Arches!

[Brian Mitchell]

Arches may take a little time to wrap, but set up time is nothing. Pound in two stakes, set the arch over them and done. You cannot say that about a megatree.

[gizmomkr]

Comon - a MegaTree is a piece of cake - just throw up a pole and hang some lights around it.

I really think you COULD say that about any piece. It all seems easy because the people making the videos have done it so manny times... But I just didnt think it would be quite that time consuming.

Everything is a snap to set up - just plug it in. Programing is easy to - just click some squares!

It all reminds what I tell customers in my real job every day: "Everything YOU do is easy to YOU because your good at what you do - thats why someone pays you to do it." Everything I do is strange and difficult in there eyes... Thats why they pay me to do it.

Bottom line: Im glad they do what they doo, and they are glad I do what I doo.

Too bad we dont all get a big fat check from Santa.

Whats even funnier - I dont even celebrate Christmas - Im Jewish!. The wife says we should do a big PVC Menorah. But Chanukah is Dec 1st... way before Christmas.

[Steven]

gizmomkr wrote:

But Chanukah is Dec 1st... way before Christmas.

Most of us turn on our lights the day after Thanksgiving. I think you'd be ok.

My coworker, who is talented, but ofter overlooks simple things, decided one year to put up a lighted star for Christmas. The lights just happened to be blue, since that was what was in the store, and without thinking about it, by accident, he made the star 6-pointed.

His neighbor said: "I didn't know you were Jewish." He's not.

[Harbs]

Nice looking arch!! I used to think the same thing "pain in the butt" when it comes to

installing the lights on an arch. Then I came up with an easier method.

I called it the sleeve concept. You can find some information on it in

Planet Christmas. Just do a search for "arch sleeves" or check the forum for

DIY " Arches". You simply wrap the lights on a small sleeve and put the sleeves on the

longer section of PVC. Much easier to wrap and maintain the smaller sections than

messing around wqith a 14 ft. piece of PVC.

Harbs

[Surfing4Dough]

Harbs wrote:

Nice looking arch!! I used to think the same thing "pain in the butt" when it comes to

installing the lights on an arch. Then I came up with an easier method.

I called it the sleeve concept. You can find some information on it in

Planet Christmas. Just do a search for "arch sleeves" or check the forum for

DIY " Arches". You simply wrap the lights on a small sleeve and put the sleeves on the

longer section of PVC. Much easier to wrap and maintain the smaller sections than

messing around wqith a 14 ft. piece of PVC.

Harbs

Just a few days ago after reading some of these posts in this thread I looked it up and bookmarked it so I could reference it over this next month as I start making my arches (first timer). So it was "easy" for me to find and "easy" for me to post it here too. Now if I could just figure out a way for somebody to pay me to post things, since I am good at that.

http://forums.planetchristmas.com/showthread.php/36584-Easy-way-to-make-arches!!!

[rgardner518]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

[Guest Don Gillespie]

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

Won't need the tato twister just started wrapping the arches this morning for next years display took me about an hour to do seven I like how they look couldn't have done it with out this thread.

Attached files

[rgardner518]

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

Won't need the tato twister just started wrapping the arches this morning for next years display took me about an hour to do seven I like how they look couldn't have done it with out this thread.

What size pipe do you have them wrapped around?

[Guest Don Gillespie]

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

Won't need the tato twister just started wrapping the arches this morning for next years display took me about an hour to do seven I like how they look couldn't have done it with out this thread.

What size pipe do you have them wrapped around?

I used 1" PVC for the lights and I have 12" PVC for the inside sleeve that will bend into the arch just have 14 more to wrap should be done by 3 today

[rgardner518]

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

Won't need the tato twister just started wrapping the arches this morning for next years display took me about an hour to do seven I like how they look couldn't have done it with out this thread.

What size pipe do you have them wrapped around?

I used 1" PVC for the lights and I have 12" PVC for the inside sleeve that will bend into the arch just have 14 more to wrap should be done by 3 today

I'm a little lost! If your wrapping your lights around a 1" piece of pvc pipe, (Which has a inside dia of about 3/4"), How are you using a 1" piece for the arch? They will not slide on over it?

[TJ Hvasta]

I wrapped 32 sleeves over the July 4th weekend, using (I think) 1 1/4" pvc, cut to 12".. They slide over a 10' 1/2" pvc pipe. Others use 1" or 1 1/2" irrigartion pipe, thinner walls, much more flexible.. I just went with the Sched40 pipe tho you can use the thinner drinking pipe (Sched20 I think)..

I wrapped mine tight, came to 11", I trimmed the sleeve length after wrapping each so they would butt up against each other, wire againt wire, no gaps. I don't know how some are getting 16" sections..

I think Don was saying he uses 1" over 1/2".. I went with either the 1 1/4" or. 1 1/2" over my 1/2" arch pipe.. (I don't remember which I used.. 1 1/2" I think..

[rgardner518]

TJ Hvasta wrote:

I wrapped 32 sleeves over the July 4th weekend, using (I think) 1 1/4" pvc, cut to 12".. They slide over a 10' 1/2" pvc pipe. Others use 1" or 1 1/2" irrigartion pipe, thinner walls, much more flexible.. I just went with the Sched40 pipe tho you can use the thinner drinking pipe (Sched20 I think)..

I wrapped mine tight, came to 11", I trimmed the sleeve length after wrapping each so they would butt up against each other, wire againt wire, no gaps. I don't know how some are getting 16" sections..

I did the way you said. But I believe I used 1" or 1 1/4" black drinking pipe over 3/4" pvc pipe And it works great! But don says he used 1" to wrap the lights on, and he will be sliding them on 1" pipe. Not I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, But I don't think I 1" pipe can slide over another 1" pipe, unless you do something major to the design of it. Or Is this flying RIGHT, over my head?

[TJ Hvasta]

I'm pretty sure he just dropped the 2 after the 1".. It was supposed to be 1/2" I'll bet. I use the 1/2" for the arch.

[Guest Don Gillespie]

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Don Gillespie wrote:

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Holdman's Arch-making video

Anyone interested, I have a Presto Tater Twister for sale. I bought with the intention to use, but went with the sleeve idea, instead! Yours yours free! All you pay is shipping! Just let me know!

Won't need the tato twister just started wrapping the arches this morning for next years display took me about an hour to do seven I like how they look couldn't have done it with out this thread.

What size pipe do you have them wrapped around?

I used 1" PVC for the lights and I have 12" PVC for the inside sleeve that will bend into the arch just have 14 more to wrap should be done by 3 today

I'm a little lost! If your wrapping your lights around a 1" piece of pvc pipe, (Which has a inside dia of about 3/4"), How are you using a 1" piece for the arch? They will not slide on over it?

Ok thats why I shouldn't try to type 50 words a minute so I am going to go back to the standard 2 words per minute 1" for the arch lights and 12" pipe for the inside sleeve sorry for the confusion the pipe fits perfectly however my fat typing fingers don't work so well.

[Guest Don Gillespie]

TJ Hvasta wrote:

I wrapped 32 sleeves over the July 4th weekend, using (I think) 1 1/4" pvc, cut to 12".. They slide over a 10' 1/2" pvc pipe. Others use 1" or 1 1/2" irrigartion pipe, thinner walls, much more flexible.. I just went with the Sched40 pipe tho you can use the thinner drinking pipe (Sched20 I think)..

I wrapped mine tight, came to 11", I trimmed the sleeve length after wrapping each so they would butt up against each other, wire againt wire, no gaps. I don't know how some are getting 16" sections..

I think Don was saying he uses 1" over 1/2".. I went with either the 1 1/4" or. 1 1/2" over my 1/2" arch pipe.. (I don't remember which I used.. 1 1/2" I think..

Thanks for correcting me what I do on the 16" sleeves is when I cut them I cut them at a 5 degree angle seems to fit pretty good

[Guest Don Gillespie]

TJ Hvasta wrote Or Is this flying RIGHT, over my head?

Just wanted to see if you were paying attention LOL darn fat fingers and small keys on my laptop

[Ineedmorelights]

I'm still in rookie status, but with this being my first year I didn't think to look for a PVC arch forum before I made mine. I'm fairly pleased with the way they came out though. I have four 30' arches over my drive way. The way that I went about it was one 10' pipe with rebar at the base and a 45 degree angle, then a 5' pipe with a 4 way manifold at the end, followed by another 5' pipe and 45 angle then a 10' pipe secured by rebar. The four arches are connected by the four way manifold at the top with one final one to my house. Each arch has 500 lights on it and it has been holding up quite nicely.

I'm sure there are much easier ways to do it, but i'm happy with the way it came out.

[Surfing4Dough]

Though I think this has been posted here before, I think maybe it needs posted again since it appears there are a new round of newbies visiting:

Easy way to make arches using arch sleeves:
http://forums.planetchristmas.com/showthread.php/36584-Easy-way-to-make-arches!!!

http://forums.planetchristmas.com/showthread.php/39647-Arch-Sleeves

[TJ Hvasta]

Yep, I was going to repost those threads too..

As Don said, sleeve method is quick and easy.. from the very first wrap to the last zip-tie, I can bang out a sleeve in 7-8 minutes, an arch is done in a lil over an hour..

For the New Kids On The Block (I prefer that to newbies), dont forget, if you want arches but ya arrrrre Channel-ly Challenged.. you can mirror each arch, meaning, plug each respective segment into the same channel:

Arch 1, segment 1
Arch 2, segment 1
Arch 3, segment 1, etc into channel 1

Arch 1, segment 2,
Arch 2, segment 2,
Arch 3, segment 2, etc into channel 2 and so on..

that way, you can add several arches to the remaining channels you have. The arches wont be able to leap from one to the other, but the leaping effect of 2, or 3 or 4 arches going at the same time is still amazing!

[Mark Showalter]

This is my first year with LOR. I just started in October. I have a nice 20 ft. tall Weber tree, 5 mini trees and two of the four arches built.

This site and these forums have been invaluable. I would not have been able to get as far as I have in this short time without the shared knowledge you all provide.

My question is about the sequences for arches. I have 7 sections for each arch. I've been able to create the leaping effect but I have seen other effects on various videos that have been posted on LOR. The effect I'm most curious about shows every other channel being lit at the same time as they move up and over the arch. For the life of me I have not been able to sequence that. What am I missing?