You're standing in a shop, the air is thick with the scent of freshly cut cherry wood, and there's a pile of shavings at your feet that looks like a snowdrift. It’s December. Or maybe it’s July, because let’s be honest, if you’re into wood turning christmas ornaments, you’re probably thinking about them way before the first frost hits. There is something fundamentally grounding about taking a square chunk of timber—maybe a piece of scrap that was destined for the burn pile—and watching it transform into a delicate, glass-smooth bauble. It’s not just about the decoration. It's about that specific moment when the tool stops vibrating and starts singing.
Most people see a wooden ornament and think "rustic." They think of heavy, clunky things hanging on a branch. But if you've ever held a truly fine turned ornament, you know that's a total misconception. The best ones are thin. I mean really thin. We’re talking translucent walls where the light from a Christmas tree bulb actually glows through the grain of the wood. That’s the magic of the lathe.
The Reality of Choosing the Right Wood
Not all wood is created equal when you're spinning it at 2,000 RPM. You might love the look of oak, but honestly? It's a nightmare for fine ornament work. The open grain makes it prone to splintering when you're trying to turn a delicate finial. You want tight grain. Think maple, cherry, or walnut. These woods behave. They let you get those crisp, sharp details that make a piece look professional rather than like a middle school shop project.
If you’re feeling fancy, exotic woods like cocobolo or ebony are incredible for finials because they can handle being turned down to the thickness of a toothpick. But they’re pricey. And dusty. Wear a mask. Seriously. Some of these exotic oils are sensitizers, and the last thing you want for Christmas is a respiratory rash.
Then there’s the "green wood" debate. Some turners swear by turning ornaments from wet wood because it’s like cutting butter. It's fast. It's satisfying. But here’s the kicker: as it dries, it moves. An ornament that was perfectly round on the lathe might turn into an oval by the time it hits the tree. Some people love that "organic" look. Others find it maddening. If you want precision, stick to kiln-dried blanks or let your rough-turned pieces sit in a paper bag for a few weeks before the final pass.
Breaking Down the Anatomy of a Great Ornament
An ornament isn't just a ball on a string. Well, it can be, but the ones that win ribbons at the local woodturning guild usually follow a specific three-part structure.
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First, you have the body. This is the main event. It can be a hollow globe, a birdhouse, or even a "sea urchin" style where you use a real dried urchin shell as the middle section. Hollowing is where the real skill comes in. You’re working through a tiny hole, maybe half an inch wide, using curved scrapers to clear out the inside. If you go too thin, you blow through the side. If you stay too thick, the ornament is heavy enough to snap a pine branch. Aim for about 1/8th of an inch.
Next, the finials. These are the long, pointy bits at the top and bottom. This is where you show off. A good finial should be graceful. It should have "flow." Expert turners like Cindy Drozda are famous for these; her work often features finials so delicate they look like they’d break if you breathed on them too hard. The secret is "back-turning" or supporting the wood with your fingers as you go to prevent it from whipping and snapping.
Finally, the finish. Please, for the love of all things holy, don't just slap some thick polyurethane on there. It looks plastic. A friction polish—usually a mix of shellac, linseed oil, and denatured alcohol—is the way to go. You apply it while the lathe is spinning. The heat from the friction cures the finish instantly. It leaves a deep, tactile glow that feels like wood, not resin.
Common Mistakes That Ruin the Vibe
- Ignoring the grain direction: If you turn a globe with the grain running vertically, it’s easier to hollow but harder to get a smooth finish on the end grain.
- Too much weight: If it weighs more than a couple of ounces, it's going to slide right off the tree. Hollow it out.
- Bad proportions: A giant globe with a tiny, stubby finial looks like a lollipop. Aim for the "Golden Ratio" or just trust your eye—if it looks clunky, it is clunky.
- Sandpaper laziness: You can see scratches from 80-grit sandpaper even after you’ve applied finish. Sand through the grits. Don't skip. 150, 220, 320, 400. At least.
The Tools You Actually Need (and the ones you don't)
You don't need a massive $4,000 Powermatic lathe to make wood turning christmas ornaments. In fact, a midi-lathe or even a small pen lathe is often better. You want high speed and a small footprint.
The most important tool is a sharp detail spindle gouge. Not a bowl gouge. A spindle gouge has a shallower flute and allows for much tighter curves. You'll also want a thin parting tool. When you're separating the ornament from the waste block, you want to lose as little wood as possible.
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Some folks swear by carbide tools because they don't require sharpening. They’re great for hollowing the body. But for those razor-sharp beads and coves on a finial? High-speed steel (HSS) is still king. You can get an edge on HSS that carbide just can't match. It’s the difference between a butter knife and a scalpel. If you're going to get serious about this, learn to use a bench grinder with a sharpening jig. It's a game changer.
Why Hand-Turned Beats Store-Bought Every Time
We live in a world of mass-produced plastic. You go to a big box store and buy a box of 20 identical red spheres for ten bucks. They're fine. They fill space. But they have no soul.
When you give someone a hand-turned ornament, you're giving them about three hours of your life. You're giving them a piece of a tree that might have been growing for fifty years. You're giving them something that will actually be passed down. I know families who have "the ornament box" where every piece has a story. "Grandpa made this one the year the old maple fell in the backyard." That's the power of this craft.
And let's talk about the scent. Have you ever turned Western Red Cedar? It’s like a spa in your workshop. Or Sassafras—it smells exactly like root beer. Those sensory details stay with the piece. Even years later, when you pull that ornament out of the tissue paper in December, there’s a faint, woody aroma that just says "home."
Making it a Business
If you get good—and I mean really good—people will pay for your work. A high-end turned ornament can sell for anywhere from $40 to $150 depending on the complexity and materials.
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But here’s the reality check: you won't get rich. If it takes you four hours to make a $60 ornament, you're making $15 an hour before you even subtract the cost of the wood, sandpaper, and electricity. You do this for the love of the craft, or you do it to fund your tool addiction. Most woodturners I know sell just enough to buy a new chuck or a fancy hollowing system. It's a self-sustaining hobby, which is honestly the best kind of hobby.
Marketing Your Ornaments
- Photography is everything. Don't take a picture of your ornament on a dirty workbench. Hang it on a branch with some "bokeh" (blurry lights) in the background.
- Tell the story. Mention the wood species. "Turned from a storm-downed Spalted Birch." People eat that up.
- Customization. If you can wood-burn a name or a year onto the bottom, you've just doubled the value.
Taking the First Step Toward Your Own Tree Full of Wood
If you've never touched a lathe, don't start with a complicated multi-axis hollow globe. Start with a "snowman." It’s basically three balls of varying sizes turned on a single piece of wood. It teaches you how to make consistent curves and how to use a detail gouge without catching an edge and sending the wood flying across the room.
Once you've mastered the snowman, move on to a solid icicle. It’s just a long, tapered cylinder with some decorative beads. It’s great practice for finials. Only after you’re comfortable with those should you try hollowing.
There are endless resources out there. Look up the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). They have local chapters everywhere. Go to a meeting. Woodturners are, generally speaking, the most helpful, gear-obsessed, friendly people you’ll ever meet. They will literally give you wood just to see what you make with it.
Actionable Next Steps for the Aspiring Ornament Turner
- Audit Your Scrap Pile: Look for pieces at least 2x2x6 inches. Hardwoods only. Avoid anything with major cracks or rot for now.
- Sharpen Your Tools: A dull tool is dangerous and makes for a terrible finish. If you can’t shave the hair on your arm with your spindle gouge, it’s not sharp enough.
- Practice "Air Turning": Before you touch the wood with the tool, move the tool in the path of the cut. Get your body mechanics sorted so the motion is fluid.
- Safety Check: Always wear a full face shield. Not just glasses. A "catch" can shatter a wooden ornament into jagged shards in a fraction of a second.
- Batch Your Work: Turn five globes at once, then five finials. You’ll find a rhythm and your muscle memory will improve much faster than doing one at a time.
- Invest in a Small Drill: If you’re making birdhouse ornaments, you’ll need a clean way to drill the entrance hole. A Forstner bit gives the cleanest result.
Wood turning is a journey of thousands of shavings. Start small, keep your tools sharp, and don't be afraid to make a few "design opportunities" (that’s woodturner speak for mistakes) along the way. Every piece of wood has an ornament inside it; your job is just to get the extra bits out of the way.