The paper birch, also known as the white birch, silver birch, or canoe birch, is native to northern North American climates. It rarely grows naturally in climates where July temperatures exceed 70° F (20° C). However, its beauty is welcome in any household. Using the following tools, materials, and instructions, you can create attractive birch candle holders and napkin rings to brighten your dinner table and impress your friends.

The tools you will need for this project are a drill with a 1 1/2″ Forstner bit (paddle or spade may be used as alternative), a vise, a saw, sandpaper, and a paintbrush. 

The materials you will need are paper birch branches that are at least 2″ thick, poly-acrylic (clear satin or matte finish), tea light candles and raffia fiber if you wish to bind the candle holders together. The paper birch branches will be cut to various lengths. Binding the candle holders together with raffia adds to their stability and is encouraged.

To create the candle holders:
1. Cut the branches to the desired lengths, from 2″ to 8″ long. Remember that the longer the holders are, the less stable they will be on the table. You will use the drill and Forstner bit to remove a plug from one end of each of the branch lengths. The hole will be slightly larger than the tea light candles so that they can be placed inside.
2. To cut the birch branch, first secure it in a vise. Place the drill with the Forstner bit in the center of the end of the branch. Drill about 3/4″ deep. Then remove the branch from the vise and place a tea light candle in the hole. If you would like to, you may bind at least three of the candle holders together with raffia fiber. This will add stability to the candle holders. Do NOT leave lit candles unattended!

To create the napkin rings:
1. Place the birch branch in the vise, as in the above instructions. Drill a hole about 1 1/2″ deep. Then remove the branch from the vise and saw off the hollowed section to create a ring. Repeat the process to make more rings.

2. Smooth the ring on the inside and out with sandpaper. Then apply two coats of poly-acrylic and allow to dry.

To see a video of this process, check out the Cultivating Life with Sean Conway website.

Here is some information on purchasing white birch:

• 1 and 2 white birch lumberrwlgre | Stick Trade – 1 and 2 white birch lumberrwlgre. Posted April 26th, 2010. 1 and 2″ white birch lumber,rwl.green or kd, click Selling in BC Contact StickTrade.com Customer Service To Set Up Your Account Today. Share this: …

Here’s my birdhouse, in the “shop” and on the tree.

I’ve been writing all of these articles and learning a lot about easy woodworking, but until now I had not done a project of my own. However, I recently purchased a large collection of woodworking plans from Woodworking4Home and began work on a birdhouse, a good first project. I then got the necessary materials, set up a makeshift woodshop, built the birdhouse, and got a great deal of satisfaction out of it.

I bought all of the materials I needed at a local hardware store. These included two handsaws, drillbits, a hole saw for the drill, two C clamps, nails, and the wood. I already had a hammer and electric drill. I only bought one handsaw to start with and didn’t buy the C clamps at first, but after beginning the project I found that I needed them. 

Building the birdhouse was the most fun. I followed the plan that I had from Woodworking4Home, which was very detailed and easy to follow. The project is actually intended for someone to create several kits and have a group of kids put the houses together, but I just created one kit for myself and built it. 

At first, I didn’t have any C clamps, so I was just holding the wood plank with one hand while sawing with the other. It didn’t take long for me to see that I would need the clamps or a vise to hold the wood down while I did the vigorous job of sawing. My back soon told me that the typewriter desk is a little low. I’ll have to get a higher table to work on soon. Because I used a handsaw, the edges were a little rough. I sanded them down with sandpaper, but that could only do so much. I’m already wanting a circular saw. 

After cutting the pieces out, I nailed the birdhouse together and painted it. It was great to see it come together and give it some paint to make it look pretty. It is kind of rough hewn, because it’s my first project and I used handsaws, but I’m proud of it and really did enjoy doing it. The act of creating something that will last is very satisfying.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely a start. I’m now practicing what I preach on this website, and I can say that I recommend getting started with easy woodworking projects to anyone who has an interest in the craft.

Many say that there is no loss greater than losing a child. Kris Munsch of Bonner Springs, Kansas, has dealt with that loss by co-writing a book to help others in the process with an easy woodworking project. Kris Munsch, who lost his son in a car accident, has written a book entitled “The Birdhouse Project” which is meant to help others consumed with grief by building a birdhouse, symbolizing new birth out of crisis.

Kris Munsch, a woodworking teacher at Bonner Springs High School in Kansas, lost his son, Blake, in a devastating car accident on December 23, 2005. He tells that painful story in his soon to be released book “The Birdhouse Project,” which he co-wrote with Jeff Fouquet, an English teacher at Bonner Springs High School. The book goes on to address the healing process in the reader.

The birdhouse in the book will consist of six pre-cut pieces, each of which will be given symbolism and an assigned task in the grieving process. The reader will write his or her thoughts and feelings down on the inside parts of the pieces. Then, when they are assembled, the words will be on the inside and something new will be born out of the grief. The idea is for it to represent more than just walls and a roof by getting readers to explore themselves and expose thoughts and feelings that they had not known existed. The book will come with the six pre-cut pieces for the birdhouse.

Munsch reports plans to turn “The Birdhouse Project” into a series. While the first book deals with the adult grieving process, he plans to write others for children, teens, and families, all of which will center on the birdhouse theme. He says that the project has “started to take on a life of its own.”

Kris Munsch has coped with the death of his son by creating an easy woodworking project which symbolizes new birth out of tragedy and plans to take the concept further. “The Birdhouse Project” has helped him and will help others let go and expose themselves in the walls of a birdhouse.