Twisted Juniper Cat Tree

Intro: Twisted Juniper Cat Tree

I have two cats that I absolutely adore and had been wanting a cat tree for them for quite a while. My husband refused to have the "eyesore" of one of the regular carpet cat trees in our living room. Our solution was to create a cat tree that is both artistic and functional. Living in the high desert of Bend, Oregon at the time, junipers were very abundant and almost a bit of weed as far as trees are concerned. I love the contrasting colors and the unique shape of this tree. It also serves a dual purpose as our Christmas tree during the festive season. Best of all, our cats love it! 

Comments

[asdfsemicolonlkj]

Hi, I tried downloading Instructions. Both links contain 4 pages
never mind. found instructions from Uptonb, (very similar looking).

[Jon Arend]

Hi guys, you still around here? It's been awhile.

But I love
your creation, have been thinking about building something very similar
from some beautiful, hard Taxus wood that we had to cut last year.

How
did your tree do after all these years? I'm especially wondering about
the base: how heavy does it have to be/how wide does it have to be to
give proper stability? Any additional thoughts on this? I definitely
dont want to screw into the floor, and would prefer if the tree can be
free standing (without support from a wall, for example).

Thanks so much for sharing this!
J

[jeanniel1]

Perfect - This is so easy to make just so long as the bottom is anchored well, and the platforms are secured to good branches. Thanks for an awesome share!

[Kezia9]

I can't get the pdf to download.. link below doesnt work :(

[sweetdestiny1]

When did instructables start charging for their Instructions? ?

[RayneP]

this is what we have been looking for, I could have written just what you wrote-2 cast-husband thinks trees eyesore, yada yada. He really likes yours but He cannot make this.

Are you interested in making us one? And what do you think would be fair price.

Help! my cats are bored!

[InTheory]

OMG my snakes will love that! Redtail boas are simi aborial even when they are adults, babies can't stop climbing.

[drgnflyz]

Beautiful! Could you share how you made the cat tree? I really want to make one out of a big piece of driftwood for my two cats. Thanks!

[laxcatcreations]

We have finally gotten around to writing a post with the details of how we made this cat tree. It is in 2 parts (links are below) as it was quite a long process. I hope there are some tips in there that will help. Drift wood is an awesome idea for a cat tree, by the way!

http://laxcatcreations.com/2012/08/21/twisted-juniper-cat-tree-part-1-base/

http://laxcatcreations.com/2012/08/28/twisted-juniper-cat-tree-part-2-platforms/

[Bialar]

Nice! How did you make the base strong enough to hold the tree + cats?

[laxcatcreations]

There is a few hidden components in the base of the tree:
- 5/8" x 24" all thread
- 5/8" square plate washer (or the widest and strongest washer you can find)
- 5/8" nut and fender washer
- Construction adhesive (must bond to wood and metal)

The base is a 5-1/8" x 18" x 18" glulam beam from a house I was building.  I notched the bottom of the beam just enough to counter sink the washers and nut (~ 1")

Using a 16" long - 1/2" diameter drill bit, I drilled into the base of the tree as far as possible. After making sure the hole was clean and clear of wood shavings, I filled the hole with the glue.  I had to wait a few minutes between filling to let the air escape.

Once the hole was full of the adhesive, I drove the 24" long all thread into the hole. This was messy as much of the glue was forced back out. Once the all thread was all the way in the hole, I drove it into the tree and additional 5" with a small maul (4 lb sledge hammer).

We let the tree sit for about a week to ensure the glue was dried and secure as possible.

Using the glue again, we spread it around the base of the tree, then lifted the glulam base onto the all thread. Using the largest washer first, we torqued the nut down. This sucked to the tree to the base. I didn't get to medieval with wrenching the nut as I didn't want to pull the all thread out of the tree. We let that set for a few more days, then gave the nut another twist.

While this design is pretty stout, the width of the tree up high does result in some bounce when the cats jump around.  We can only defy physics for so long.

- Tom

[Penolopy Bulnick]

That is the best cat tree! I hope the cats don't mind the lights, because they really go well with the tree!