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Rufus wanted a scratching / climbing post, so I decided to make one for him.
The ones available at the pet stores have several disadvantages: They are usually too short, have too small diameters and an annoying platform which doesn't allow 'full speed' upward.
This design allows you to make a scratching post from floor to ceiling, in whatever length your cat prefer, and it's also very stable and doesn't require any holes or screws to fasten. It is also possible to re-wrap the Sisal rope in the future.
The relaxing platform and staircase described at the last step are optional.
The ones available at the pet stores have several disadvantages: They are usually too short, have too small diameters and an annoying platform which doesn't allow 'full speed' upward.
This design allows you to make a scratching post from floor to ceiling, in whatever length your cat prefer, and it's also very stable and doesn't require any holes or screws to fasten. It is also possible to re-wrap the Sisal rope in the future.
The relaxing platform and staircase described at the last step are optional.
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Signing UpStep 1What you need.
* PVC drain pipe, diam. 110 mm, in a preferable length (floor to ceiling).
* Sisal rope, diam. 8 mm, approx. 47 meter for each meter of the pipe length.
For example: A diam. 110 pipe with length 2.5 m will need 117.5 m.
Sisal rope can be quite expensive, so check out where you can buy it cheap.
An affordable supplier is http://www.ropesandtwines.com (delivers worldwide).
* Tee nuts, M8, 4 pcs.
* Hexagon head bolts, M8, length approx 50 mm. , 4 pcs.
* U-bolts, 2 pcs.
* Fake MDF wood tiles. (Or a similar hard surface material).
* Cork gasket sheet, thickness 3 mm.
* Wood screws.
* Ordinary hand tools.
* And the most important: One helpful and curious cat
* Sisal rope, diam. 8 mm, approx. 47 meter for each meter of the pipe length.
For example: A diam. 110 pipe with length 2.5 m will need 117.5 m.
Sisal rope can be quite expensive, so check out where you can buy it cheap.
An affordable supplier is http://www.ropesandtwines.com (delivers worldwide).
* Tee nuts, M8, 4 pcs.
* Hexagon head bolts, M8, length approx 50 mm. , 4 pcs.
* U-bolts, 2 pcs.
* Fake MDF wood tiles. (Or a similar hard surface material).
* Cork gasket sheet, thickness 3 mm.
* Wood screws.
* Ordinary hand tools.
* And the most important: One helpful and curious cat
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I see that you use the 4 T-nuts and bolts to act an a spanner, then you slip a plate (with a corked side facing the floor ) under the four bolts.
Would the bolted side of the spanner slip from the smooth side of the plate? (My cat is active and is BIG...I want to make sure that thing will be stable...)
I included a picture...maybe that'll help...a picture worth a thousand words ^_^
THANK YOU!!!!
I also thought of the risk of the bolt heads slipping, so I had a backup solution if it was necessary. Depends of the materials and surfaces of the bolt and plate. The friction was enough in my case.
But, if there is a risk that the friction isn't enough, the solution/modification is quite easy:
Just drill some countersunken end-holes in the plate with a diameter just a little bit larger than the screw head. That will fixate the screws in position and prevent slipping. If a harder contact surface also is needed, make the end-holes a little deeper and put a washer in it.
Hope I explained it good enough.
Happy drilling!
/Bengt
When you are finished it would be great with some feedback / photos / comments for improvments or different ideas.
And... don't forget protective gloves... the rope hurts like h*ll when working with it ;-)
The polished copper pipes is another project that I have done (but there is no instructable, yet) and it's part of my solar cell installation. The pipes are used for covering the electrical wiring inside and to give the installation some kind of 'semi-cyberpunk' feeling and runs all around the ceiling. Quite nice actually.
The electrical wires insides the pipes connects to two steel wires which acts as plus and minus for the 12V system. Between the wires there are super bright LEDs (with resistors) to light up the room.
It's good, nicely shown too.
L