DIY Wood Lantern – 2 Hour Project

Learn how to make a Wood Lantern. This wood lantern makes a beautiful Christmas decoration, especially when paired with a DIY Christmas tree.

I have been wanting big lanterns to put on my front porch for a few years, but I have yet to find exactly what I’m looking for.

Since I have not found what I want, I figured, why not make what I want instead! I mean, it’s not like I haven’t made a lantern before, remember the Christmas Tree Wood Lantern?

Want to see how to make a wood lantern?

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How to make a Wood Lantern

Supplies:

• 1-inch x 10-inch x 8 ft. Pine Board
• Wrapping paper with cutting grid on the back
• Transfer paper
• Washi tape
• Carpenter’s glue
• Wood ring 2-inch diameter

Tools:

• Measuring tape
• Ruler
• Compass
• Miter saw
• Table saw
• Drill press
• Scroll saw
• Spindle sander
• Sanding block
• Wood file
• Nail gun

Cut List:

• 4 wood pieces 18 ¼″ x 8″ with 45 degree angles cut on each long edge.
• 2 wood pieces 9 ¼″ x 9 ¼″ 
• 1 wood piece 5 ½″ x 5 ½″
• 1 wood piece 3″ x 3″
• 1 wood bridge

Pieces to make a wood lantern

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut out a 18 ¼″ x 8″ rectangle from the wrapping paper with a cutting grid in the back. Draw a rectangle with a semicircle end using a ruler, pencil, and a compass. The design measures 15″ x 5 7/8″.

You know how I love to use wrapping paper to create templates.

Step 2: Use a miter saw to cut 4 wood pieces 18 ¼″ x 8″ out of the 1″ x 10″ x 8 ft. pine board.

Step 3: Cut 45 degree edges on both long sides of the 4 wood pieces using a table saw.

If you want more details on how to make 45 degree edges, I found this video that explains the process quite well: timber miter joints.

Step 4: Trace the template centered on the wider part of one of the 4 wood pieces using transfer paper. I found using a ruler and a compass over the template worked great.

P.S. Using washi tape to hold the template in place works really well.

Step 5: Drill holes in both corners of the template. This is to help insert the scroll saw blade.

Step 6: Insert the scroll saw blade into one of the holes. Cut out the center.

Step 7: Place the piece over the other 3 pieces and trace the opening.

Step 8: Repeat steps 5 and 6 on the other 3 pieces.

Step 9: Use a spindle sander to smooth the interior edges. You can also use sandpaper if you do not have a spindle sander.

Step 10: Straighten the two corners using a wood file.

Step 11: With the remainder of the pine board cut 2 pieces 9 ¼″ x 9 ¼″ , 1 piece 5 ½″ x 5 ½″, 1 piece 3″ x 3″, and 1 little piece 1½″ x ¾″  with the miter saw.

Step 12: Using a 19/64 drill bit, drill a hole at the bottom center of the 1½″ x ¾″ piece of wood.

Step 13: Widen the hole using a scroll saw, until the 2″ ring fits.

How to assemble a lantern

Time to assemble the wood lantern.

Here all all the pieces to make the lantern:

Instructions:

Step 1: Apply a little bit of glue and insert the 2″ into the little wood block.

Sand the bottom of the ring until it’s flush with the bottom of the wood block.

Step 2: Line up the 4 large pieces of wood side by side with the widest side pointing up.

Step 3: Apply wide masking tape along each wood seam.

Step 4: Flip over the wood and apply glue along each edge.

Step 5: Assemble the edges together.

Step 6: Use a nail gun to add pin nails along each edge.

Remove the masking tape.

Step 7: Flip the lantern over.

Apply some glue on the bottom edge of the lantern and center one of the 9 ¼″ x 9 ¼″ pieces over it.

Secure it onto the lantern with pin nails around the edge.

Step 8: Put the lantern onto its base.

Apply glue around the top edge, center the second 9 ¼″ x 9 ¼″ piece part over it and nail it into place.

Step 9: Glue and nail the 5 ½″ x 5 ½″ piece in the center of the top.

Step 10: Apply glue underneath the block with the ring and place it centered over the 3″ x 3″ piece.

Nail it into place.

Step 11: Glue and nail the 3″ x 3″ with the ring centered over the 5 ½″ x 5 ½″ piece.

Step 12: Use sandpaper to smooth all the edges.

The lantern measures approximately 23″ high by 9 ¼″ wide.

DIY Wood Lantern

There seems to be a lot of steps to make the lantern, but really there are not. It takes about 2 hours to make if you have all the proper tools.

You can easily make two at a time if you have two 1-inch x 10-inch x 8 ft. pine boards.

As of right now, the wooden lantern is standing in my living room with a beautiful DIY Christmas Tree I made with my daughter. I’ll be showing you how to make the Christmas tree in another blog post.

My plan was to paint the lantern black using outdoor paint and put it on my front porch. However I really like it where it is located in my living room.

I may just varnish it and keep it inside. What do you think?

If I simply varnish it, I will use the same varnish I used for the DIY Wooden Tree Christmas Countdown.

I would like to thank my Dad and my husband for helping with the project. I hurt my arm a few weeks ago and it has been limiting me in a what I can do on my own.

What do you think of the lantern? I really love how it turned out!