How to Cut Wooden Discs
The past two Winters I have been really into crafts and decorating with these wooden discs. Problem is I have been spending a small fortune to buy them on Etsy and have you seen how much craft stores are charging for them? Well on Thanksgiving I noticed my Brother-in-law had done some landscaping in his yard and had a pile of branches to burn. After dinner I went our back and grabbed two small branches.
Now I will admit I was scared to cut these at first and I am not normally scared of power tools. But you must be very careful cutting branches because of the knots. Since I was a little unsure I brought them to my Dad’s so the first time we could do it together. If you live alone and its the first time doing a project your unsure of its always good to have someone there.
I suggest to use a miter saw when cutting the wood. Make sure you have a good grip on the branch. Since it is not flat it will likely move so a good grip is necessary keep your hand a safe distance away from the blade.
On our miter saw we have a laser to guide where the saw will cut. Lining up the laser with your desired width make your cut. Now I cut mine thin for the project I have in mind about an 1/8th of an inch wide.
Once you start to get close to the knot stop cutting! Cutting through a knot is dangerous. Remember there are always more branches in the woods you don’t need to risk it.
These two small branches made over 70 discs! Now your not done just yet.
You are going to want to bake these discs. I suggest low heat for over an hour. I baked them at 200 degrees for an hour and 15 mins. This will insure there are no live critters in them!
Now what should you make with these beauties? Here are the Wooden Disc Ornaments I made recently with chalk paints.
