How to Make an Inexpensive Candelabra

Silver candelabra can be costly.

A slab of wood and a length of electrical conduit can become a candelabra that will cost you nearly nothing. Candelabra on a table or mantle provide a festive touch for a holiday or special occasion. Twined with ivy, philodendron or other real or artificial vine plants and decked with satin bows, it becomes a centerpiece for a quinceanera, bar or bat mitzvah, wedding or anniversary reception.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden dowels or blocks of various heights
• Pipe cutter
• Silver-tone electrical conduit or reclaimed copper pipe
• Power drill with grinding and wire wheel attachments
• 2-inch thick slab of wood, dimensions to be determined
• Carpenter's pencil
• Coping saw or jig saw
• 1-inch diameter hole saw
• Wood chisels
• Jeweler's files
• Coarse through extra-fine sandpapers
• Your choice of wood stain
• Clear acrylic wood sealant
• 5-minute epoxy
• Candles
• Real or artificial ivy or philodendron vine
• Satin bows

Instructions

1. 

   A kinara holds seven candles.

   Decide how many candles your candelabra should hold. Most candelabra hold at least three candles. A kinara, which is used for Kwanzaa celebrations, holds seven candles in all, while a menorah, displayed during Hanukkah, has nine.

2. Choose a maximum height for the tallest candle holder in your candelabra. Add the height of the candle it will hold to be sure that the candle flame will appear at or just above eye level when the candelabra is on a table. For example, if your eye level when seated is 18 inches from the table surface and your candles are 10 inches tall, your tallest candle holder should be between eight and 12 inches tall for maximum visual impact.

3. 

   Wood blocks help you visualize your candelabra in three dimensions.

   Find wooden dowels or blocks of various height and position them where you want each candle holder of your candelabra to be. Switch positions and heights until you have a pleasing arrangement. Your candelabra's candle holders can be all one height, descend in height from right to left or from left to right, or coil around the central holder in descending or alternating heights.

4. Once you have chosen the height of each candle holder, add all the heights together to get a total length. Trim silver-tone electrical conduit or copper pipe reclaimed from a demolition site to the correct length with a pipe cutter. Unscrew the pipe cutter until it will fit around the conduit. Tighten the cutter just enough to create a tight grip on the conduit but not so much that it distorts the pipe. DIY Data suggests revolving the cutter slowly around the pipe and tightening it after each turn for best results.

5. 

   Use your drill to grind and brush-finish the conduit.

   Remove burrs from both ends of each piece of conduit with a grinding attachment on your power drill. Use your wire wheel attachment to give the conduit pieces a brushed finish.

6. Find a 2-inch thick slab of wood large enough to accommodate all your candle holders in their chosen positions. Draw a wide-curved irregular shape on the wood with a carpenter's pencil. Cut along your outline with a coping saw or jig saw. This will create the base of your candelabra.

7. Use a 1-inch diameter hole saw on your power drill to make holes 1 inch deep into the base of your candelabra. Use a wood chisel to remove scrap wood from each hole. Clean the holes with jeweler's files until the sides and bottom are smooth and ready to receive your candles. Wood Magazine suggests making and using a dowel size/depth gauge to ensure that your dowel holes and pins are the same diameter and drilled to the correct depth.

8. Sand wood to a satin-smooth finish using coarse through extra-fine sandpapers in that order. Apply two coats of your choice of wood stain, followed by three to five coats of clear acrylic wood sealant, sanding with extra-fine paper between coats.

9. Apply 5-minute epoxy inside the holes and around the last 1/2-inch of one end of each piece of conduit. Twist the pieces of conduit into the holes in the positions you chose.

10. 

    Choose candles in appropriate colors for the season or event.

    Insert candles into each piece of conduit. If desired, twine real or artificial ivy or philodendron vine around the base of your candelabra and attach stain bows to each candle holder.

References

• DIY Data: Cutting Copper Pipe
• "Wood Magazine": Dowel Gauge

Resources

• Cornell University Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design: Principles of Design