| Outdoor Christmas Trees |
From "DIY Crafts"
episode DIC-164 |
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Wire Christmas trees to see or not to see. Is it there or isn't it? A tree or not a tree? It was a mystery. By night a yard filled with lighted trees--by day an empty yard. Carol Duvall, host of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show, found the answers to the riddle at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Alkire of Bear Lake, Michigan. Materials:
9' length of angle iron
8' length of 2" PVC pipe
16-gauge wire
Eight metal tent stakes
Short lengths of fine wire
Hacksaw
Many strands of white Christmas lights
- Hammer the angle iron at least 1' into the ground to secure it.
- Saw eight evenly spaced slots about 1/2" deep around one end of the PVC pipe (figure A).
- Place PVC pipe over the angle iron.
- Pound eight evenly spaced tent stakes in a circle around the pipe. The distance from the pipe is determined by how large you want the bottom circumference of the tree to be.
- Secure one end of the wire to one of the tent stakes, pull it up to the top of the pipe, through two of the opposing slits, and down the other side to the opposite stake. Pull the wire very taut and secure it. Repeat with the remaining stakes so that you have eight lengths of wire surrounding the tree (figure B).
- Starting at the top of the tree, wrap the light strands around and around the wires until the entire tree shape is covered. The light strands should be secured to the wires with short lengths of wire to prevent them from sliding down because of wind. If any of the light strands are connected near a wire, the connection should be wrapped with electrical tape as a safety precaution, just in case they become separated (figure C).
Note: - If you live in an area where high winds and bad weather are a rare occurrence, the angle iron may not be necessary. Make a stand for the PVC pipe, and continue as described. The tent stakes can probably be the less-expensive plastic versions.
Tree in a Pot A smaller version of the wire-and-light tree may be made in a large dirt-filled plastic flowerpot. Instead of using tent stakes to secure the wire, drill eight evenly spaced holes around the side of the pot. A 1" PVC pipe can be used. The length is determined by the look you want the tree to have--tall and skinny or short and squat. Saw the slots to one end as described. As with the larger tree, the secret of success is to use many lights (figure D).
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