Make Your Own Vintage Santa Wood Cutout

In the 1950’s, the Douglas Fir Plywood Company created whimsical Christmas U-Bild patterns for families to create amazing outdoor scenes. It was a genius idea really and a wonderful way to sell lots of plywood! My love for these developed when I stumbled upon an original Santa that was straight from the 1950’s. I researched everywhere to see if it was an old store model or if it was a Coca Cola Santa. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that these graced the lawns of many homes across America and there were other pieces that matched him!

I wasn’t the only one who was enamored by these jolly Christmas characters, my Mom has been determined to create her own set of all of the characters and with her help I’m going to share the process. With that, I want to note that this is NOT an inexpensive project. These holiday decorations are pieces that she plans to treasure forever, so the cost was not a limiting factor, but please note that they are a labor of love.

Patterns

For the cutouts we created we used VINTAGE patterns. We estimate that the cost was around $300 alone for all of the patterns together. The Douglas Fir Plywood Company sold the patterns in sets for (1) Santa & Christmas Wreath (2) Reindeer (3) Sleigh & Joy to the World (3) Choir Angels (4) Joyous Noel  and the (5) Nativity Scene. There are several copies of these patterns that are slightly less inexpensive BUT you have to figure in the cost of printing these digital files and printing them to scale.

Each type of pattern has disadvantages and advantages. Older patterns are just that, they are old. So they may be more fragile, but they were created with the type of paper intended to work well outdoors attached to plywood. These patterns also come to you in the correct scale. All of the older patterns are copyrighted. Newer patterns have to have a second source to print the digital file, which can be expensive. The type of paper is also important in this process, as you will want to you a paper that is sturdier. To create the pattern to scale you may have to print portions of the pattern and piece them together for the full effect.

Materials

Obviously you will need plywood. Our plywood came to about $65 a piece and we used three for the Santa, Reindeer, Sleigh, Wreath, and Joy to the World Signs. The next supply is wood glue, we used this wood glue to attach the patterns to the plywood. Once each pattern was glued on, we used a sealant, this poly to protect them from the elements. Other tools needed include a jig saw with a good, fine blade.

The Process

1. This step is optional but strongly recommended, it made for a nice base for each of the cutouts to adhere. We took the extra time to prime each of the pieces of plywood.

2. Cut out the patterns. Each of the patterns has a seam allowance. Once the patterns are cut, iron each on a low setting to get the wrinkles out.

3. Next glue your patterns to the plywood. Try to make sure there are no air bubbles. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.

4. Now to the fun part! Cut out your shapes!

5. Last step is to add your poly coat to protect your masterpiece. We used two coats. We primed the back of each and sanded the edges.

6. Set up your amazing outdoor display and enjoy it for many years to come!

If you love our outdoor display, please take a moment to vote for our home here! Type 29 Van Buren!

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Please comment if you have any questions, I would love to help!

Below you will find a few of the patterns that I have found for sale, some are newer and some are original.