It’s that time of year again, the decorations are going up and you are wondering how to make wood Christmas trees. Classic Christmas tree alternatives are timeless decoration that can be passed down to your children and grandchildren.
You can make them to fit perfectly on your mantle as part of your holiday décor, or on your porch outside as part of your lawn decorations. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. These are really fun projects that are great for any skill level.
Pallet Wood Christmas Tree with Stand
The first of our tree ideas is a pallet wood project. These are good for basically any time of year, and Christmas is no exception. If you are wanting to learn how to make wood Christmas trees, this is not a hard thing to learn to build.
But the skill level can vary depending on how detailed you want to make your tree, aka how many of the ‘extras’ you want to make that you see in the video!
This video shows you how to make your pallet wood Christmas tree, but it also shows how to make some simple decorations for it, and how to string garlands and lights, if that was something you were looking to do.
Leaning Pallet Wood Christmas Tree
Okay, so this is an even simpler tree style to use old pallet wood when learning how to make wood Christmas trees. This is a beautiful rustic tree, who’s look is always in style.
Wood pallets make cheap and easy building materials too, making this an ideal project to make without the extra cost that comes with buying premium lumber.
If you have a miter saw, this will be an easy-peasy project, but it’s not hard to measure out a 35 degree angle without one.
If you are new to woodworking, you can learn more about miter saws and other basic projects here.
Spiral Christmas Tree
This spiral tree is simple, yet incredibly impressive. The increasing size in wood as it goes down gives it the signature tree shape.
It doesn’t take much to build, and the materials are really inexpensive. It’s just 2×4’s, and either a thick dowel for the center of the smaller tree, or a piece of electrical conduit for the larger tree. It’s still inexpensive but much stronger.
This is honestly one of my favorites here, it just looks so beautiful, while being so simple to build. It’s a real showstopping centerpiece and can even be used as one of the great tree alternatives. You could even add some string lights!
This video is easy to follow, and if you need more, you can get the tree pattern here for even more details when trying to learn how to build a wood Christmas tree.
Picket Christmas Tree
This is a delightful little wooden tree that you can make using only one fence picket! These plans make it easy to build and it’s absolutely perfect for on the mantle.
What a great Christmas present to give out too, it’s beautiful, simple and you can customize it if you figure out what finish each person likes the most. It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it? Especially for a small, inexpensive build like this.
Related: 13 Woodworking Christmas Gifts for Beginners
Christmas Tree Jig Plans
If you are really looking to make Christmas happen this year and play the role of Santa and his elves, this couldn’t be more perfect.
You can make a one off tree with these plans, if you just want one for your home and to make your wife feel special with this decoration. Or, you can use the jig plans provided to make multiple of these with ease!
Making Christmas gets so much easier with a jig involved, don’t you think?
Scrap Wood Christmas Tree
This slat wood tree makes very good use of scrap wood to create a very fun and festive look that would fit perfectly on any porch this winter.
I would count his as being one of the easier wood Christmas trees to learn how to make as well. It’s visually effective without being complicated. I think this would make a good project to teach your kids with too.
Fun but easy to make with things you likely already have in your workshop.
Wood and Resin Christmas Tree
Yet another great project for if you have a bunch of scraps laying around, since the pieces don’t need to be thick or long for this build to work.
You will have to invest in quality resin if you want to follow this tutorial in it’s entirety though! And some battery powered lights, the type you put on those tiny 1 or 2 foot tinsel trees.
The good news is the lights are pretty easy to find at any big box store this time of year, just look at all their Christmas supplies! And if all else fails, there’s always amazon. (link)
Personally, I think it’s worth it, this tree with lights is stunning. The battery powered lights encased in the resin have such a beautiful look to them.
Can’t you just imagine them on your mantle, or tabletop? What a way to up your Christmas game this year.
Yard Art Christmas Tree from The Grinch
I know you don’t just want to decorate your house though, having a yard that makes the neighbors jealous and would make “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” himself drool is the ultimate desire this holiday season.
This is going to help you get there, and even the most inexperienced woodworker can easily complete this project with these plans. And painting it could be a soothing solo project or a fun family activity for the holiday depending on what you enjoy.
Either way, how can you say no to this tree? There are other designs in their shop too, including the Grinch himself.
And if you want to see even MORE Christmas yard art and tree art you should check out this post here.
There are so many different ways that you can learn how to make wood Christmas trees and these are just a few that I’ve found and thought were worth mentioning.
As I find more, I’ll be sure to add onto this post and keep it updated as the years and ever increasing good plans come along!