Thread: Wedding Cake Pops Stand

As of two days ago, I am now the very happy father-in-law of a new daughter-in-law, who I like a lot.


A few weeks ago, imminent new daughter-in-law asked via son if I would be willing to make a cake pops stand for the wedding.


"What is a cake pops stand?", I asked.


"Well", says imminent daughter-in-law, "Instead of having a wedding cake we will have little cakes on popsicle sticks."


"Never heard of it," says I. "Only heard of it recently ourselves," says son and imminent daughter-in-law.


So to cut a long story short, after agreeing to make the thing, I received functional sketches of the plan views of each of tree tiers complete with specifications as to the number of holes in each tier to hold the popsicle sticks and the size of the central pier supporting each tier. I also received one popsicle stick to indicate the diameter of holes required and an instruction that the holes were to be 10 - 15 mm deep.


I originally thought of just making each tier out of plywood, edged with a nice timber. Imminent daughter-in-law did not worry about the sort of timber but preferred a darker wood so that the white cakes on the sticks would stand out in contrast.


Then I Googled the topic and saw some pretty fancy cake pops stands.


"Hmmm! Ratty plywood won't do," says I. "Gotta do something better than that."


It so happens that I have a stock of cedar window blind off-cuts obtained from one of those places that sells factory off-cuts and rejects to avoid their becoming landfill. What is especially good about these materials is that they are extremely well machined with very even dimensions and very ideal to box making.


So I decided to make each tier by making a dovetailed box out of the cedar and then encompassing those boxes around panels of MDF rebated into the sides of the box. The top surface would have cedar strips (ie thin cedar blind material) laminated to the MDF in a diagonal pattern.


Did it all work out perfectly? Well no, since I had some lack of choices in colour matching the top surface laminations but as they would be covered with cakes, I reckoned, quite rightly, that no one would even notice the variations in wood colour under the cakes on the night.

Also, cedar is a soft material and on a big heavy item like this in my crowded little workshop, it was bumped and chipped a bit in handling so there was some application of a hot iron and wet cloth to draw out dents prior to sanding plus a little last minute filling with what I had at hand which was not well colour matched - but time was against me. Only I and other woodworkers will ever notice these things.


In initially, I was aghast at the size of the thing and suggested that mounting it on a Lazy Susan bearing might be helpful in getting access to the pops at the rear of the stand. "Great idea!" says son and imminent daughter-in-law.


So, this the final result, before the addition of the cake pops...

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch


The centre column comprises two pieces cut from a 90 X 90 lump of camphor laurel that I bought on spec for the princely sum of $14 at last year's "Brissy Working with Wood" show. It bounced around my garage for seven months before I found a use for it. I was especially pleased to make use of its colour patterns quite effectively in the stand. Each of the two centre columns is fitted with four steel screw hole inserts at each end by which the thing is all held together with hidden 6 mm countersunk screws and because of which it can all be dismantled down to a flat pack for transport and storage.


As the risk of inciting scorn from traditional woodworkers, I have to admit that the stand is finished in a satin Estapol. This was at the request of imminent daughter-in-law to simplify cleaning of crumbs after the event. Each popsicle stick hole was drilled to 15 mm deep and after blowing the sawdust out with compressed air, each hole was reamed out with a cotton bid dipped in Ubeaut Traditional Wax to pick up any residual sawdust and to seal each little hole hygienically. This meant that a light residue of wax remained around each hole after reaming so the whole surface was waxed and buffed to give a hygienic smooth surface.


...and this is what the stand looked like at the wedding, filled with the cake pops...

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch



Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch


The loaded up cake pops stand was an absolute "hit' with the wedding guests and the bride and groom. So new dad-in-law is very pleased.


Where is the cake pops stand now? It has been given as a gift to the lady who made all of the cake pops and she will use it and also probably rent it out in a new cake pops making business that she intends to start.


So everyone and everything lives happily ever after.