The Orchid Tree (Completed at Last)

Lumber, wood, all woodworking materials were and continue to be affected by inflation (what consumer goods are not?).  So, I had to go to my stash of rough lumber I have accumulated over the years.  Below are pieces I salvaged from a palette that one store threw away as trash.  I dismantled it and kept the good pieces.

The old fashion way was to use hand tools to smooth-finish the material.

After a few minutes of it and thinking it would take me the whole day, I quickly abandoned the idea.  I realized there was a better way.

First, the jointer made quick work of flattening one face first and both the edges.  All pieces done in ten minutes.

Another ten minutes at the thickness planer were all it took for all pieces to have uniform thicknesses.  It actually took longer to set up the machine because I had to get it out of the corner of the shop, connect the dust collection system and refamiliarize myself with the tool (last I used this power tool was at least two years ago). 

At the table saw  I tapered the edges to the hexagonal angle of 60/(30) degrees.  

Cut to final length

Cut dadoes at each end of the pieces before final glue up (below)

Below I taped the outside six pieces before gluing up the edges

Flipped the faces for glue application

The hexagon column glue up using band clamps

Below, I cut two hexagon end pieces.

The bottom end piece will receive the "Lazy-Susan" hardware to the base. This allows for the tower to turn smoothly on ball bearings.  This will not only allow for even exposure to indirect light through the windows, this will also allow for showing the blooming orchids which are likely to be at different times in the future.

Below: glue up of the two end caps.

Tip: Drill four 3/4 inch holes on the base to access the screws that will connect it to the bottom of the hexagon column.

Below: These pieces will become receptacles for the small orchid pots while staying with the hexagon theme.

Attaching the holders

I bought three small orchids to complete the ensemble (below)

The orchid tree is now complete

I am more than fairly confident I finally cracked the secret to watering and caring for orchids.  But I will also be the first to admit, like some million others, that for a long time my string of failures resulted in several orchids going to flower heaven or plant compost, until about two months ago.  The larger orchids below had their blooms but are now showing new buds and new leaves coming out.