How to Make the Perfect Autumn Decorated Wooden Pumpkins to Spice Up Your Fall Decor

 As the leaves turn and the air gets crisp, there's nothing quite like cozying up your space with handmade autumn decor. If you're a fan of rustic charm and love working with wood, crafting wooden pumpkins is the perfect seasonal project. With the precision and versatility of Proxxon tools, you can create stunning pieces that bring warmth and whimsy to your home.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your own wooden pumpkins that will last for many falls to come.

Tools and Materials You'll Need:

• Plywood or reclaimed wood (¼" to ¾" thick)
• Proxxon Bandsaw MBS/E 
• Proxxon Scroll Saw
• Proxxon Disc Sander
• Proxxon Delta Sander
• Acrylic paints
• Pumpkins Template
• Assortment of twines, yarn, or narrow ribbon

Let's Make a Wooden Pumpkin:

1. Design Your Pumpkins—Download and print the Pumpkins Template, or sketch out a few pumpkin shapes of your own. Mount the patterns on the wood blanks. Cover one side of the blank with painter's tape. Mist the back side of the patterns with spray adhesive, and mount on the taped blank. The painter's tape made removal of the patterns easy without leaving any sticky residue. 
   
   
   
2. Cut Out the Shapes—Using either the scroll saw or the bandsaw mounted with Proxxon's extra narrow scroll saw band. This band is extremely narrow to allow for easy cutting of tight curves and radii.
3. Smooth the Edges—Once your pumpkins are cut, use the Delta sander to smooth out the edges and surfaces. This step ensures a professional finish and removes any splinters.  I mount my sander in the Precision Vice FMZ so I can have both hands free to manipulate the piece I'm working on. 
   
   
   
4. Detail for ¼" Pumpkins—I used a variety of thicknesses for my pumpkins from my scrap pile. I found the ¼" ones stand reliably, so I cut a small right triangle that I glued to the back of the pumpkins. Works like a charm!!
   

   

   
   
5. Paint the Pumpkins—There are lots of options for painting your pumpkins. Choose warm autumn tones like burnt orange, mustard yellow, or deep burgundy. Use acrylic paints to create a solid colored pumpkins, or one with fun designs. You can also opt for a distressed whitewash for a farmhouse vibe. 
6. Jazz Up the Pumpkins—Tie strands of twines, raffia, narrow ribbons, or yarn to the stem.

Ready to turn your workshop into a pumpkin patch? Grab your tools, some wood, and let the autumn magic begin.

Carole

Making A Vintage Inspired Trade Sign

 

Hi everyone!  Every year at this time I make and sell canned peppers. I wanted to make a trade sign to set up at shows where I sell them. Follow along with me and I'll show you how I created this.

Supplies:

   Proxxon Super jig saw STS/E

   Proxxon Longneck Angle Grinder LHW/E

   Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80

   Proxxon Belt Sander BS/E

   1/2" plywood

   Trim molding for the frame

   Photo for advertisement

   Mod Podge

   Wide brush for applying glue

First, I created my picture. I took a picture of my jars of peppers then asked ChatGPT to turn it into a vintage trade sign.  After tweaking and I was satisfied with my results, I had it enlarged at our local photo shop.  

Next, I used Mod Podge to glue it to my sheet of plywood. Let Dry

When it was dry I used a ruler and marked about 1/4" out from the photo.  Using the Proxxon Super jig saw STS/E, I cut it out on the line I had just drawn.

After cutting it out I smoothed the edges a little using the Proxxon Longneck Angle Grinder LHW/E.

With edges now completely smooth, I now put molding around the edge to frame it in. I Measured each side and cut the trim at 45-degree angles with the Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80 so it would look like a picture frame.

After all 4 pieces were cut I laid them on to see if they fit. A few of the angles needed sanded so I used the Proxxon Belt Sander BS/E to touch things up.

I removed them and painted them black, then let dry.  After they were dry, I simply glued them to the board.

Here's my finished project!!  I really love how it turned out.  I can't wait to use it at my next sale.

Thanks for following along. Till my next Proxxon project...Colleen :-)