Wood Valentine Heart Pendant

I wanted to make something special for my valentine this year, so i made a necklace.

You will need:

-Some type of woodcutting saw. I used a bandsaw, but a bow saw or even a hand saw would work.

-Sandpaper. 100-1500 grit, or just whatever you have.

-Finish. Mineral oil or wax or anything would work.

-Any type of string or cord.

I chose walnut to make the heart because its my favorite wood, and my valentine likes darker woods also.

I drew the heart shape I wanted on the face of a piece of scrap walnut. I then turned the piece on its side and made a cut on the bandsaw half way into the piece of wood. I did this because the wood was too thick for a single pendant, and i wanted two identical hearts.

I then proceeded to cut out the shape of the heart on the bandsaw. When I got done i was left with two identical heart shapes ready to be sanded.

The bevel on the hearts i just roughly made with an orbital sander just to start rounding the sides. i did this to both hearts.

I just used a piece of 100 grit sand paper to get the final curve i wanted. i couldn't get into the notch of the heart with the sandpaper so i used a triangular file to take down the material to where i wanted it. I think this step is pretty important because the other grits of sandpaper don't take away much material, so make sure its the shape you want so you don't have to go back to the low grits.

The walnut was much softer then i thought so I didn't have to spend a lot of time sanding. I just flew through the grits quickly and it still ended up being very shiny though it was a soft wood.

I had not expected to use a jump ring when i first thought of making this because I was just going to put the cord through the hole I drilled in the heart.

I just used a bit the same size as my tie wire and drilled right through the middle of one of the sides. I bent a piece of tie wire so it would fit into one side of the hole, bend around to the back of the heart, and then insert into the other side of the heart. after I made this I stretched it out and then used pliers to lock it into the heart on both sides.

You could oil it now, or you could use a finish before you inserted the jump ring.

I just used some candle wax and melted it onto the heart. I had previously heated the heart a little with my heat gun so the wax would penetrate into the heart. buff it with a soft cloth and your almost done.

I couldn't find any black necklace cord like you see on commercial necklaces, so i used some leather cord. Just push it through the jump ring and put a bead over both ends then choke the bead down to the pendant.

I wanted to make this necklace adjustable rather then use a clasp. I can't show or explain well how to tie the knot, but its the same as those cheap friendship bracelets you can get at carnivals and wherever. I found a good 'ible that shows how to tie the knot so you can go here, Simple Sliding Knot Bracelet, to learn how to make the knot.

I gave this to my valentine on valentines day and she loves it.

The last step is too admire your handiwork.

Please vote for this if it makes it into any contests.

I love comments, thoughts or ideas, so please feel free to tell me what you think.