Lord of The Ring DIY Centerpieces

This project started out like many others had, a text message with a screenshot from Pinterest along with the question, "Can you build this?"

We were in the middle of planning a surprise Lord of the Ring themed birthday party for a close friend and I was in charge of making the faux lantern centerpieces. So i ran to lowes picked up a pile of 2x2x8 furring strips and got to work.

To get started I went to the miter saw and started cutting all of the pieces I needed. The plans I have linked at the bottom of this page have all the measurements avaiable. I made two different sizes of lanterns. The lantern took 4 longer pieces and 8 smaller pieces.

After cutting the furring strips to length it was time for assembly. I used lots of glue to keep the lanterns together and used brad nails to hold everything in place while the glue dried. If you don't have a brad nailer you could use clamps, or even screws to hold everything together while the glue dries.

After the main frame was all assembled I used the table saw and miter saw to cut the base plates for each lantern. I used some scrap edge glued boards I had laying around from a previous project, but any kind of sheet goods or one by material will work great here. These lanterns aren't supposed to have a super modern clean look. They are supposed to look like they have traveled to Mordor and back, so the more "rustic" the better.

After cutting the bases, they were attached to the lanterns the same way as the main frame of the lantern was assembled, brad nails and wood glue.

Next, it was time for staining. I used Minwax dark walnut to get the desired color for these centerpieces, but feel free to use what works best for you and your situation.

All in all, I was very happy with the way these turned out. It was a great project that really helped complete the party decoration.

Supplies Used

2x2x8 furring strips https://www.lowes.com/pd/2-in-X-2-in-x-8-ft-Furring-Strip-Common-1-5-in-x-1-5-in-x-8-ft-Actual/1000483975

edge glued board https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metrie-Edge-Glued-Finger-Joint-Panel-1-x-12-x-8-ft/1003246468

Brad Nail variety pack 18 gauge https://amzn.to/3obiuyt

Titebond 2 (gallon) https://amzn.to/3vJmuIW

Minwax Dark Walnut Stain https://amzn.to/3hatyKD

Tools Used

Ryobi Brad Nailer https://amzn.to/3o1hBIk

Craftsman Miter Saw

Dewalt Goggles https://amzn.to/3xWsq30

Ryobi Table Saw https://amzn.to/3vLogZY

Follow along as I build the centerpieces:

https://youtu.be/kBGUCM3BYvA

Link to build plans:

https://www.graffwoodshop.com/projectplans

Disclaimer: Amazon and other affiliate links are used in this description and they help support this channel. By clicking on the links and purchasing items it provides me a very small commission but costs you nothing extra. It is a great way to support small creators like me. I appreciate the support more than you know!