This project was built and designed by Andy from Third Stall Woodworking
This compact two-piece wooden tree is designed to be fast, inexpensive, and ideal for making multiple at once for gifts or craft sales.
Watch the full video and subscribe to Andy’s channel:
Design
The project uses a simple two-piece design: a triangular tree profile with a circular plug that becomes the base, plus a semicircular opening to hang a small ornament.
This minimal approach creates a clean blank canvas that takes either paint or stain well and lends itself to personalization without complex joinery.
Lumber Prep and Layout
Andy emphasizes maximizing yield from a single eight-foot pine board by careful layout and transferring reference marks to multiple blanks with a punch, avoiding repetitive measuring.
Using a single hole diameter for both the ornament slot and the base plug keeps the parts consistent and simplifies downstream operations like drilling and finishing.
Efficient Cutting and Jigs
Rather than cutting each triangle individually at the crosscut sled, a simple table saw jig made from scrap becomes a repeatable reference that speeds batch cutting and keeps parts identical.
The workflow pairs a budget hole saw for the circular cuts with a braced reference piece for the triangular cuts, showing how small jigs can dramatically reduce time and error when producing multiples.
Detailing and Shaping
Adding a chamfer around the edges with a router gives the trees a subtle profile and softens sharp corners, improving both looks and handling.
Safety-minded tricks such as mounting the base plug on a scrap screw to spin it at the router, and a simple drill jig for centered base holes, illustrate practical shop solutions that keep work consistent and safer.
Finishing and Options
To prevent blotchy coverage on soft pine, Andy primes before applying green spray paint, and also demonstrates stain options by pre-staining and applying oil-based stains for a more natural look.
A final wipe-on polyurethane builds light protection and sheen, while small ornament photo frames fitted into the semicircle add personalization and gift appeal.
Overall Takeaways
This project is built around repeatability and simplicity, making it a solid choice for makers who want to produce multiple, saleable items quickly and with minimal material waste.
The approach—thoughtful layout, simple jigs, light detailing, and flexible finishing—can be adapted to other seasonal decor or small tabletop projects where batch production matters.
These trees are a great example of turning basic shop routines into a fun weekend project that scales well for gifts or local markets.
Get Andy’s plans here: https://www.thirdstallwoodworking.com/shop/p/tree.
Matt’s Take
These are my personal thoughts and tips based on my own experience in the shop. This section is not written, reviewed, or endorsed by the original creator of this project.
This is a perfect example of how smart planning can turn a simple project into something really efficient. Andy’s approach of using one hole saw diameter for both the ornament opening and the base plug is brilliant — it eliminates guesswork and keeps everything proportional. When you’re making multiples of anything, those kinds of consistent reference points become gold.
The table saw jig for the triangular cuts caught my attention too. It’s amazing how a few minutes making a simple jig can save hours of setup time when you’re producing a batch. I always tell folks that if you’re making more than three of something, it’s usually worth the time to build a quick jig or template. Your cuts stay consistent, and you can focus on the work instead of constantly measuring and marking.
Pine can definitely be tricky with stain, so that primer step before painting makes total sense. Softwoods love to drink up finish unevenly, and you’ll get blotchy results if you skip the prep work. The scrap screw trick for holding the base plug while routing is a neat safety touch — keeps your fingers away from the bit while giving you good control.
Projects like this really show the value of thinking through your workflow before you start cutting. The whole process flows logically from layout to finishing, and that’s what makes it so repeatable. Great choice for anyone wanting to dive into small production work.