Is a home really a home without a trivet??  Of course it is, not sure where I was going with that.  Trivets are useful and they’re good to have, that’s all!  I was inspired by this one (first image) and wanted to make my own natural wood version, which turned out to be even easier than expected.  You could certainly stain or dye them, and you could also save yourself those steps and they’d be just as beautiful.  Do as you wish, as always.

Materials:
-square basswood dowels (mine are 0.5″ width)
–miter box and saw
–very strong glue

Cut the dowels at a 60 degree angle for each end using a miter box and saw.  I didn’t think I’d be very good at describing how so here’s a picture to show you:

Cut three identical pieces like this.  I made two main sizes of trivets, one with 5.5″ length dowels (measuring the longer side) and the other with 7″ lengths.  I would say not to go much larger than this, though I made one at 7.75″ lengths so it would fit around the small one and look cute.  Also, in the likely event that you don’t cut the angles at perfect 60 degree angles, you may need to shorten the length of one of them if they don’t piece together easily, no big deal.

Apply glue at the attachment points and assemble as shown in the photo above.  Lay flat until completely dry.

Easy, make them for all your friends, family, neighbors, strangers, and many for yourself.   They don’t have to be used as trivets either.  I’ll definitely be using them for decorative purposes too!