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Materials
Cedar Limb approximately 8 feet long
10 10' x 1/2" CPVC pipe
PVC pipe cutter
2 cans of brown spray paint
Drill
5/8" wood or paddle bit
Measuring tape
Rubber Mallet
2 bags of Handi-Krete
About one 18 pack of Miller Lite beer
I've seen trees made from live trees, dead trees, 4 x 4 posts, square metal pipe, old dead tree trunks, etc. I chose a mountain juniper limb since they are so plentiful here in the Hill Country of central Texas. As an added bonus, they are easy to cut and drill. After cutting the limb with my trusty chain saw, I pruned off all the limbs and squared off the base and top.
Next, I had to locate some bottles. I found a private recycling center about a thirty minute drive from the house. The owner allowed me to take as many bottles as I needed for a small donation to the recycling cause. The bottles were sorted by color: clear, green, gold, brown, blue and just about every color in between. I picked up about 30 bottles on this first trip, searching for odd shapes, different sizes and colors. Much to my chagrin the blue glass bin had just been emptied so I was able to only pick up three of that color. Once I got them home, I placed the bottles in an old cooler filled it with soapy water and let them soak for a day or two. Most of the labels came right off. For the pesky labels, I used a Dobie pad and some Barkeeper's Helper.
"Planting" the Tree
Digging holes in this part of Texas is typically no easy task, but by a stroke of luck I picked a spot with very few rocks and the digging went fairly fast. The completed hole was about two feet deep and about 18" wide. I set the cedar limb in the hole and my daughter held it in place while I backfilled the hole with cement. I allowed it to cure for a few days.
Painting the Pipe
To paint the pipe, I threaded a piece of surveyor's string through the CPVC pipe using a straight piece of wire tied to one end of the string. This "pulled" the string through the pipe as I stood up on a ladder and held the pipe at a steep angle. Then I tied each end to a live oak tree, about shoulder high, and pulled it tight. This made painting a snap. (I got this idea from Mr. Don Drane at http://usadeepsouth.ms11.net//bottletree.html). He used a ski rope, but I had a heck of time threading my rope through the PVC.
Drilling the Holes and Placing the Bottles
I varied the angle of the holes from roughly 30 to 60 degrees, depending on bottle diameter and length. To measure the length of pipe for a particular bottle, I placed the pipe in the bottle until it touched the bottom and then cut it a few inches above the opening. Depths of the holes varied from about two inches to four inches. If you decide to paint the pipe, you may want to keep a can of spray paint handy to touch up the end of the pipe before placing the bottle on it.
At this point I've placed about 20 bottles. And, it's apparent I need to make another trip to the recycling center to collect some more. This time I'll try to be a little more selective in color. Seems I subconsciously prefer shades of green! And for some reason, I chose only one brown bottle.
More Bottles
I made another trip for bottles. This time I picked up a few more browns, four blues, and various shades of green and clear. I like the clear ones that turn a pale blue when the sun shines through them, like the Bombay Gin bottle. The Jagermeister bottles are an interesting green color as are Welche's juice bottles. I found one small bottle, some brand of tequila, that is short, squat and nice shade of pastel blue with some some green. I put the bottles in my nine cubic foot wheelbarrow and let them soak for two days then removed the labels.
August 24, 2004
I added some more bottles this afternoon and uploaded some images. I ran out of CPVC so it's back to the hardware store.
August 25, 2004
I bought some more CPVC yesterday. Today I painted two pieces and they are now in the drying stage. Major (the quality control supervisor) is wondering just what the heck I'm doing.
Click "Page Two" at the top for more.....
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