Today is our Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge and the theme this month is Spin Me A Spindle. I just happen to have a bucket of those because a few years ago my son brought me a dilapidated antique wooden chair knowing I'd find a use for it.

It's been the chair that keeps on giving because I've made multiple projects from the parts. Today I'm using some of the small spindles and one arm of the chair to make these easy repurposed antique chair spindle wind chimes.

Easy Rustic Wooden Chair Spindle Wind Chimes

The best part about these rustic spindle wind chimes for our backyard is that they cost absolutely nothing to make!

I've been slowly working my way through the box of antique chair parts, determined to salvage every single piece into something useful. Like the pressback top rail that was turned into a unique bird feeder.

Last month for our Walls And All theme I turned the chair seat into a playful time for a walk dog leash holder. You can see all the chair part projects so far on my repurposed antique chair page.

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project.

I've included links to our uber-creative member's Spin Me A Spindle ideas further down in the post and as always, they hit it out of the park!

What You'll Need To Make It

Pictured below are the chair parts used to make the spindle wind chimes.

A great resource for finding spindles is places like Habitat reStores or your local architectural salvage yard. Garage sales are another great resource for cheap wooden chairs that have seen their better days.

You'll also need small jewelry beads for the chimes and medium-sized beads for the hanger. I used an assortment of colorful beads salvaged from old costume jewelry and wooden beads from the dollar store that I had on hand.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Supply List

Wooden Spindles (salvaged)
Wooden Chair Arm (salvaged)
18 Small Eye Hooks
1-inch Keyring or Large Jump Ring
Clear Non-Stretch Thread
White 1.5mm 100% Nylon Cording
Small Colorful Beads (recycled costume jewelry)
Small and Medium Wooden Beads (dollar store)
Goldenrod Wise Owl Paint (on hand)
Lily Pad Green, Autumn Red, Mykonos Blue FAT Paint Company (on hand)
Behr Brown Wax (optional)
Wood Glue
Wooden Dowels

How To Make Chair Spindle Wind Chimes

Let's get into the nitty-gritty of how quick and easy the wind chimes are to make. You'll have them hanging outdoors within a few hours. Let's get started.

Cut Wooden Chair Spindles

The chair spindles were too long for chimes so they were cut in half with a miter saw for a total of eight spindle chimes. Then they were lightly sanded with 150 grit sandpaper, just enough to remove any peeling stain.

Paint Wooden Spindles

Before painting the spindles, attach small eye hooks to the top of each spindle both to hang the spindles while the paint dries and for hanging the spindles on the wind chimes.

It's easier to screw the eye hooks into the spindles if you make a pilot hole first in the top center with either a nail, an Awl, or a tiny 1/16-inch drill bit.

Considering we are entering the autumn season, I chose to paint the spindles in Fall inspired colors with chalk-style paint that I had on hand. The colors are Goldenrod yellow, Lily Pad green, Autumn red, and Mykonos blue (pictured below after one coat).

This step is completely optional but to add rustic charm to the wind chimes, age the painted spindles with brown wax applied with a lint-free rag. You can see the difference between the waxed and unwaxed spindles in each color below.

Wooden Chair Arm

For the spindle hanger, one of the arms of the antique chair was salvaged. The end of the chair arm that was attached to the chair is left as is. All I did was fill the holes on the underside with wooden dowels in various sizes and wood glue.

Once the glue cured, the dowels were cut flush with a coping saw and any voids were filled with wood filler. Once the filler was dry the arm was sanded smooth with a mouse sander.

Next, any sawdust was removed with a damp cloth, and the chair arm was stained with one coat of Dark Walnut gel stain with a lint-free rag.

The chair arm is flipped so one side is pointing upwards and the scroll end facing downward. Because the arm is stained rather than painted, the dowel plugs are visible so that side is facing towards the back.

Eight pilot holes are predrilled with a 1/16-inch drill bit (a nail or Awl would work too) and spaced 1 1/2-inches apart along the bottom edge of the arm.

Next, small eye hooks are screwed into each predrilled hole. All I had left in my stash were small gold eyehooks that don't match the silver ones used on the spindles.

Oh well, I'm not going to sweat it because like I mentioned earlier, these handmade wind chimes are all about using what I have on hand so they cost absolutely nothing to make.

Assembling Wind Chimes

I tied an 18-inch strand of clear non-stretch jewelry thread with a triple knot through the eye hook on each spindle.

Then I threaded a mixture of nine small colored acrylic beads and round wooden beads on the clear thread. String the cut end of the clear thread through the beads to conceal it.

Tie the opposite end of the clear thread with a triple knot to the eye hooks on the chair arm. Again slipping the cut end of the thread through the beads to conceal. Be sure to hang the spindles at varying heights.

Wind Chime Hanger

To hang the wind chimes, attach two small eye hooks on the top of the chair arm. Cut a 20-inch strand of white 1.5mm 100% nylon cording and fold it in half. Attach a keyring or 1-inch jump ring to the center of the cording with a slip knot like pictured below.

Thread an assortment of medium-sized beads on either side of the keyring. Tie each end of the cording onto the eye hooks with a double knot and thread the cut ends back through the beads to conceal them.

Ensure the keyring is centered on the chair arm so the wind chimes hang straight. Now head outside and hang the wind chimes from a tree branch and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by these antique chair spindle wind chimes.

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If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this handmade wooden wind chime idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your Wind Chime Ideas or Repurposed Chair Ideas board on Pinterest.

Now let's see my talented friends' ideas for the spin me a spindle challenge by clicking the links below.

DIY CD Spindle Water Feature | A Crafty Mix
DIY Coral Reef Pattern | Birdz Of A Feather
Cement Grim Reaper | Unique Creations By Anita
DIY Spindle Outdoor Bird Perch | What Meegan Makes
Easy Antique Chair Spindle Wind Chimes | Interior Frugalista (that's me)

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.