Use Your Leftover Wood Scraps For This Genius DIY Hanukkah Menorah Hack

For families who celebrate Hanukkah, a menorah is an essential to have around the home. But they can also be quite expensive. Some menorahs can cost as much as several thousand dollars, depending on where you buy them. And while some are fortunate to have family members pass down their sacred lamp, for others, the best option is making your own. 

While a traditional menorah is made from a metal such as brass, silver, or gold, there is no rule against crafting menorahs out of other materials. For instance, designer Michelle Villemaire recently took to Instagram to share a menorah she made out of a few simple pieces of scrap wood. In the post description, she shared that she had been inspired to go the DIY route in an effort to avoid digging through the seasonal items she had in storage in her garage. If you can relate to the storage struggle and happen to have some wood scraps lying around, this might be the perfect Hanukkah hack for you. 

For this DIY menorah hack, you'll need nine pieces of scrap wood thick enough to stand on their own, some wood glue, and either metal candle cups or aluminum foil. If your wood pieces vary greatly in size, cut them with an electric (or manual) saw until they are all similar (but not totally uniform) lengths. Use wood glue to attach the wood pieces to each other in a row, creating a pattern of your choosing.

Once your wood glue has cured and your menorah base is safe to handle, use a drill to create a hole in the top of each piece of wood. Make the hole just big enough to hold a tapered candle. Finally, insert the metal candle cups into each of these holes or craft your own out of aluminum foil. Leave these cups loose, so that they can be replaced when they become filled with wax drips. If desired, paint or stain your menorah in any way that makes your Hanukah happier.