How to Make a Homemade DIY Journal Out of Wood
Just stuff them with any kind of pages for a one-of-a-kind DIY wood journal! But don’t stop there: think about photo albums…agenda books… and much more!
So this is reeeeeaaaally simple.
Ready??
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Materials: How to Make a Wood DIY Journal
- 1/4″ birch plywood. Get the full sheet for $12. It’s 4’x8′ in size, and you can make probably at least 8 or more journals!!
- Jigsaw
- Metal book rings
- Power drill with 5/16 bit
- Sandpaper (220 fine)
- Stain
- 3-prong hole puncher
- Wood burner (Buy the Creative Versa wood burning kit from Amazon)
- A printed design
- Transfer paper (or a stencil)
- Hemp oil or polyurethane
- Computer paper or any 8.5″x11″ paper to fill the middle
But First…..Do You Know How to Use a Jigsaw?
For this tutorial, you’ll need to pull out some power tools, my friend, but if you’ve never used power tools, it’s not hard to learn! Just check out this power tools tutorial I did on how to use a jigsaw.
If you’d rather make these journals without power tools, click here to read How to Make DIY Journals Out of Scrapbook Paper.
If you’ve got experience with power tools, then proceed, my friend!
How to Make a DIY Journal Out of Wood
Now let’s get to the good part!! I’m soooo lovin’ this! It will last for years and you can fill it with whatever you want–photos, To-Do lists, scrapbooks, and more! Even better, make them for gifts!
(BONUS GIFT): Enter your name and email and download my Room Makeover Journal packet to put inside of your DIY wooden journal!
STEP 1: Grab Your Birch Plywood.
It cost about $12 at Home Depot. Get the 1/4″ thickness.
STEP 2: Measure using computer paper or notebook paper as a template!
The reason I had to make it a little bigger than the 8.5″ paper is that when you put your journal together, you’ll need a little bit of an overhang for a finished look.
STEP 3: Cut, baby, cut!
Cut two pieces out. They’ll measure 8-5/8″ x 11″. Basically, the size of a piece of paper plus 1/4″ extra.
STEP 4: Make holes in a sheet of paper, then drill.
Use your 3-prong hole puncher to make a template for where the holes will go on your board. Use your power drill and a 5/16″ drill bit to drill the holes.
STEP 5: Sand everything smooth with 220 grit fine sandpaper.
STEP 6: Print out design or name, transfer to front board of the journal.
Just use your printer. I used this site to create a printed name for myself.
STEP 7: Use the wood burner.
OOooohhh…I think I have discovered a new passion: burning wood!! This set comes with several tips. It’s fun, actually! Reminds me of the smell of roasting marshmallows. HAHA.
STEP 8: Stain your wood journal.
I used Minwax….Espresso!
Step 10: Wipe down the DIY wooden journal with hemp oil or polyurethane.
STEP 11: Add metal rings and paper!
Now you are DONE, honey! WOO HOO!
Can I just say that I love this??!
How to Make a DIY Journal Notebook Out of Scrapbook Paper
What if you don’t have power tools? Then you can make these easy DIY journal notebook out of scrapbook paper, which would take you (literally) 10 minutes to make.
Here are some ideas for how you can use your DIY journal or DIY notebook!
- Lined paper for class notes
- Scrapbook (use acid-free pages)
- Artbook for drawing
- Teen journal
- Travel journal
- Coloring book for kids
- Photo album
- Meal planning
- Blogger calendar
- Family journal
- Much more!
Keep Reading!
Click here to learn how to cover ugly binders with pretty paper!
Love this project? Go ahead and PIN it for later! 🙂
Here are some ideas for how you can use your DIY journal or DIY notebook!
- Lined paper for class notes
- Scrapbook (use acid-free pages)
- Art book for drawing
- Teen journal
- Travel journal
- Coloring book for kids
- Photo album
- Meal planning
- Blogger calendar
- Family journal
- Much more!
So did you know how easy it was to make a wooden journal? I bet you didn’t! Leave a comment and let me know if this tutorial was helpful in creating your own DIY wooden journal or was helpful in creating DIY gift ideas for friends and family! 🙂
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Nice tips! I have to try it out and make my own journal book. It amazing……..Thanks
Definitely, Mamun! Let me know how it turns out for you! I’m editing the video tutorial for it, and you might find that even more helpful to watch! 🙂
What size book rings did you recommend? I want to make a photo album and a pocket notebook
I loved this project so much! What a perfect way to get organized for back to school!
Happy day friend!
karianne
Awww…thanks, Karianne! I’m thinking about printing up some custom inserts! Wouldn’t that be cool? Just gotta find a place to print it for NOT a lot of money! My printer prints 10 pages and the “Low Ink! Low Ink!” light comes on! LOL #FAIL
What a fabulous project Serena! I love it!!
Serena,
What a brave girl you are, not too sure if I’m confident enough to use my jigsaw in my dining room! lol! I can imagine the look on my husband’s face if he walked in on my dining room jigsaw attempt!!! I’ve never tried woodburning before, I’m totally inspired! What a great project!
Tami
Hey, Tami! Well, definitely practice outside until you’re sure you won’t cut a chunk out of your table! LOL
And yes the woodburning tool is super cool! Just watch those fingers. It gets soooo hot!
You are very clever Serena! Love this idea and like that it has a hard surface on the back, like a clipboard, for jotting notes on the fly. These would make fabulous gifts! You rock the video tutorials BTW!
I love it, too Serena! Very cool. You know I’ll need to make one now and these would make awesome, personalized gifts!
This is so cool, Serena!! I think my favorite part is how you burned your name into it…I think I just found something to add to my Christmas list! Your penmanship is lovely too. 🙂 XO
Love this, Serena! I’m going to dig through my scraps and make one – thanks so much! You are awesome!
Oooohhhh. I could use one of these myself girlfriend! This is such a fun way to have a sturdy and super cool journal book. I’m liking the woodburning too…I haven’t seen that skill since my own school days;)
Saaaweeet!! I’ve done something similar for myself and love it, Serena, but you rocked this project. You go girl!
Hey, Larissa! It’s such an easy project, isn’t it?! I thought I was “cheating” by doing something so simple, but it’s one of those “aha!” projects because you realize that you can make something cool without a ton of tools or hard cuts! 🙂 Thanks!