On the hunt for an easy (yes, easy!) DIY garden trellis? Look no further than this step-by-step guide to building a tripod trellis from Trellises, Planters & Raised Beds. (It’s so simple to build, we’ll back it up with a tripod pun: “it’s as easy as one, two, three.” Voila. A questionable pun for an unquestionably great project.)
BUILD A TRIPOD TRELLIS
A simple tripod or teepee-style trellis is a classic garden helper. It couldn’t be easier to install, and it folds up into a compact unit for offseason storage. This design uses 2 x 2 lumber for its three legs. Each gets a tapered bottom end for pushing into the soil to anchor the trellis. The tops of the legs are joined with a clever system using some basic hardware. each leg is fitted with an eye lag. When it’s time to install the trellis, you capture the eyes with a quick link, which is a chain link that opens and closes with its own coupling nut. Both eye lags and quick links are commonly available at hardware stores and home centers. Look for eye lags in the general hardware section and for quick links among the chain and rope. Be sure to confirm that the quick link opens far enough to accommodate the eye part of the lag—if in doubt, buy the larger size. This sturdy trellis is perfect for supporting pole beans and other tall climbers.
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
8-ft. rot-resistant 2 x 2s, cut to 72” (3)
¼” x 2½” galvanized or stainless steel eye lags (3)
Galvanized or stainless steel quick link (locking chain link)
1¼” deck screws (1 lb.)
Jute or hemp twine
Tape measure
Saw
Speed square
Sandpaper
Drill
³⁄₁₆” bit
Hammer
Screwdriver
Scissors
1. To build the trellis, first cut the 2 x 2 legs 72” long, then taper the ends. To mark the taper cutting lines, draw a line across one face of each leg, 3” from the bottom end. On one of the adjacent faces of the board, mark ¼” from the bottom side. Connect the line and the mark to create a diagonal cutting line for tapering the leg end. Cut the tapers with a jigsaw or handsaw.
2. Mark the centers of the tops of the three legs, then drill pilot holes for the eye lags. The holes should be about 2” deep. Use a bit just a little smaller than the threads on the eye lag. If the hole is too small the wood may split as you turn the screw in. For the ¼” dia. eye lags seen here, a ³⁄₁₆” pilot hole is drilled. Tip: You can locate the precise center of the board end by drawing diagonal lines from corner to corner.
3. Next, lay the three poles side by side and mark the cord rung locations on each of them. Place the marks 12” apart, measuring down from the top. Pre-drill and drive 1¼” screws at each mark, leaving the screws about ⅜” out so the twine can be wrapped around them. The screws should all go on the long side of the leg (the side with the taper).
4. Connect the legs at their top ends by fitting the eye lags onto a single quick link. Try to keep the legs turned so the screws face outward. This may take a little fussing if the quick link is on the small side—turning the bolts a quarter turn in or out will help.
5. Once the legs are all connected, spread them apart so they’re roughly equidistant and spaced 3 to 5 ft. apart. Push the tapers several inches into the ground so the trellis is stable. Then start wrapping the twine around the legs. Tie one end of the twine to the bottom screw on one of the legs; you’ll tie off all of the twine to this same leg, so choose the least visible leg. Run the twine across to the next leg and wrap it once around the bottom screw, keeping the twine as taut as possible. Do the same at the third leg, then tie off the twine on the first leg. Tie the remaining rungs in the same fashion to complete the trellis.
Set your tripod up in your garden. At the end of the growing season, just pull the legs out, collapse the tripod and store it away until spring. Replace the twine every year or two, as needed.
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Trellises, Planters & Raised Beds: 50 Easy, Unique, and Useful Projects You Can Make with Common Tools and Materials
A step-by-step guide that gives any gardener all the information needed to make garden furnishings that are both simple and beautiful. This book includes 50 complete plans for trellises, raised beds, planters, window boxes, and just about any imaginable project you can make to train and display plants in your garden and around your home. Featured projects are created using a host of easily found materials, including wood, metal, hypertufa, upcycled barrels, clay pots, sticks, latticework, copper tubing, re-rod, wire, landscape timbers, retaining wall block, and natural stone. Each plan includes photographs, a scaled plan drawing, cutting and shopping lists, and thorough step-by-step instructions.
The editors and publishers at Cool Springs Press have combined their decades of experience to create more than 30 best-selling classics on gardening, landscaping, home repair, and remodeling. With the added expertise of the United States’ most knowledgeable Do It Yourself writers and photographers, our state and local gardening books are tailored to specific regional environments across the country, while our renowned series of foolproof home improvement books have long been trusted on both the bookshelf and the job site. View our full catalog at CoolSpringsPress.com or connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/QuartoHomes), Twitter (@quartohomes), or Pinterest (pinterest.com/QuartoHomes).
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