Scott Cam transformed an old piece of timber into a rustic tea light holder, for less than $20!
How it was done
Scott used a circular saw to cut an old railway sleeper into two 500mm lengths, then trimmed the ends of one piece. One side looked better than the other, so he used it as the ‘presentation’ side, into which he drilled the holes. Measuring up the positions for the holes is the most important part of this project. Plan it out on a piece of paper first, making sure that everything looks symmetrical. The tea lights should be an even distance from both edges of the timber, as well as from each other. The railway sleeper was 220mm wide, so Scott positioned the lights 73mm from each edge. He used eight lights (two rows of four), but the shape and size of your timber will influence your design.
Japanese-style
Tara made a Japanese-style tea light holder from a scrap of radiata pine ($2.25 from a timber yard). Using a spade bit, she drilled nine holes (three rows of three). She smoothed the timber down with sandpaper and applied two coats of Feast Watson Black Japan stain for a lustrous finish.
Shot glass holderÂ
You can use the method described above to create a great looking shot glass holder for your bar. Just buy a set of identical shot glasses and a spade bit that fits them perfectly, and the rest is easy!
Further information
Tea lights can be purchased in packs of 50 from major retailers for around $5. Railway sleepers cost around $10 from timber yards (but any decent-sized lump of wood will do). We used a 1.5 inch (38mm) spade bit, available from hardware stores for around $14. Feast Watson Black Japan stain is about $24 per litre from hardware stores.