Anyone with Japanese Styled Monkey Poles?

[fore]

1. Nice looking elegant design. Good craftsmanship.
2. At least with 2 german shepards thieves aren't a problem.
3. Chicago being the windy city I would be fearful of toppling over. But you do have flat tops on the base so you can weigh them down with cinder blocks or sand bags if need be.

Thanks Dirty Nails (lol, great name ). I appreciate your comment. And yes, the top of the base is 2x4's, so I can def. put a cinder or sand bag on top if needed....good idea btw.

 

[Smoke]

I too kind of think it maybe too tall. Though the purpose is not to ease watering/weeding, but to have it eye level to appreciate it. I have a worktable and turntable that works just find for those other purposes. Also, I have 2 German Shepherds who love to eat turface/pumice/lava/grit...so they have to be at least 30" off the ground.

Any other thoughts?

Thats true...

I put mine into shows and displays to appreciate them. I have too many to keep all of them display quality year round in my back yard. You should see my benches right now, I have two giant pyracantha bushes that are out of control. They will be managed back into bonsai this weekend.

 

[mcpesq817]

Way to top heavy for me.

I like to keep mine low for watering, weeding and moving.

Just cinderblocks with large pavers on top.

That's been my set up too. Pretty low maintenance and cost, and easy to move around if need be. I do like Brian Van Fleet's set up though

 

[Poink88]

Thanks Dirty Nails (lol, great name ). I appreciate your comment. And yes, the top of the base is 2x4's, so I can def. put a cinder or sand bag on top if needed....good idea btw.

Another option to using weights are pegs & tie down. A bit better looking too.

 

[tmmason10]

Way to top heavy for me.

I like to keep mine low for watering, weeding and moving.

Just cinderblocks with large pavers on top.

Just curious, are these placed together with or without mortar? I assume you just stack them plain but was just checking.

 

[GrimLore]

That stand is a very nice design but will need a wider base if I copy it down the road. Here the winds relocate even heavy items on a pretty regular basis. Again - Nice work and ty for sharing!

 

[fore]

I made some adjustments, I lowered the ht. of the larger one, even lower than the smaller stand. I also made the smaller stands' top smaller.




Now I just need to put 3 coats of Urethane on it.

 

[Poink88]

Very nice stands!

If you are patient enough...spar (marine) varnish would work really well. It cures/dries super slow though.

 

[tmmason10]

Those are looking pretty good, nice work.

 

[fore]

Very nice stands!

If you are patient enough...spar (marine) varnish would work really well. It cures/dries super slow though.

Thanks Dario!

I got Helmsman Spar Urethane from the depot. I see Lowes carries spar varnish/high gloss only. Do you think the varnish will be better/longer lasting than the spar urethane? I'm not too familiar with these outdoor sealants.

 

[fore]

Those are looking pretty good, nice work.

Thank You Tom. I put a lot of work into these, but am very happy how they turned out. I had forgotten how much enjoyment I get working with wood

 

[Poink88]

Thanks Dario!

I got Helmsman Spar Urethane from the depot. I see Lowes carries spar varnish/high gloss only. Do you think the varnish will be better/longer lasting than the spar urethane? I'm not too familiar with these outdoor sealants.

Its been a while and not sure how these two stack up. Maybe you can do an online search? Note that some manufacturer uses names that is not REAL. Most notorious I know is "Tung Oil". Lots of manufacturer's sell it but if you look at their list of ingredients...it doesn't contain any or if ever, very low amount!

Spar varnish is used in outdoors and marine applications, it resists UV damage and water penetration so it protects wood really good. Other finishes usually crack/fail under the elements much faster. Higher VOC will dry faster (not environment friendly) but I believe they perform better than water based. Technology is changing though and the gap is narrowing down.

As mentioned, the downside is the slow curing. Last I used it, it took more than a month before the tackiness disappeared. Good thing for you, it doesn't have to a "furniture" grade finish so you can afford dust specs or finger prints on it. MAYBE you can use it in a week if the imperfection won't bother you.

 

[GrimLore]

 

[fore]

LOL Grimlore!

I haven't finished yet as I decided (OCD lol) I had to fill the gaps with wood filler where 4x4 meets legs. One all sanded and ready for varnish. Still need to sand the smaller still. No biggie, I was in no rush.

Dario, yes, not trying for furniture grade. fort. the basement is rather dust free.

 

[GrimLore]

Any recent picks of that project

 

[Cadillactaste]

I made some adjustments, I lowered the ht. of the larger one, even lower than the smaller stand. I also made the smaller stands' top smaller.

View attachment 38984
View attachment 38985

Now I just need to put 3 coats of Urethane on it.

Those are self sustaining bases? Hm-mmm I am thinking... Great job by the way!

 

[fore]

Sorry Grim, the project got stalled. So they are downstairs still unfinished. I guess I'm not looking forward to applying the varnish and all that sanding lol Besides, it'll give me something to do this winter

Darlene, yes, they stand on their own. I've seen some other self standing poles that simply bolted the 2x4s to the 4x4, just as affective and a lot easier to make than the joinery that I used. And, if I make more, I'll prob. move up to 6x6 posts.

 

[fore]

I was referencing this thread and I realized I hadn't updated it. I decided to not varnish them and let them be exposed to the elements, they'll turn a nice grey with time. They are rock solid and are to me, extremely attractive.

However, the next ones will be sl. different:

Taller/Eye level. I like seeing the whole tree without contorting my body to see everything. Thx ?BVF for the idea...it's been awhile

6x6" Post instead of 4". Just looks better.

Chucktownbonsai posted in a thread that he used pea gravel and sand instead of concrete to place his posts. It's a non permanent setup (which apparently works ), which sounds great to me as I don't plan on living here in Chicago long term. So I'll try this next yr and save me the work of making the feet. Thanks CTB for the idea!