I made this wreath jig a few months ago, based on an article in Sunset magazine from years ago, and then thought I’d wait until fall to write it up. But since I like making wreaths in all seasons, maybe it doesn’t matter what season it is? I mean, I used it to make this Cherry Blossom Wreath as a spring/Easter decoration for our front porch, and I used it to make this hanging birdbath for our backyard
The wreath jig is surprisingly quick to make, especially if your hardware store will cut the base to size for you. The only thing that takes any real time is waiting for the glue to dry!
Supplies
- 3/4 inch plywood, cut to a 12 inch by 12-inch square
- 1/2 inch wood dowels, cut to 4-inch lengths
- compass
- ruler or tape measure
- drill with a 1/2 inch drill bit
- wood glue
- rubber mallet
- clamps
- Sand your wood pieces
Lightly and your plywood square and your dowels, focusing especially on the edges, so they don’t break off or give you splinters.
- Draw a circle on your plywood square
Find the center of your square, and using a compass, draw a circle evenly centered on your square.
- Mark 12 equally spaced spots on your circle
Unless you remember your high school geometry class a lot better than I do, it’s helpful to watch a youtube video of how to equally divide a circle with just a compass.
- Drill holes for dowels
Drill holes a 1/4 inch deep at each mark on your circle with your 1/2 inch drill bit. I like to mark off the depth I’m drilling with a piece of tape.
- Glue the dowels into the holes
Put a few drops of wood glue into each hole, then place a dowel into each hole, and pound in each dowel with a rubber mallet until secure. Let dry for several hours or even better, overnight.
That’s all it takes. I would love to see the wreaths that you make with your wreath jig
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Nice jig! We usually weave a circle with willow, is that possible with with this jig or do you use twine to bind the ring? Here’s a video of the wreaths we make on top of the willow chassis: https://youtu.be/hKhxfSOEWmM