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Holiday Gifts Makers Can Make
As we all know, the best gifts aren’t the ones that are bought; they are the ones that are homemade. When you’re a maker, you don’t have to rely on store shelves to find the perfect gift. You can build it!
So, here’s a holiday gift guide packed with ideas you can make in the shop or at home.
Gifts Machinists can make
Machining projects are some of the best gift ideas because they’re clean, precise, and surprisingly customizable. They also provide opportunities to practice toolpaths, tolerances, surface finish work, and engraving.
- Custom Bottle Opener: If you want a beginner-friendly project that still feels personal, this is it. Custom bottle openers are quick to machine and super easy to customize. From initials to meaningful dates, or even a fun engraving that only your family “gets.”
- Keychains and Tags: Perfect for the person who can never find their keys. These small gifts are straightforward to machine, and you can really make them your own with unique shapes, engravings, or surface finishes. Plus, you can batch them fast if you’re planning to give multiple gifts.
- Coaster Set: A practical gift that always hits. Machine a full set and give each coaster its own surface pattern or texture. They’re functional, customizable, and a great way to show off your finishing skills without needing a ton of material.
Gifts Welders Can Make
Welding opens the door for gifts with structure, artistry, and durability. These projects can also help you practice weld quality, joint types, heat control, and fabrication workflows, while still allowing plenty of room for creativity.
- Metal Art Signs: Whether it’s a name, a phrase, or a simple silhouette, welded signs are one of the easiest ways to create something meaningful. Cut or weld the design, smooth it out, and add paint or powder coat if you want a polished final look. Great for a shop wall, garage, office, or even a dorm room.
- Candle Holders: You can go elegant, industrial, or totally abstract, whatever your heart desires. Welded candle holders work with almost any style. They’re simple to build from scrap material, and they’re great practice for clean welds and consistent joints.
- Plant Stands or small furniture: If you want a gift that feels handcrafted and high-end, this is the one. A basic TIG or MIG-welded frame paired with a wood or metal top creates a stylish piece of furniture your loved one can actually use. Plus, it’s a great skill-builder for layout, joints, and weld cleanup.
Gifts 3D printers can make
With 3D printing, the possibilities for what you can create are virtually endless. Whether the gift is big or small, making something for a loved one helps sharpen your skills in modeling, tolerances, and assembly. In a way, every gift becomes a gift to yourself as well, since each project is a valuable skill-building exercise. It’s a fun, affordable, and endlessly flexible way to create something thoughtful for the holidays.
- Statues and Figurines: Does your loved one have a favorite character, team, or animal? Print a miniature version of it! From pets and Pokémon to unicorns and Yoda in a Santa hat, if you can model it, you can make it. The possibilities are endless!
- Cookie Cutters: A fun, unexpected gift for the bakers in your life. Go beyond holiday-themed shapes and create cutters inspired by Minecraft, Mario, Disney characters, or truly anything they love. It’s a simple print that feels incredibly personalized.
- Games and Puzzles: Custom poker chips, chess pieces, brain teasers, or full puzzle sets; 3D printing makes it easy to create game accessories people will use all year long. Bonus: These projects are great practice for designing interlocking parts and fitment.
Crafted by Hand, Given with Heart
No matter what you choose to make this season, the best part of a handcrafted gift is the maker behind it. These projects aren’t just clever uses of tooling or leftover stock; they’re proof of the imagination and skill that keep manufacturing moving forward. So whether you’re printing a custom gadget, machining a polished keepsake, or welding something built to outlast the holidays, you’re giving your loved ones something store-bought gifts can’t match: craftsmanship with heart. Here’s to a season filled with creativity, sparks, shavings, and a whole lot of pride in what you can build. Happy holidays from all of us at Project MFG!
