DIY Desk Calendar & Pencil Holder

Looking for a fun DIY wooden Christmas gift that will work for just about anyone?! This DIY desk calendar and wooden pencil holder is perfect! The best part is that we're giving away the free woodworking plans for this DIY table calendar holder!

Thank you to Kreg for sponsoring this DIY desk calendar and wooden pencil holder project! All opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

Today we’re sharing a super fun and simple woodworking project with you that is great for beginners. And the best part is that it makes a GREAT Christmas gift idea for just about anyone!

Table of Contents

Kreg K5 Pocket Hole Master System
How To Build a DIY Desk Calendar

I’m sure I’m not the only one – but calendars are a great go-to holiday gift. Christmas is at the end of the year, so everyone is in need of a new calendar for the new year, right?!

I created a printable calendar for 2024 with some inspirational and encouraging bible verses. This calendar is available for download in our Etsy shop here!

Kreg K5 Pocket Hole Master System

We, of course, incorporated pocket hole joinery into this DIY desk calendar, which is definitely one of the easiest ways to join wood in woodworking projects. We have Kreg’s K5 Master System and LOVE it. It’s our favorite hidden weapon for beginning woodworkers!

Want to learn more? I wrote a super detailed guide & created a video all about how to set up your Kreg K5 Pocket Hole and use it, so be sure to check that out too!

UPDATE: In 2021, Kreg replaced the K5 Pocket Hole system with the Kreg 720 Pro. Check out our guide all about the new Kreg 720Pro to learn more.

For this very DIY calendar, we teamed up with our friends at Kreg again to create the plans and share them online for free, which are now available on KregTool.com!

If you’re wondering, Kreg’s website is chocked full of so many easy-to-follow FREE woodworking plans! I promise that you are going to find so much inspiration while you’re there!

click here to see how our DIY desk calendar turned out!

How To Build a DIY Desk Calendar

One of my favorite things about this cute desk calendar holder is how dang cheap you’re able to build it for. The only thing we needed to buy was the wood – we didn’t need much of it.

Supplies needed:

1×8 wood panel – we used Oak and needed about 2 linear feet
Orbital Sander + 80 & 150 grit sandpaper
Miter saw – you’ll need a double-bevel compound miter saw for the angled cuts
Clamps
Drill
Wood glue
Kreg 720Pro pocket hole jig
1 1/4″ pocket hole screws – need 4 total
Brad Nailer (learn the difference between a finish nailer vs brad nail here)
1 1/4″ brad nails – need approximately 4
Stain
Polyurethane – If you’re trying to decide whether to use polyurethane vs polycrylic for your project, check out this article with an overview of each.
Staining Rag
Printable 5×7 calendar – you can grab this one here!

Step 1. Cut the wood.

Follow the woodworking plans (which you can download here) to cut the wood to the required dimensions.
Utilize a double-bevel compound miter saw for angled cuts.

Step 2. Drill pocket holes.

An individual is holding a piece of wood, preparing to drill into it.

Use a Kreg pocket hole jig to drill four pocket holes on the bottom panel as outlined in the plans.
Drill two holes towards the front and one on each side towards the sides.

Step 3. Assemble.

The wood is being assembled with wood glue using a Kreg Jig, ensuring sturdy and precise joins as the person prepares to drill.

Begin by attaching the sides to the back panel using wood glue and 1 1/4″ brad nails.
Secure the bottom panel by screwing it into place at the pocket hole locations.
Lastly, affix the front panel with wood glue and allow it to dry while clamped.

Step 4. Sand.

The wood is being sanded using an orbital sander to create a smooth finish for a desk calendar and wooden pencil holder.

Thoroughly sand all surfaces using an orbital sander, starting with 80-grit sandpaper and progressing to 150-grit for a smooth finish.

Step 5. Fill nail holes.

Next, the nail holes of the wood for the desk calendar and wooden pencil holder are being filled to achieve a seamless appearance.

Fill any nail holes and gaps at the joints with wood filler or putty.
Once dry, sand smooth again using 150-grit sandpaper.

Step 6. Stain and seal.

The wood is being stained to enhance its color and provide a protective finish for the desk calendar and wooden pencil holder.

Clean surfaces and apply a generous layer of stain. We used Natural wood stain.
Once the stain is dry, seal the wood with polyurethane.

Step 7. Attach nail for the clip.

Nails are being attached to serve as clips for securing items to the wood, such as for the desk calendar and wooden pencil holder.

Install a small finish nail on the front to accommodate a binder clip for hanging your calendar.

A DIY wooden desk calendar and pencil holder sits on a wooden desk. On the front is a March 2022 calendar with text that says "there are so many beautiful reasons to be happy" with a boho style rainbow.

So stinkin’ cute, right?

A closeup image of a January calendar pinned to a wooden desk calendar holder. The calendar features a boho style sun with golden beams.

An image of a desk and bookshelf in a home office, where a DIY wooden desk calendar sits on the desk next to a computer.

I know the person that we’re giving this to for Christmas is going to love it, but I’ll definitely be sad to see it go. But ya know, those are the best kinda DIY Christmas gifts – right?

A close up image shows the back of the DIY wooden desk calendar, which contains a box that holds two aluminum jars to hold pens, markers, and scissors.

For the back of the calendar, I created a box that could be used for all sorts of things! You could put a faux plant in here, a desk lamp, or do what we did – put some cans in for a pencil holder. Works great on a desk for a versatile organizer.

We wanted the back to stay open so the person we’re giving this to for Christmas could put whatever they wanted in it. If you knew that you wanted to use it for a wooden pencil holder, you could add in some wooden divider pieces in the back.