Scroll an Intarsia Christmas Tree

on-the-go wooden carving desk

This free intarsia Christmas tree pattern is a great way to practice your scroll saw skills.

Materials 


  • Poplar, 3/4" (19mm) thick: top layer of tree, 6" x 6" (152mm x 152mm); middle layer, 6" x 8" (152mm x 203mm); bottom layer, 6" x 10" (152mm x 254mm)
  • Aromatic red cedar, 1" (25mm) thick: tree base, 3" x 10" (254mm x 76mm)
  • Walnut, 3/4" (19mm) thick: tree trunk, 3" x 4"(76mm x 102mm)
  • Baltic birch plywood, 1/8" (3mm) thick: backer, 9" x 15" (229mm x 381mm)
  • Hardwood, 1/4" to 1/2" (6mm to 13mm) thick: assorted colors & sizes of scraps
  • Dowel, 1/8" (3mm) dia.: 25 each 1/2 (13mm) long
  • Glue: wood; cyanoacrylate (CA)
  • Sandpaper
  • Finish
  • Hanger and epoxy
    or screws (optional) 

Tools:

  • Blades: #1, #7
  • Sander: flex drum
  • Drill with bit: 1/8" (3mm) dia.
  • Hammer or mallet

Intarsia Christmas Tree

by Janette Square


Make several copies of the tree pattern, cut the sections apart, and attach them to the blanks. Cut the pieces.
Do not remove the patterns. Repeat for the ornaments, attaching the patterns to assorted hardwoods; I used canary wood, curly maple, padauk, purpleheart, figured redwood, aspen, yellowheart, red cedar, bloodwood, and poplar. Cut the ornament pieces.
Because we’re using plywood and the bottom covers the edges of the sides, the joints are pretty strong. But this project is made to be used and abused, so you may consider reinforcing the joints with brads or screws.
Drill a 1/8" diameter by 1/8" deep (3mm by 3mm) hole into the center back of each ornament. Drill a 1/8" diameter by 3/8" deep (3mm by 10mm) hole where indicated for each ornament outline on the tree.
Remove the patterns.

Sand each ornament. Cut 25, 1/2" (13mm)-long pieces of dowel. Apply cyanoacrylate (CA) glue to the holes in the ornaments and use a hammer or mallet to tap the dowels into the holes. Test-fit the ornaments into the designated holes in the tree. The fit should be snug so the pieces don’t fall off. Remove the ornaments.
Shape and texture the tree and base as desired.

Apply finish to all of the pieces, including the ornaments; I used Danish oil. 

Glue the tree, trunk, and base together. Once dry,
glue and clamp the tree to the backing board. Then, attach a hanger. Store the ornaments in a small box or bag, or drill 1/8" (3mm) holes into a piece of wood and display the ornaments until they are placed on the tree.

Back to blog
Previous post Next post