HomeMade Modern DIY Xmas Tree

How to make a modern wooden Christmas tree out of plywood

My friends at The Home Depot asked me to design a holiday tree project out of plywood as part of their DIY workshop program. I wanted to design a tree that could work both outside as a yard ornament or inside as a reusable Xmas Tree. This 3-dimensional plywood structure can be decorated in many different ways and can be disassembled and easily stored for future use.

Keep your eye on The Home Depot Apron Blog for updates and different variations of this project.

Download the Xmas Tree Plan

Click here to download the Wood + Concrete Kitchen plan.

Supplies + Tools

3/4" PureBond Plywood 4' by 8' Sheet
Available at Home Depot
Purebond uses a formaldehyde-free technology to make plywood that’s better for your family and the environment. It promotes healthy indoor air quality due to its proprietary, soy-based adhesive (instead of potentially hazardous urea formaldehyde). Traditional plywood contains a lot of glues and adhesives that can off-gas formaldehyde into your home.

1 1/4" + 2" Screws
Available at Home Depot
I used basic deck screws to connect the plywood pieces, two 2" screws for connecting the cross support pieces and 1 1/4" screws for the rest of the connections.

Square
Available at Home Depot

Ruler
Available at Home Depot

Sandpaper
Available at Home Depot

LED Mini Lights
Available at Home Depot
I used 30 feet of mini LED Christmas lights to light the tree.

RYOBI 18 Volt Cordless Drill
Available at Home Depot

RYOBI 18 Volt Circular Saw (with Plywood Blade)
Available at Home Depot

RYOBI 18 Volt Orbital Jigsaw
Available at Home Depot

Pick Your Plywood

I selected 3/4" Purebond Birch veneer plywood, but any 3/4" thick sheet of plywood will work. There are a lot of different options and this desk could look really cool with any of them. I had one of the nice Home Depot associates cut the top and bottom of the desk for me. This saves time and also makes it much easier to get the plywood home.

Mark the Cuts

Use a pencil to draw the cut lines on the plywood (as shown in the diagram below). I used a right angle square and ruler to make sure my lines where straight and square.

Drill the Corner Holes

I drilled 5/16" diameter holes in the corners. This allows you to easily insert the jigsaw into the panel and connect the holes with simple straight cuts.

Cut the First Profile Pieces

I used a smooth-cutting wood blade on my RYOBI 18 Volt Orbital Jigsaw to make the cuts. Go slow and follow the lines.

Use the First Profile Piece to Trace the Cut Lines

Use the first profile piece as a template for tracing the cut lines. Line up the edges of the pieces and trace the outline with a pencil.

Cut the Rest of the Profile Pieces

I made both 6-sided and 8-sided versions of the tree. Cut additional profile pieces you want using the same original piece as the template for each one.

Cut the Support Pieces

Cut 2" wide strips of plywood with a circular saw to be used as supports.

Notch the Supports

Cut 3/4" wide notches in the support pieces by first drilling a 3/4" diameter hole and then cutting to each side of the hole with a jigsaw. Since the pieces are only 2" wide, I clamped down scrap pieces of plywood on either side to support the guides on the jigsaw.

Sand the Edges

I sanded down the edges of the plywood pieces with 180 grit sand paper.

Assemble the Tree

Use a 2" screw to screw three of the support pieces together. Then use 1 1/4" screws to screw the profile pieces to the support pieces. Thinly cut plywood can split easily, so it's a good idea to pre-drill holes before screwing. I started with a 6-sided tree and then added in an additional 2 profile pieces to make it a fuller-looking, 8-sided tree.

Decorate

There are multiple ways to decorate this 3D plywood tree.

I used LED mini Christmas lights to make this tree glow, paper and push pins to turn the tree skeleton into a modern white paper lantern and wire to add traditional ornaments.

Done!

Good luck making your own Xmas Tree and please email or tweet photos to @benuyeda or ben@homemade-modern.com. For more DIY ideas and projects, visit us at HomeMade Modern.