Sometimes you need to stray from a usual design and come up with something new, but useful. In this case I created a unique looking pillar candle holder for my daughter. Although it looks like three separate pieces they are all fully attached and a single item.

As with many of the items I throw together, this also started with scrap pieces of wood, some wood glue, clamps, and of course time. In this case all three pillars of the candle holder was created from the same stock.

Then it was time to cute the stock down to size, bore the holes for the tea lights, and the groves for the joiner biscuits that will hold them all together. It was also a good time to make sure that the candles fit into the pillar holders correctly.

It was also a good time to test fit the pillars and the biscuits to make sure that everything fits together perfectly before moving on to the final sanding gluing of the design. Also to make sure that the base is perfectly flat.

Then it was time to glue it all together. Of course that means more glue, more clamps, and more time. And of course some creative planning and placement of the clamps to hold it in place while it dries without falling over.

Then it was time to stain the whole thing. And since I knew the final audience of the item, I wanted to make sure it looked unique and striking when it was done. The deep red of the cherry stain really makes them stand out and contrast with the candles themselves.

Then it was time to apply the finish on the candle holder. Four or five coats of polyurethane with a semi-gloss shine worked out very well. Not too bad for several pieces of scrap wood.