I think every woodworker has a pile of leftover scrap wood from other projects. Typically, I don’t throw away small wood pieces and try to use them on small wood projects. So using some of the leftover wood from my scrap pile, I’ve made these DIY Wooden Candle Holders for our dining table. If you love candles, this might be a perfect project for you to try.

See a short video below of how I made these candle holders.

I really like the whitewash effect from my previous projects that I’ve made, for example, Shoe Rack Bench and Mirror Frame. I used the same stain and white paint to create a similar appearance for these candle holders. Since I had a bunch of 4×4 pieces, I made 21 wooden blocks with different heights. I trimmed the 4×4 blocks to 2 ½” x 2 ½” because I wanted them to be smaller, but I’ve seen people use 4×4 blocks with just a hole on top for the candle.

These wood candle holders could be put together as a dining table centerpiece or separately on the shelves throughout the house. There are so many different ways to use these and for any season of the year. You could use Tealight Candles with real flames or Flameless LED Tea Light Candles on a battery that flicker like a flame.

You also might be interested in small projects that I’ve made from scrap wood: Mancala Boards, Peg Game, and Table Centerpiece.

Wood Candle Holders PDF

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This PDF download includes Cut Diagrams, a List of Supplies, and 3D illustrations with detailed steps to build the project. Measurements are in imperial and not metric. Does NOT include SketchUp/CAD files.

Wood Candle Holders

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Wood Candle Holders PDF quantity

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Note: Lumber dimensions are listed as nominal size.  See lumber sizes for actual dimensions vs nominal.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page as well as links in “tools for this project” and “material list” sections are affiliate links.

Dimensions

Cut List

Step 1 – Trim 4×4 Board to 2 1/2″x2 1/2″

Since we are using 4×4 boards for this project, I wanted to make the overall size of these candle holders smaller than 3 1/2″x3 1/2″. I figured that 4×4 was too large for these types of candles. So I reduce the actual size to 2 ½” x 2 ½”.

Take a 4×4 board, and rip 1/2 an inch on all four sides using a table saw. You could just trim 1″ from two sides to get the job done quicker, but then you’ll have one rounded corner and three sharp corners, so trimming on all four side work the best.

In the picture, I’m using smaller scrap pieces from a previous project, but if you have longer pieces that would get the job done faster.

Step 2 – Cut Candle Block Pieces

Once the 4x4s are trimmed to overall 2 ½” x 2 ½” pieces, using a miter saw, cut these pieces into small blocks ranging from 2” to 6” in length.

I didn’t provide lengths for these blocks, because these are totally random and you could cut any length that you’d like. You would need 21 of these blocks.

Step 3 – Drill 1 1/2″ Holes for Candles

Now that you have 21 blocks, use a ruler or a square and draw a line from one corner to the next. Then draw another line from the other two corners creating an X on the top of the block. The center of the X is the exact middle where you need to drill the hole for the candle.

Clamp the block to your workbench and drill a ½” deep hole in the center of the X using a 1 ½” full thread tip drill bit. Repeat the process to drill holes on all 21 blocks.

Step 4 – Sand the Wood Candle Blocks

Now using a random orbital sander, sand the candle blocks on all sides to remove any rough edges.

Step 5 – Stain and Paint Candle Holders

For this step, you could stain or paint the blocks any color you want. I used Briarsmoke stain and white paint.

First, apply a coat of pre-stain. This will prevent the stain from being blotchy. Then with a brush apply Briarsmoke stain and wipe it off with a shop paper towel.

Now take a dry brush and dip the tip of the brush into white paint. Dip the brush into the paper towel to make sure there is barely any white paint on the brush. Then lightly brush white paint over the stain to make a whitewash effect. Depending on your preference, you could make these candle holders lighter by brushing more white paint on them, or darker by applying only a few strokes of white.

Let the stain and paint completely dry before using the candle holders.

You could arrange these wood candle blocks any way you’d like. You’re done with the DIY Wood Candle Holder!

Be careful using these wooden candle blocks as they may catch on fire. I would recommend using Flameless LED Tea Light Candles, especially around kids.