We've been busy here. Finished the laundry room then we took some time off to make this cat tree. Now I can get back to making beads and maybe even working on some new images for Beeswax. Wally gets to work on finishing the bathroom remodel.
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First Look :: Solar Storm
3 years ago
Now THAT is awesome. Any tips or how-to suggestions for those of us who are carpentry-challenged but want to keep our cats happy?
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, that is one gorgeous cat tree! Your kitties are very lucky.I'm in the process of trying to make the ultimate cat tree for my own critters. For the base, I'm using a very heavy night stand. It has 1 drawer with an open "box" area beneath the drawer. I removed the drawer and its hardware, and the cats immediately claimed the box for their bed. Next, I'm going to attach cubes and platforms that reach to the ceiling. Will probably take me eons to complete, and I'm sure it won't look as awesome as Wally's!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I'd like to feature your wonderful cat trees on my blog, News From the Holmestead. May I have permission to do so? I will give Wally proper credit, of course! ~ Sherrie Holmes
ReplyDeleteSure Sherrie! :)
DeleteThank you, Amy! I will do my post in draft form and set it to go live soon. Will let you know when I do so. ~ Sherrie
DeleteHi, Amy! Do you have any notes/tips on making your lovely cat-glade? About how long did it take you? I'm very tempted to try it myself, with the aid of a handyman for the sawing.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
We worked on it together for maybe five different days for 2 hours at a time. Then I did all the carpeting which was a job on it's own. It's definitely not a one day project.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work! Would you mind sharing how you attached the tree branches to your floor mounting piece? Or better yet... a basic walk through tutorial to give us an idea how you approached this? Been a dream of mine for yours but no idea where to start! Thank you! Diana
ReplyDeleteI second Diana's tequest! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I thought I answered that question. We used large wood bolts with a washer and a lock washer. The bolts are like these: http://site.windowboxstore.com/images/yswimages/mounting-stucco-wood-bolts.jpg You pre drill a hole first just a bit smaller than the diameter of the bolt and then screw it in.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Did you cut the branches at certain spots to fit platforms in at the ideal place or were they fitted through a cut whole in the board?
ReplyDeleteThe branches stop at each platform and are screwed in. I'll post a couple of pictures at the top I took while we were making it so you can see.
ReplyDeleteI have been collecting and pinning playgrounds, shelves and trees in search of the right one for our cats and yours is by far the best I've ever seen. I love it! The website with similar trees as yours are just so much money....Will you consider making another? Please can we talk about it?
ReplyDeleteDebbie, there is a reason that site charges so much. It was hours of work over at least a month and many arguments of which I was right on all of them...lol. :) That site is worth the money. I can't see making one for any kind of profit at all after all the hours we spent.
DeleteI know this picture is old but amazing tree. I'm reading through the comments and I see what type of bolts you used. But how did you attach a lower and continuing upper branch into the same spot on the platform? Are they slightly staggered and it's just not noticeable in the picture? How has the stability been? Is it massively heavy and that is what keep's it from tipping over or does it have more to do with the 3 core branches in a triangle form on the base?
ReplyDeleteThey are staggered just enough to get a bolt through so it just gives the appearance that the "tree" goes straight through each platform. The stability is good because the bottom platform is so large, plus it's very heavy. You also need to have the weight spread out over the base which is why we used the three large base branches. The only thing I would do differently is not glue the carpet on the way I did. Our newest cat has made it her mission to rip each loop of carpet off the underside of each platform....sigh.
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