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First off, what is a bike tree? As far as I can tell, it's a free-standing structure meant to hold one or more bicycles vertically. It's great for keeping bicycles organized, and generally takes less floor space than leaning them up against something. Also, less chance of nicking your hardwood floor with a kick-stand.
I based this design largely off of one done by zzpza, which you can see here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bike_Tree . Being the flat broke student that I am, I wanted to spend less than the 35GBP that he spent. I did. My final cost was $3. Granted, I had a bit of wood I scavenged from an old project, but even if you don't have that advantage it shouldn't cost more than $10.
I based this design largely off of one done by zzpza, which you can see here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bike_Tree . Being the flat broke student that I am, I wanted to spend less than the 35GBP that he spent. I did. My final cost was $3. Granted, I had a bit of wood I scavenged from an old project, but even if you don't have that advantage it shouldn't cost more than $10.
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Signing UpStep 1The Materials
Here's what you need:
(1) 2'-6" x 2' plywood or otherwise planar surface.
(3) 2' long 2x4s
(2) 5' long 2x4s
(4) 3' long 2x4s (approximate, you'll trim these ones down)
(2) 1' long 2x4s
(2) 6" Bike hooks
(30) 2 1/2" wood screws (you can do it with less if you want, or more if you're crazy)
(3) 1 1/2"x2' strips of heavy fabric
As for locations and prices...
Get the plywood from the scrap pile at Home Depot or somewhere similar. It shouldn't cost more than a dollar. If you're in a craigslist friendly zone, you might try looking for people tossing out desks or other stuff. Maybe you can get it free.
if you're planning on buying brand new 2x4s, I'd suggest modifying the design to use alternate materials. If you've got enough leftover plywood from the base piece, replace some of the angled supports with it. It's be an easy swap.
The 6" bike hooks run about 70 cents or so at Home Depot. Don't buy the expensive ones, the cheap ones work just fine.
Get the fabric from rags, an old shirt, whatever. I had scraps of canvas from another project that I used.
I'm not really sure how to get cheap screws, so just buy a handful from where ever.
(1) 2'-6" x 2' plywood or otherwise planar surface.
(3) 2' long 2x4s
(2) 5' long 2x4s
(4) 3' long 2x4s (approximate, you'll trim these ones down)
(2) 1' long 2x4s
(2) 6" Bike hooks
(30) 2 1/2" wood screws (you can do it with less if you want, or more if you're crazy)
(3) 1 1/2"x2' strips of heavy fabric
As for locations and prices...
Get the plywood from the scrap pile at Home Depot or somewhere similar. It shouldn't cost more than a dollar. If you're in a craigslist friendly zone, you might try looking for people tossing out desks or other stuff. Maybe you can get it free.
if you're planning on buying brand new 2x4s, I'd suggest modifying the design to use alternate materials. If you've got enough leftover plywood from the base piece, replace some of the angled supports with it. It's be an easy swap.
The 6" bike hooks run about 70 cents or so at Home Depot. Don't buy the expensive ones, the cheap ones work just fine.
Get the fabric from rags, an old shirt, whatever. I had scraps of canvas from another project that I used.
I'm not really sure how to get cheap screws, so just buy a handful from where ever.
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I haven't had any problems with it rocking, though I've had it backed up against a wall the entire time. It's pretty solid, though. I doubt it'd cause much trouble even if it was separated a bit.
Glad I could inspire. Check out the one I based this on for more ideas, and post some pics of yours when it's done, I'd love to see how it changes :)