Dreidel - I made it out of wood
There's something satisfying about taking a small piece of scrap wood and giving it a new purpose. This dreidel began as an offcut of beautiful figured maple—too nice to throw away, but waiting for the right project.
The first step was milling the wood square and cutting it to a workable size before mounting it on the lathe. As the blank began to spin, the rough block slowly transformed into the familiar shape of a traditional dreidel. Once the turning was complete, I carefully removed the small burrs left at each end and hand-sanded the piece until it was smooth and ready for the next stage.
To add the Hebrew letters, I first transferred the design onto the wood using carbon transfer paper. This provided a guide for the most detailed part of the process—wood burning. Using pyrography, each letter was carefully burned into the maple, followed by additional decorative elements that complement the wood's natural figure, making every dreidel unique.
The final step was finishing the piece with several coats of walnut oil to enrich the maple's natural beauty, followed by a hand-buffed coat of natural paste wax. The finish protects the wood while allowing its chatoyant grain to shine through.
One of the things I enjoy most about woodworking is that even the smallest projects deserve the same attention to detail as the largest ones. Every cut, every pass on the lathe, and every line burned into the wood contributes to creating something that is both functional and meaningful.
I hope you enjoy watching this handcrafted dreidel come to life from a simple piece of figured maple. If you appreciate traditional woodworking, woodturning, and pyrography, be sure to watch the video and explore the other handcrafted pieces available from Carriage House Woodshop.