Get ready for the fall craft fair season with this 4×4 wood pumpkin set! Fall is the perfect opportunity to sign up for that craft fair and get your name out there!
Most woodcrafts that I teach women how to make require minimal tools, but sometimes we try to get a little out of that comfort zone. You may feel intimidated using the angle grinder for this project, but you will find it’s actually really easy to use once you play around with it a bit. I will explain later on how to use it.
One benefit to offering a membership is having the opportunity to get women more comfortable with tools like this. It also allows them to skip all the research and wasted time making crafts that don’t sell.
There are many wooden pumpkin tutorials out there, but these are especially fun to paint and distress. No one set is the same and the options are endless.
Before you skip to the supply list, let me give you some advice when buying your 4×4 post. You’ll want to buy untreated white timber. Avoid pressure treated or outdoor posts and yellow pine. White timber grade is inexpensive and all you need. They are about $16 a piece, but you will only use about 30” for one set which is $4-5 per set.
Supplies Needed to Make Fall Craft Fair Pumpkins:
- 4×4 Post (white timber, untreated) at least 30 inches long
- Dowel Rod ⅝” thick (need 12” total)
- wood glue
- Paint
Tools Needed to Make Fall Craft Fair Pumpkins:
- Miter Saw
- Clamp
- ⅝” Spade Bit
- Drill
- Angle Grinder with Grinding Wheel
- Safety Glasses
- Gloves
- Hearing Protection (optional)
Cut wood block pumpkins
Make 3 marks on your post from the bottom at 12 inches, 22 inches and 30 inches. This is where you will make cuts with the chop saw. After you make your cuts, you should have 3 blocks that are 8”, 10”, and 12” tall.
Take a pencil and mark a diagonal line on the top 4 corners as a guide on how much wood to remove with the grinder. The rounded corners will create more of a pumpkin shape. This doesn’t have to be perfect.
Shape and Distress the Pumpkins
Stand the block up horizontally and clamp it to the corner of the table. It is easiest to do two sides and corners at a time. Use the grinder to round off the top 4 corners and distress the sides.
The flatter you hold the angle grinder, the less wood it will take off. The more you angle it, the more you dig into the wood and the more material you’ll take off.
Use the edge of the grinder at a slight angle down the sides to create a distressed surface.
Repeat on the other 2 sides.
Then, lay the block down vertically having it hang slightly over the table. Use a scrap piece of wood between the clamp and wood pumpkin to prevent putting a dent in the side. Distress around the bottom and slightly round the bottom corners to make it look uniform.
Repeat for all 3 pumpkins.
Make the Stems
Cut (3) 2” pieces from your ⅝” dowel rod. Test the fit by drilling into a piece of scrap wood and placing the dowel rod in the hole. You can use any size dowel rod for this project, but you’ll want to use the equivalent size spade bit.
Make crosshairs in the middle of the top of the pumpkin. You can measure it to be exact or eyeball it. Then, drill a hole about ¾” deep with a ⅝” spade bit. It’s easier said than done, but try to drill down as straight as possible.
The dowel rod should have a good snug fit, but you will want to use some wood glue to make them permanently stay put. Apply glue to the end of the dowel rod and twist it into the pumpkin until it hits the bottom of the hole.
*If you feel like you have to hammer it, don’t hit directly on the stem. You can, however, turn it upside down and firmly hit it straight down on the table.
Clean off any excess glue with a paper towel and allow it to dry.
Prepare Your 4×4 Pumpkins for the Fall Craft Fair
Paint or stain these however you’d like!
A little bit of advice, don’t distress them after you have stained them. You don’t want to breathe in the particles that would be thrown into the air. Lightly sanding them after you paint is all I would do.
Suggested Paint Technique for Your Rustic Craft Fair Pumpkins
Use a 2 coat process layering orange and white. My favorite orange paint for the base coat is Pueblo by Folk Art. It is a burnt orange, and not too bright.
- Dry brush a coat of orange on the sides, top, and stem. Don’t put too much thought into it, but try to paint straight lines (not turning the brush with the direction of your elbow).
- It’s ok to flip it and paint each side while the paint is still a bit wet, but once you are finished allow it to dry for 2-3 minutes.
- Dry brush white acrylic paint. I used a plain white by Deco Art from Hobby Lobby. It’s ok if there are still a few wet spots in the orange paint. That will actually add character because it causes a few areas to be a different shade of orange.
- After they dry completely, lightly sand the edges. You can use a piece of sandpaper or an orbital sander. You’ll want to use 120 grit sandpaper, and do one quick pass over each face and over rough spots.
Add a Finishing Touch
You can add raffia, twine, leaves, or fall ribbon to complete the rustic look. I added raffia and Hobby Lobby fall ribbon to the set you see in the photo below.
Take 2 pieces of 15-16” long raffia, fold it in half, cut the loop, tie it in a knot at the base of the stem, then trim the long pieces if needed. You can tie pretty bows if you know how. 😉 Repeat for each block pumpkin.
Pin your favorite picture!
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Make wood pumpkin from 4x4 posts
Make a set of standing rustic pumpkins with a white timber post and an angle grinder!
Materials
- 4x4 Post (white timber, untreated)
- Dowel Rod ⅝” thick (need 12” total)
- Wood glue
- Paint, orange and white
Tools
- Miter Saw
- Clamp
- ⅝” Spade Bit
- Drill
- Angle Grinder with Grinding Wheel
- Safety Glasses
- Gloves
- Hearing Protection (optional)
Instructions
Cut
Make 3 marks on your post from the bottom at 12 inches, 22 inches and 30 inches. This is where you will make cuts with the chop saw. After you make your cuts, you should have 3 blocks that are 8”, 10”, and 12” tall.
Shape
Mark a diagonal line on the top 4 corners as a guide on how much wood to remove with the grinder.
Stand the block up horizontally and clamp it to the corner of the table.
Use the grinder to round off the top 4 corners and distress the sides. The flatter you hold the angle grinder, the less wood it will take off. The more you angle it and dig into the wood, the more wood you’ll be able to take off.
Use the edge of the grinder at a slight angle down the sides to create a distressed surface on all sides.
Add Stem
Cut (3) 2” pieces from your ⅝” dowel rod.
Make crosshairs in the middle of the top of the pumpkin. Drill a hole about ¾” deep with a ⅝” spade bit.
Apply glue to one end of the dowel rods and twist it into the pumpkin until it hits the bottom of the hole.
Paint and finishing touches
Dry brush orange and white paint.
Tie Raffia or ribbon to stems.
Notes
Make sure your first cuts are straight so that the pumpkins stand straight.
Use a 2 coat paint process layering orange and white for your rustic pumpkins.
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