...than to sit and curse the darkness.
Well thats so true, but up here in Alaska on the shortest day of the year, with only 5 1/2 hours of sunlight, we like to light more than one.
Heres an easy project that is instantly practical. I made the first three-light holder at my sons request. The four-light was made specifically for Advent. The wood is a 100+ year Doug Fir 2x4 (and a real 2" by 4" too) salvaged from my friend Daves attic remodel in Cincinnati. It was heavy, and hard as a rock! It was also just right for this project - thanks Dave!
First I transferred the angle for the ends from the original, did the lay-out, and cut the ends:
Then I bored the holes:
I scribed a line in from both sides to create the side bevel: 
I wasnt trying to match the angle from the ends, as I think it looks just fine when they are not the same.
I chalked the side for easier visibility and stared hogging off wood with the scrub plane:
Im not sure why, but the surface looks flat in the photo, but trust me, the scrub was set pretty coarse and the grooves were deep.
Once I got close to my line, I switched to a cambered #6:
The final smoothing was done with a #5 1/4 "junior jack" plane.
Complete:
With oil and wax and next to the original:
And with flaming wax:
This is a fun project for that special piece of wood youve been hoarding (come on, admit it, we all do it...) that also works fine with a nice chunk of 2x4. Its also a good project for kids.
Have fun and light a candle - or two, or three...
