Handcrafted Burl Keychain!! (EASY)

How to make a Burl Keychain! This is a very easy project, and practically anybody and do it! This wood came from a dead-fall from when i went camping. The wood was harvested, and now to be shared with you all!

So without further ado, let's get started!

For the first step, we'll go ahead and trace a small circle unto our burl. Here I used a US $0.25 quarter to trace it. If you live in a different country and don't have these, it's about an inch in diameter. So here i took my burl, and used a pencil to trace it out. Once done, i moved on to the next step.

Materials:

• Burl

• Beeswax

• Keychain Ring

• Small ring

Tools:

• Scroll Saw (or coping saw)

• Sandpaper

• Drill

• Drill bit (1/8 in.)

Now you're ready to cut it out. Here I took it to my ScrollSaw, and began cutting out the shape. You can do this with a Coping Saw as well. Here i cut it out as slow as possible, I want to keep it as symmetrical as I can. Once it was cut out, i found it was a bit too thick. So I took it to my scroll saw again and I cut it in half straight down the middle. Then I finally got my final shape.

Now it's time to sand down your piece! Here I took it to some 100 grit sandpaper, and started removing material from the surface. Once i finished getting out all the saw scratches, I began moving to 200 grit, then 400 grit, and finally 1000 grit. I took my time with each step, trying to remove every scratch in the piece. Once you get to 1000 grit, you're ready to move on.

Now it's time to drill your hole for the keychain. Here I took a 1/8 thick drill bit, and started very slowly drilling into the top of the piece. I tried to drill as close to the tip of the piece as possible, but at the same time trying not to fracture the wood. What this does is it makes it easier to attach the ring later on. I took my time doing this, and once i drilled all the way through; I took some 400 grit sandpaper and cleaned up the tear-out.

Once done, you're ready to move on!

Now it's time to oil your piece! Here I took some Beeswax, and started dabbing little bits of it at a time, unto the wood. You don't need much of this stuff, so it only takes a little. I chose to oil it with Beeswax because I've found that Beeswax brings out the true color of the wood. It's also food-safe, so you can oil your kitchen-ware if you wanted. Once you've applied the beeswax, you can start rubbing it in with your fingers, and then wiping it off with a paper towel. Once done, you're ready for the last step!

Now it's time to attach the ring for the key-chain. Here i took a small ring i bought a Hobby Lobby, and used my fingers to pry it open. Once i did this, i put it into the hole on the wood, and then i closed it together. Then, i took my key-chain ring and opened it up, and attached it to the small ring. (see images above) Once you've done this according to the directions, you are done!

Now your piece is finished! This was a very fun and easy project, I hope you all found it helpful. This is the perfect gift to anyone, especially for a birthday gift or other occasion. You can make it out of any wood you want, but what makes it more special is special wood!

So thank you for viewing, and as always... 'Create Something'.

Want to see more? Visit my Youtube Channel and Website for more!