How to Make a Door Knocker

Adding a door knocker to your home can be a fun way to personalize your door's look. You don't need to go to a hardware or home supply store to purchase a door knocker. If you are interested in home crafts projects, you can make your own door knocker and place it on the door yourself. This door knocker can be made out of materials you probably already have around the house.

Take a 1/2-inch-thick, 8-inch-wide, 8-inch-long piece of wood (pine is a nice lightweight wood) and measure 2 inches in on each side. Mark these dimensions on the piece of wood with your pencil. This will form a square. You will cut this square out of the piece of wood. This first piece of wood with the hole in it will act as the base of the knocker.

Cut the marked square area out of the piece of wood using your scroll saw.

Use your pencil to draw an outline of your favorite symbol, animal or object on the square you just cut out. Try and draw the object as if it were facing you. This will make it easier to cut out and fit. In the end it will be this object that fits into the base.

Draw the bottom area of your symbol, animal or object on another piece of wood. For example if you have drawn a dog on the first piece of wood you will probably want to re-trace the dog's feet on the second piece of wood. Cut this new design out of the piece of wood. This will be the actual knocker of the unit.

Line the back of the bottom piece of wood you just cut out with wood glue and place it over the bottom portion of the first object you drew. Allow the glue to dry. This is the knocker and it is the piece people pull on to lift the knocker out of the base and bang on the door.

Sand the sides of the first piece of wood you cut from as well as the sides of the object you have cut out of the first piece of wood. The first piece of wood is the base of the knocker and the object you cut out of it fits right back into the gap in the wood. But you'll want to make sure the sides of the two pieces of wood are smooth so they fit flush together.

Use your screwdriver to attach a hinge to the top of the object and the inside of the base frame. The size of the hinge will be dependent on the size of the top of the object you have cut, and shouldn't be any larger than the top of the object.

Attach a metal hanger to the top of the base frame.

Paint the door knocker and let the paint dry. The door knocker is now complete and you can hang it on any door you wish. Simply hang the door knocker from a nail or other attachment on a door.