Mini Wood A-Frame Ladder Alternative Christmas Tree

11 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

What's better than a full size A-frame ladder tree? Well, one shrunk down to miniature size! Instead of nails and screws, this one is assembled with nothing but hot glue! Surebonder makes hot glue guns and speciality hot glue sticks including one that works with wood.


Take a look at how we created and assembled this fun little holiday decor piece that can be used throughout the year to display mini collectibles!


We're going to use some readily available materials found at The Home Depot. You'll need one 1/4" x 2" x 3' poplar board, (3) 3/8" x 3/8" x 3' square dowels, a small craft hinge, and paint to finish. We are also using a 60 watt battery powered Surebonder glue gun, wood hot glue stick, and something to cut with. We are using a multi-tool, but you can use a hand saw and miter box. The 19" x 19" Surebonder silicone pad work surface is optional, but really nice to have to keep your work space clean and free of 'oops' glue drips!

The first step is to mark and cut the (4) legs and (8) cross bars. The legs are 14" each and the cross bars are cut to 2 1/2" long.

Lightly sand the ends and sides of the legs and cross bar pieces.

The shelves are cut from the board. Cut three at 6, 7, and 5". After cutting, lightly sand these as well.

Here's everything cut and ready. We did actually go back and cut two more cross bars as we initially miscounted the number needed.

This glue gun operates on the Ryobi 18 V system so if you have any of the tools is this system, the batteries will work in this glue gun. They also have adapters for Makita, DeWalt, or Milwaukee batteries you may already have. Insert the wood glue sticks into the gun, turn it on, wait for it to heat up. It doesn't take very long for it to be ready.

Here I've laid out the pieces to start glueing everything into place. I'm using the shelves, temporarily, to keep the spacing between the two legs.

To attach the hinge, I used Surebonder Tough Stik. Note: I ended up taking this hinge off and using a different one. To help it stick, I lightly sanded the back of the hinge with 60 grit paper to help it adhere well. So far it is holding, but if it doesn't, I will use the screws provided with the hinge to secure it more fully.

The nice thing about using hot glue is not having to wait for things to dry. This can be painted immediately. We used Rust-Oleum Chalked gray paint for the frame and Rust-Oleum oil rubbed bronze for the shelves.

Now the fun part! Set it up and decorate with all the tiny things!

Here's a tip: you can get a tiny miter box and saw that makes it easy to work with these small pieces of wood.

Another look!

Bonus: you don't have to pack it away after the holidays. Display those tiny collectibles you may have stored away. Pop this in a window, and enjoy those special treasures year round.

Suggested materials:
  • Poplar wood   (The Home Depot)
  • Wood Dowel   (Amazon)
  • Craft hindge   (Amazon)
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Mother Daughter Projects
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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