I've never liked, sanding, and this isn't the worst it gets, but it still takes an amount of patience. Round the edges, and bring it to the desired shape you want. Unless you are planning on putting a clasp on it, drill a hole in part of the pendant for the chain. After drilling the hole, which could be any size you wish, sand inside the hole as best as possible, and around the openings. You could drill the hole before you sand it the first time, but I prefer it in this order, as it is easier to draw a mark for the hole (unless you are doing it free hand,) and it also lets me know how the hole is going to turn out.

Once your pendant is all sanded and you have a hole for the chain, you could choose to be done. However, if you don't mind the extra work to make it really nice, you can varnish it to give it a clear and polished look. If you do this, make sure to give it more than one coat. In addition to this, you can also stain it if you wish, and then varnish it.

Thanks for reading my instructable! I hope you enjoyed it. Please vote for me in the Guerrilla challenge! Thanks again!