  Christmas
Tree Tools
To
begin with, you'll need a few items and a few basic tools to erect your
new Christmas Tree. Tools needed are 1) a hand drill-motor and a 9/64
drill bit, to drill the holes for the wire branches. 2) A side cutter to cut the
wire branches and to bend the wire ends to fit into the Christmas Tree
trunk base and into
the cans.
Christmas Tree Materials
First off, almost any Christmas tree stand will
work. Depending on the height of your tree, you'll also need at least a 2,
or 3 inch diameter length of PVC pipe. PVC piping is relatively
inexpensive and available at most hardware stores in any length.
Probably the most expensive investment, other than
the six or more exhausted cases of Mountain Dew cans, will be the wire that serve as
your Christmas Tree
branches.
Check your local hardware store for availability. You'll
want at least a 1/8 inch diameter wire- (about the diameter of a wire
coat hanger) one that's flexible enough to
hold an empty soda can and provide a little bend and flexibility.
 Christmas
Tree Assembly
Begin with the wire branches. Cut the first bottom row wire branches to size.
Using your side cutter tool- on one end of the wire, bend one
end, one
inch at a 90 degree angle for placement in the truck or PVC
pipe, and bend the other end at 45 degrees to accommodate the
soda can.
Now, depending on the size of your tree circumference,
cut enough branches from wire to complete a bottom row of
approximately 24 branches.
Next, starting at
the bottom of your Christmas Tree trunk, and using your drill motor
equipped with a 9/64 drill bit, drill a hole in the PCV at your selected
height above the Christmas Tree stand for the first row of branches.
For best uniformity and display, ( fig 3 not show in the example) make
sure to stagger the branch holes drilled into the base.
 For
example, drill the second hole up a 1/8 inch and over by a 1/8 inch.
For best results and not shown in the photographs, you will be actually
drilling two rows of holes to complete one circumference of branches
rather than one row all around the tree trunk PCV.
Now, insert the 90 degree bend of the branch into the tree trunk. You
can now easily adjust the position of the branch. On the other 45
degree end, place your Mountain Dew can into the spout opening. Or for
more stability, you can drill a hole into the can as well. Adjust
branch to fit and continue with the remaining row of branches.
The second row/s
of branches should be prepared as the first, though you will have to
shorten (cut) wire branches to obtain the tapper of the tree.
The second row of branches will be inserted approximately four
inches above the first row of branches. Follow suit for the remain
branches as you taper your tree towards the top.
Christmas Tree Building Tips
 1.)
Mountain Dew cans, because of their primary colors green and red,
make a perfect choice for Christmas holiday color display. However,
you can select any type of soda or beer can for your Christmas Tree.
2.) If you don't drink Mountain Dew,
or soft drinks for that matter, ask your friends and family to save them
for you. But be sure to take them off their hands in a timely manner,
otherwise you may come up short when it's time to build your Christmas
Tree. Nobody likes to keep a heap pile of old soda cans hanging around.
3.) Keep your Christmas Tree Green and
clean. Make sure to rinse out your collection of cans as you
acquire them- there's nothing worse than working with a pile of sticky
cans when the assembling begins.
4.) Make sure your drill bit size will
accommodate your branch wire securely. You don't want a lot of play when
inserting your branch wire into the trunk. A good rule of thumb is to
have a 1/8 diameter wire and 9/64 drill bit size for holes made into
your Christmas Tree trunk.
5.) If you are going to place
Christmas presents or items under the Christmas Tree, make enough
clearance by building your first row of branches, well above the
Christmas Tree stand.
6.) Besides the creativity of it all,
this Christmas Tree is fire proof- a great selling point to build one if
your spouse or room mate is in opposition to the idea.
Benefits of Building Your Own Christmas Tree
 1.)
You're Green! Recycling soda or beer cans for good use shows you
are a concerned citizen about renewable resources and preserving the
planet.
2.) Building your own Christmas Tree
shows you have an exceptional attribute for creativity, design, talent
and craftsmanship.
3.) Building your own Christmas Tree
reveals that you have a deeper sense and awareness of the sprit of
Christmas than most people have.
You are a fray above all the rest.
Instead of traditional Christmas mentality, you take the lead and a giant step
thinking outside the holiday sphere of boredom.
4.) Your Christmas Tree is Fire Proof.
No need to worry about sparks igniting this Christmas Tree and
destroying your house during the holidays.
5.) A great conversation piece. People
will be amazed and wish in awe that they had their own "Build your own
Christmas Tree". Your friends and family will be taking about your
Christmas Tree all year long.
6.) You are doing your part saving
valuable natural resources. This Christmas Tree design uses minimal
energy, yet supplies optimum brilliance and illumination like no other
Christmas Tree ever could.
 Build Your Own Christmas Tree
Resources, Links & Articles of Interest
Decorate your "Make your own Christmas Tree" with Christmas Tree lights and ornaments and you're good to go.
Redneck Christmas Tree
As stated above in the intro of this document, this Christmas Tree is
NOT a redneck Christmas Tree. Why
anyone would stoop so low to even think to call it such, has an
extremely limited respect and appreciation for creativity, talent and
art. Now then, if you are asking for and seeking to find a true
Redneck Christmas Tree, following the links below.
The reason for this web page
I simply love the tree! The idea for the Make Your Own Christmas Tree
web page was one day spawned by the delivery of an e-mail from a friend
in my email inbox. The subject was, "A Redneck Christmas Tree".
This Christmas Tree work of art my friends, was not created by a
redneck.
The other reason was... the e-mail came without instructions on how to
build it. So I decided to write the instructions on how I, through the
help of the pictures, would build the Christmas Tree. I added a few
changes in the content that isn't shown in the pictures of the unknown
creator. If you have any significant information to offer me, by
all means let me know. And please, rednecks and yoopers? Don't
write me about redneck comments I made... I won't answer them, so why
type for nothing?
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