The care and attention that goes into creating a functional and attractive piece of woodwork relates to the fundamental ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement. Because of the small size of its parts, this candlestick holder can be made entirely with hand tools, true to Mission style’s founding principles.
If you’ve been holding on to off-cuts of quartersawn oak, dig them out for this project. The base of my holder is 10 1/4" long, but you can customize the dimensions to suit the stock you have on hand.
Because I often make little projects such as this in multiples to give as gifts, I try to simplify construction so I can make them quickly. The most difficult element in making this candlestick holder is what appears to be through-mortise-and-tenon detailing. There’s a trick, though. The rail connecting the two uprights sits in shallow mortises, and the chamfered “ends” of the rail are actually separate pieces that also sit in shallow mortises on the opposite sides of the uprights.
Download the illustrated candle holder plans here!
Materials list:Base: One 3/4" x 5" x 10 1/4"
Uprights: Two 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 2 1/4"
Caps: Two 2" x 2" x 3/8"
Rail: One 1/2" x 3/4" x 8"
Candle cups: Two 1"-dia. copper pipe caps
*All measurements H x W x L, length indicating grain direction. All wooden parts quartersawn white oak
Base and uprights
Begin by making the base. It’s nothing more than a flat board—3/4" thick, 5" wide and 10 1/4" long. Once you’ve cut it to size, mill a chamfer on the upper edges. I recommend either a router equipped with a bearing-guided chamfering bit, a tablesaw or a block plane to make this detail.
The uprights that hold the candlesticks are made of 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" stock. Cut each piece 2 1/4" long. If you’re using quartersawn stock, orient the uprights so the quartersawn faces are parallel to the long sides of the base. Make the appearance even better by gluing 1/8"-thick, shop-made veneer cut from quartersawn stock to the flatsawn faces of the uprights before you cut them to final dimensions. This way you’ll have quartersawn figure all the way around your candleholder.
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