DIY ornaments
  • Difficulty
    Medium

Introduction

Create memorable DIY ornaments this year out of extra material from your garage!

Step16

Step 1

Take out stars

Begin by tracing your desired pattern onto a thin sheet of metal. We traced our star stencil with a permanent marker. Next, etch the inside of the ornaments you'd like to personalize using a Dremel 4000 and Silicon Carbide Grinding Stone 84922. Tip: Seat your accessory all the way into the tool, then back it out slightly and tighten. Set your speed to 25 on your tool and begin etching. If you notice chattering on the metal, adjust your speed setting closer to 35.

Step26

Step 2

Sand the stars

Next, drill holes into the top of your ornaments. We found it easiest to drill into our metal ornaments before cutting them out. Using a Dremel Drill Bit 1/8'' in the 4000 tool, slowly plunge a hole into the top of your ornament. Tip: Seat your bit all the way into the tool, then back it out slightly and tighten. Set your speed to 12 on your tool and begin drilling. If you notice chattering or if your tool is drilling slowly, set your speed to 17 but no higher. Do not apply excess pressure, let the speed of the tool do the work.

Step36

Step 3

Use saw to cut

Now you are ready to cut out your accessories. We decided to use a shield attachment to cut out our metal stars as steel can create a fair amount of sparks. To use the shield attachment, first remove the nosepiece of your tool. With the nose off of the tool, seat your EZ Lock Mandrel into place. Now, screw the shield onto the front of the tool where the nosepiece was and place the EZ Lock cutting wheel onto the EZ Lock Mandrel. Set the speed of your tool at 25 and begin cutting along your traced lines, applying light pressure. If you notice chattering or feel you need to apply more speed, set your tool to 35. Loop twine through your drilled holes and you're done! Tip: Wear gloves when cutting metal as an extra safety precaution

Step46

Wooden Ornaments - Step 1

Use stylo+ for design

Begin by tracing your desired pattern onto a sheet of 1/4" or 1/2" plywood. Next, clamp your workpiece to your table, and use the Trio tool with a TR561 to cut out the shapes. Tip: Set your speed to 8 or 10 to make your cuts. Start at 10 and slow to 8 if needed.

Step56

Wooden Ornaments - Step 2

Tracing pattern

Next, drill holes into the top of your ornaments. Using a Dremel Drill Bit 150 in the 4000 tool, slowly plunge a hole into the top of your ornament. You can set your tool to full speed for this application.

Step66

Wooden Ornaments - Step 3

Paint stars
Oscillate stars
Paint stars
Oscillate stars

Sand away any rough edges with the Multi-Max MM20 and Wood Sanding sheets. Use light pressure and full speed to get a finished look. We decided to paint ours to match our décor. Loop twine through your drilled holes and you're done!


Warning

To reduce the risk of injury user must read instruction manuals for all tools used in this project. Wear eye and respiratory protection. Use clamps to support work piece whenever practical.