DIY Scrap Wood Christmas Trees

Are you ready for the simplest, no-real-skills-needed DIY wood Christmas trees you’ve ever seen in your life?! Today, I’m throwing it waaaaay back and sharing all of the details on these cute little scrap wood Christmas trees that I created way back in December of 2017. If we’re being honest, these might be the only piece of decor I still have from 2017. My tastes have changed a lot since then, but these still fit right in.

Seven years later they still make me go all heart-eyed when I pull them out!

There are dozens of different ways you can create your own wood Christmas trees. In fact, these aren’t the only ones I’ve made – I’ve also made these wood plank Christmas trees and this adorable kid-friendly tree.

But, spoiler alert, these are the only ones I still have. These would make a great gift, or just the perfect addition to your regular holiday decor.

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

This might be the simplest tutorial for wooden trees you’ll ever find. It requires no nails, no screws, no wood glue, and no fancy craft supplies. It’s just you, some wood, and a jigsaw. It’s that easy!

Easy DIY Wooden Christmas Trees

Trace the Christmas Tree Shapes

Start off by grabbing your board and tracing the shapes for your trees. I did a variety of shapes for mine, and I promise it’s less scary than it looks.

First, let’s start with how I drew the shape for the more traditional-looking trees. You’ll need a straight edge of some sort – I believe I used a lid to a tupperware box. A level works great, too! You just need something that will help make sure you draw a straight line. I used my straight edge to trace the general shape I wanted (basically, a triangle). Then, I drew horizontal lines where I wanted each tier of the tree to be. The final step was to use my straight edge to create some angles connecting the horizontal lines.

Clear as mud? Here, this picture might help:

This doesn’t need to be too precious or perfect – a little bit of imperfections in the shape of the tree just adds whimsy and character, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t worry too much about finding the perfect degree angle or anything. Eyeballing it is fine!

For the other trees, I just drew a large triangle – sometimes I added a stem on, sometimes I didn’t. There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to the sizes and shapes that I drew – I just kept working until I had what I felt was a good variety and a good number of trees. When all was said and done, I used about two 6-foot boards to cut all of these out.

Cut Out the Trees

After you’ve traced the shapes you want, it’s time to cut them out! I used a jigsaw for mine, but the simpler shapes could also be cut out with a circular saw.

If you haven’t ever used a jigsaw before, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with this full guide to how to use a jigsaw. You’ll just use the blade to follow the Sharpie or pencil mark and try to hold it as steady as possible.

Sanding + Staining

You’re almost done. Seriously, this is the simplest project.

The first step of finishing is going to be sanding. There will definitely be some rough edges after you finish cutting. So, start with a low grit sandpaper (like 60 or 100) and slowly work your way up to at least 220 grit. You’ll notice that with each grit you go up, the wood will get smoother and smoother!

After sanding, it’s time to stain or paint. Of course, you can also leave them natural wood and it would look beautiful! I stained mine in a variety of neutrals.

The stain colors I used are:

• Briarsmoke
• Antique White
• Dark Walnut

And that’s it! Let your mini wooden Christmas trees dry and you’re ready to do display them for the whole holiday season. This is such an easy project that has brought me so much joy for nearly a decade now. It’s rare for seasonal decor projects and purchases to survive that long as styles shift, but this one definitely stands the test of time!

Of course, it feels wrong to share this throwback post without also showing off how they looked on our mantel way back in 2017.

Man, I miss that fireplace.

If you’re looking for a really easy project to tackle this year, I promise this is a great one to start with. I’ve been willing to pack these up and move with them twice now, and I’m still happy to pull them out every year.

Sometimes the simplest projects really are the best, aren’t they?!