rainyoregonchristmas Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Here is a short video of the prototype bracket I have designed for a sturdy folding mini tree. I'm really pleased how this bracket turned out. Take a look and let me know what you think. http://vimeo.com/61980862 The finished tree is a few weeks away, due to my need to procure my own mill. I have however come up with some great solutions that plagued me with the other style of tree. One of which will be to replace the center post and spacer sleeves with a solid 7/8" by 4 1/2' round rod. I'll then drill holes for support pins at regular intervals which the brackets will rest on when the tree is erected. When I'm finished it will truly be a mini tree design to last for years and years. -RainyOregonChristmas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Here is a short video of the prototype bracket I have designed for a sturdy folding mini tree. I'm really pleased how this bracket turned out. Take a look and let me know what you think. http://vimeo.com/61980862 The finished tree is a few weeks away, due to my need to procure my own mill. I have however come up with some great solutions that plagued me with the other style of tree. One of which will be to replace the center post and spacer sleeves with a solid 7/8" by 4 1/2' round rod. I'll then drill holes for support pins at regular intervals which the brackets will rest on when the tree is erected. When I'm finished it will truly be a mini tree design to last for years and years. -RainyOregonChristmaslooks great!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) I don't mean to sound stupid (or make that stupider than I already am) but I don't recognize what your device is for, or how it translates into a mini tree. I'm old-school. My mini trees are made from tomato cages. No milling, no steel rods, no pins... the design couldn't be much simpler or easier to construct, and yet they've lasted for going on six years now with no apparent signs of impending failure. What am I missing here? Edited March 17, 2013 by George Simmons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 What am I missing here? The American way of taking something simple and making it more difficult... I do it all the time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I don't mean to sound stupid (or make that stupider than I already am) but I don't recognize what your device is for, or how it translates into a mini tree. I'm old-school. My mini trees are made from tomato cages. No milling, no steel rods, no pins... the design couldn't be much simpler or easier to construct, and yet they've lasted for going on six years now with no apparent signs of impending failure. What am I missing here?some of us have requested an alternative to the made in China stick trees, something that is easy to store and will last more than one season. He is working on several prototypes for "mini stick trees" that vary in height from 3' to 6'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Here is a short video of the prototype bracket I have designed for a sturdy folding mini tree. I'm really pleased how this bracket turned out. Take a look and let me know what you think. http://vimeo.com/61980862 The finished tree is a few weeks away, due to my need to procure my own mill. I have however come up with some great solutions that plagued me with the other style of tree. One of which will be to replace the center post and spacer sleeves with a solid 7/8" by 4 1/2' round rod. I'll then drill holes for support pins at regular intervals which the brackets will rest on when the tree is erected. When I'm finished it will truly be a mini tree design to last for years and years. -RainyOregonChristmasLooks stronger than a BRICK S***T HOUSE (LOL) I LIKE IT!! I have one question, will the finished product have some type of coating over it to prevent rusting .......Or do we have to load it up with WD40 every season?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shubb Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Does someone have a picture of the "China stick tree"?I don't think I'm familiar with that term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Blair Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 They look like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202725342?productId=202725342&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202725342&ci_kw=%7bkeyword%7d&kwd=%7bkeyword%7d&cm_mmc=shopping%2d%5f%2dgoogleads%2d%5f%2dpla%2d%5f%2d202725342&ci_gpa=pla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Looks stronger than a BRICK S***T HOUSE (LOL) I LIKE IT!! I have one question, will the finished product have some type of coating over it to prevent rusting .......Or do we have to load it up with WD40 every season?? he plans to powder coat them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 If it's worth being done, it's worth being over done! I'm not saying that this tree will withstand the end of the world, but if I build you a tree, and its not still standing after a Nuclear Winter and the resulting Zombie Apocalypse, I'll buy it back from you. This tree design is what happens when you turn a guy loose in a shop who has some crazy idea about how to build something better. I know a tomato cage will work for mini trees, they've been used for years with great success. But, just like a Civic will get you to the grocery store just fine, sometimes you just need to take the Bugatti instead. To answer the questions, yes, I am planning on having them powder coated. As far as durability and longevity that will work best for a coating. Now that I have the prototype done, I need to figure out the best way to manufacture the parts. I want to make sure that cost does not dictate quality. If I try to make them cheap, I'll defeat the purpose of why I started this project. I didn't want to just replicate a China style stick tree, I wanted to completely re-engineer it. I started with the mantra I use at work, would this be something I would be happy buying. In short, yes, I would be VERY happy to buy a tree like this. I'll keep you all posted in the progress. -RainyOregonChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Status Update: As I started this project to answer a question and solve a group problem, I want to make sure the group as a whole will benefit as a result. The first prototype design seems to have fallen flat, no interest in having those made. But it seems that more of you like the folding idea better. So I am looking instead at having these made in a large run. Personally, I'm now planning on six folding stick trees in my front yard, which will take 36 folding brackets for branches and 6 brackets for the tops. I don't have a cost for them yet, as I'm waiting for bids to come back. However, the more I can have done in one run, the cheaper they become as the costs spread out. Ideally I'd like to have a run of about 120-300+ brackets (Enough for 20-50 five and a half foot trees.) There has been interest in having them done both as a pre-made kit (full tree) and as a DIY (Brackets and mating 1/4 x 1/2" steel stock only). If you want to join the project PM me and I'll put you on an email list. When we have enough requests, I'll have a run made. When you PM me let me know how many trees you're interested in, and what sizes you would like. That way I can get the best idea of the size run we'll have. -RainyOregonChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Got a bid back today...eeeEEEeee...I knew this was going to be top notch, but WOW! It was a bit more than I had budgeted. I'm going to check prices on two more pieces of material I'll need for the brackets, then I'll have a final price for the DIY brackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've spent the last two weekends preparing for the NW CLAP. I'm on track to finish everything to make the debut of the Sturdy Mini Stick Trees on Saturday morning at NW CLAP. For those that want to see the progress, here is a link to a picture of all of the aluminum brackets. http://sdrv.ms/108fdeD The brackets are 99% finished. I just need to catch one more hole on the tree topper then the brackets will be finished. These are a little thinner than I was planning, but that was the material I had available. The final brackets will be at least .200 taller. (The prototype was 1.000, the revised part will be 0.800) As far as the rest of the tree: I first need to tap all the holes in the aluminum.Second, a little drilling on the steel components.Third is paint....and lastly assembly!!! Oh, and did I mention attaching the RGB lights. All said and done I'm planning on this just being a 3.5 foot stick tree. That'll be the perfect demo size. -RainyOregonchriStmaS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 (edited) The Folding Mini Stick Tree is Done!!! How about we name it a "Rainy Tree". It sounds better than the-replacement-to-the-folding-china-stick-mini-tree. So I'm sure you all want to see the final prototype. It does lack a base, but I can explain that later. So here's a video of my tree and some testing I did. http://vimeo.com/65522875 The tree was first unveiled at NWCLAP yesterday. And it had quite a positive response, infact I have several people who would like sets of them. So let me know what you think, and yes, be honest. Your ideas can lead to changes for the better. The tree in the demo is a 4 foot tree. I can make them anywhere from 3-6 foot. Just be aware, I would supply just the bracket, branches, tree topper and mounting screws. The center post is not cost effective to ship, but I'll give you all the details on what to use. (the cost of the center post in the demo tree was only about $4.00, but would cost a whole lot more to ship, a 21 foot stick is about $20.00) As far as the base, the response I got back at NWCLAP was that many guys would like to make their own, or simply slip the post over some rebar. I do have a base in the design phase and will let ya know when it is finished. Oh, one more thing, all of the aluminum parts would also be clear anodised. PM me if you want further details.-RainyOregonchriStmaS Edited May 6, 2013 by rainyoregonchristmas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LORi P Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Looks GREAT!! Thanks for all your hard work putting this design and prototype together!! Do you have any pictures from a little further back so I can get a feel for how much of an angle the branches point up? It looks like they are just slightly above level.Also, I'd like to see the overall shape of the tree from further back. This is a matter of personal preference, but I tend to like trees that are a little 'fatter'. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 This is a matter of personal preference, but I tend to like trees that are a little 'fatter'. Lori likes her trees the same as her men!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 It's a little late for me to be thinking tonight... but I'll post some photos of the tree from a distance tomorrow...(later today after I finally go to bed). I figured that depending on the number of bracket sets you used, a five and a half or six foot tree would be between three to three and a half feet across at the base. The way I have it set up is that the top tier, the tree topper, has branches 5" long. Then each sucessive set of branches is two inches longer (for a total of 4" between the two), 5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19 (individual branch lenghts). You can use as many or as few branches as you like, depending on your preferred fullness for the tree. Just remember, there is a limit to how many holes you can put in a pipe before it becomes swiss cheese. In those cases, I would use solid rod, or pipe with a thicker side wall. There is an angle to them, but I forgot my gage at work to measure it. I'll do that tomorrow night. Now, I'm just gonna got to bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 There was a request for more close up and distance shots, so here you go.. Here's a selection of photos of the mini tree.http://sdrv.ms/18ZtYWv http://sdrv.ms/18Zu7tahttp://sdrv.ms/18ZueVA http://sdrv.ms/18Zum7q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 There was a request for more close up and distance shots, so here you go.. Here's a selection of photos of the mini tree.http://sdrv.ms/18ZtYWv http://sdrv.ms/18Zu7tahttp://sdrv.ms/18ZueVA http://sdrv.ms/18Zum7qYou do realize using high priced models to show off your wares usually just drives up the cost of the product!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyoregonchristmas Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 Good thing I'm also her agent. And when it comes to Christmas stuff, she's also my employee... she works for Candy Canes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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