Woodturning Candle Holders

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Woodturning candle holders come in three main forms: a tall candlestick for taper candles, turned as a spindle between centers; a short tealight or votive holder, turned in a chuck and bored for a cup; and a low pillar stand, turned like a small platter. Each takes an afternoon or less on a midi lathe. The one rule that matters most: the flame should never touch the wood, so fit a non-combustible cup or insert.

This guide covers all three, with blank sizes, drilling and the fire safety points from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The lathe safety advice follows the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) Safety Guidebook for Woodturners.

Fire safety first

Wood burns. A candle holder is the one turned project where a design choice can create a fire risk, so build safety in:

• Use a non-combustible insert. A metal or glass candle cup, or a tealight in its own metal or glass cup, keeps the flame and hot wax off the wood.
• Keep wood well below and away from the flame. Do not design rims or decorations that rise beside the wick.
• Make it stable. The NFPA advises using candle holders that are sturdy and won't tip over easily, set on a sturdy, uncluttered surface. Give candlesticks a wide, heavy base.
• Follow the NFPA's distance and attention rules. Keep candles at least 1 foot (30 cm) from anything that can burn, and blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
• Let finishes cure fully before use, following the finish maker's instructions.

What you need

Project 1: classic candlestick (wood turned candlesticks)

1. Buy the candle cup first and measure its outside diameter and depth.
2. Prepare the blank. A 2 x 2 x 10-inch square of walnut, cherry or maple. Mark the centers.
3. Mount between centers, set the tool rest close, rotate by hand and start at a moderate speed. The AAW suggests about 2,000 RPM for 2-inch stock; start lower while it is square.
4. Rough round with a spindle roughing gouge.
5. Lay out the design. Mark the cup socket at the tailstock end, the base tenon or foot at the headstock end, and the beads, coves and shafts between. A classic layout is a cup, a collar bead, a long tapered or baluster shaft and a wide foot.
6. Shape the details with a spindle gouge and skew. Work from the ends toward the middle so the thinnest section is cut last, when the work still has support.
7. Sand with the tool rest removed.
8. Drill the socket. Turn a short tenon at the base end before shaping, so you can now hold the blank in a four-jaw chuck by that tenon, and drill the cup hole from the tailstock with a Forstner bit at a slow speed. (Alternatively, drill the socket first, before shaping, while the blank is still square and stiff.) The AAW's tip: seat the drill chuck taper fully, run the quill out only as far as needed and lock the tailstock.
9. Turn the base. For a wider, more stable foot, turn a separate disk 4 to 6 inches across with a socket for the stem's tenon, and glue them together.
10. Finish and fit the candle cup.

Project 2: tealight or votive holder

1. Measure your tealight cup. Size the hole so the cup sits fully inside with a small clearance.
2. Blank: a 3 x 3 x 3-inch block or a 4-inch disk 2 inches thick.
3. Mount on a screw chuck or faceplate, or between centers to turn a tenon, then reverse into a four-jaw chuck.
4. Shape the outside: a sphere, cylinder, bowl shape or faceted form.
5. Drill the cup recess from the tailstock with a Forstner bit, or bore it with the chuck holding the blank and the bit in the tailstock.
6. True the top around the recess.
7. Sand, finish and part off, or reverse to finish the bottom. Add a cork or felt pad underneath.

Groups of three tealight holders of different heights make a good gift set and a quick lesson in repeating a shape. For more items to make for craft fairs, read our guide to turned projects that sell.

Project 3: pillar candle stand

1. Blank: a disk 5 to 8 inches across and 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick.
2. Mount on a faceplate with #10 or #12 sheet metal screws, as the AAW recommends, or on a chuck.
3. Shape the underside and foot first, then reverse.
4. Turn the top flat with a raised rim or a shallow recess for a metal or glass drip plate.
5. Size the plate first. The pillar should sit on the non-combustible plate, not directly on the wood.
6. Finish with a durable coating.

Design tips

• Proportion: many classic candlesticks put the widest point at the foot and a smaller collar under the cup. Sketch full size on paper first.
• Base width: wider and heavier is more stable. The NFPA's advice on holders that won't tip should drive this decision.
• Matching pairs: turn the first, then use calipers and a story stick (a strip of wood marked with every transition) for the second. Our wood lathe duplicator guide covers tools that help.
• Contrast: a dark base with a light stem, or a brass cup in walnut, looks sharp.

Choosing wood for candle holders

Dense, stable, dry hardwoods give crisp details and stay straight: walnut, cherry, hard maple and many exotics work well. Straight-grained stock is easiest for long candlesticks, because it is less likely to flex or whip as you thin the shaft. For tealight blocks and pillar stands, figured wood, burl offcuts or spalted pieces show off well, as long as they are sound. The AAW warns against turning stock with cracks, splits or bark inclusions, and notes that spalted woods can cause skin reactions, so collect dust and wash up afterward.

Avoid soft or punky wood, and check that the blank is dry so the socket does not shrink around the insert.

Finishing candle holders

Candle holders get handled, moved and dripped on, so choose a durable finish rather than wax alone. A wipe-on oil-varnish blend or a brushed varnish builds a hard surface that wipes clean. Apply finish with a paper towel, never a cloth that can wrap around the work, and let it cure fully before the holder goes near a flame.

Common mistakes

• No insert. Never let a candle sit directly in wood.
• Narrow, tippy bases. Make the foot wider than you think.
• Drilling off center. Drill on the lathe from the tailstock.
• Holes sized before buying the cup. Measure the actual insert.
• Cutting the thinnest section first on a long candlestick, which then whips.
• Sanding with the rest in place.
• Using a holder before the finish has cured.

FAQ

More projects

Candle holders pair well with our woodturning Christmas ornaments for holiday gifts. For more starter builds see wood lathe projects for beginners, and for blanks, our wood blanks for turning picks. Spindle tools are covered in best lathe chisels.