DIY Network

Log Candle Holder Fill your fireplace with a lovely light. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-503

Create the perfect summertime firelight.

If you want the beauty of a wood fire – without the heat – you want to build Michele Beschen's log candle holder. It slides into the fireplace and holds as many candles as you like, for a breathtaking blaze that won't heat up the house. It's the B. Original way to enjoy firelight all year long.

Find a few logs and a bunch of candles, and get started on your own log candle holder. It even works for roasting marshmallows.

advertisement

Log Candle Holder

Materials:

sturdy logs
3" combination screws
drill
screwdriver bit
wood bit
Forstner drill bits
safety glasses
variety of votive, taper and pillar candles

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Gather a few attractive logs and stack them in an arrangement. Look for logs that are solid, with no rot. Michele Beschen used three logs for this project.

• Connect the two bottom logs with concealed screws: Wearing safety glasses, start drilling a pilot hole straight into the end of one log (figure A), then angle the drill to create a hole that goes out the side of the log and into the adjacent one. Switch to a screwdriver bit and drive a screw into the angled hole to hold the two logs together. Michele Beschen recommends rubbing the threads of each screw over a candle to make it slide into the hold easier.

  Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection and use caution when drilling. You may want to ask someone to help hold the logs steady while you drill; he or she also must wear eye protection while you drill.

• Use the same technique to finish connecting the two bottom logs. Attach the top log to the bottom logs, also using concealed screws.
  
  
• Choose the candles to use in the project. Michele Beschen used a combination of tapers and votives. Select drill bits to match the candle sizes — the candles must fit snugly in the holes. Michele Beschen used a 1" Forstner bit for the votives and a 3/4" Forstner bit for the tapers.

• Determine where the different candles will go on the logs, then drill the appropriate holes (figure B). Drill the holes as straight and vertical as possible. To do this on the rounded log surface, start with the bit flush against the surface of the log. Once the hole is started, angle the drill so that the bit is going straight up and down.

• Insert the candles snugly in the holes (figure C). Michele Beschen added some pillar candles, placed atop flat log sections, to her arrangement to add interest and height.

• Place the final arrangement in the fireplace, light the candles and enjoy the ambiance!