tangentially related to orchid- who makes their own supplies? what and how?

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by Ray

Instead, I run fairly heavy wire vertically through holes in the corners, bending a "U" at the bottom, then using needle-nose pliers to form a loop at the top, where the hangers attach, while simultaneously tightening the stack.

That's the technique I use also.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by Ray

I am not a fan of wooden corner pins. I purchased a few baskets made that way, and having the most surface-to-volume ratio, the pins are the first thing to fail.

Instead, I run fairly heavy wire vertically through holes in the corners, bending a "U" at the bottom, then using needle-nose pliers to form a loop at the top, where the hangers attach, while simultaneously tightening the stack.

I can see your point about the wire providing a place for attaching hangers, but if the corners are assembled flush in all directions, and the pins glued with a good polyurethane glue, there is no exposed surface on the pins except the very ends. Being an old woodworker,(I have built a lot of projects for the home over the years) addressing exposure issues for outdoor projects is key.
That said, your wire method would also allow a way to replace any parts which might fail with ease.

[Leafmite]

It has been mostly DYI being creative for me, not building. I had to learn everything from experience in the early days of growing and it could be very, very frustrating. The two books in the library, for instance, said that orchids needed a greenhouse and had to be potted in either Osmunda fiber or tree fern...or a combination of these. Ha ha. The 'orchid bark' and 'orchid moss' I found for the Phals sold at the big box hardware didn't work for my growing conditions and I didn't want to grow Phals (no fragrance). It was a tough time to decide I wanted to grow orchids.
The internet has made everything so much easier for growing and acquiring orchids.

[rbarata]

I buy 2m wood strips and cut them by hand as needed (the baskets are built according the size I need).
You'll find several youtube videos on how to buld them, although they're not needed as a basket is a simple thing.

[DirtyCoconuts]

excellent!1 thanks all

i was going to use the wire method as well..a pin nailer to secure the bottom slats.

I think that the big bog store has cedar in 1x10 and 1x8 that should be good for just setting that fence and cutting 60-70 strips- that should be plenty to play with and maybe try a plaque or raft first

[Ray]

Something else you might consider for rafts of vertical mounts, using your "bottom slats" thinking:

Make a several-layer thick "stacked grid", with each slat layer being oriented 90° from the one below it. Last time I did that, each of the slats was 1/4" thick x 1/2" wide, with layers spaced 1/4" apart, and there were 9 layers altogether (see attached for VERY rough sketch).

The idea is a very open wood structure (cedar absorbs well) that stays moist and airy with lots of surface area throughout its depth for roots to attach to. I suppose you can think of it as a shallow basket filled with slats, usable vertically or horizontally.

[DirtyCoconuts]

So you do this with no medium? Brilliant

[DirtyCoconuts]

hell yeah!!

you dragged that a KM??! you are a beast lol

i cant wait to see what you create

is it super heavy? it might be teak which would be amazing

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

hell yeah!!

you dragged that a KM??! you are a beast lol

i cant wait to see what you create

is it super heavy? it might be teak which would be amazing

Yep, super heavy, there was no way I could have lifted it into my SUV. Arms felt 5 feet long by the time I got home

Hubby just said, 'what, more junk!' He really doesn't get upcycling, gardening, orchids ...... It does have some benefits - there's no discussion about what goes on outside, I do what I like! (Same goes for inside as well, he just doesn't realise )

[Orchid Whisperer]

Fuerte Ray's post reminded me of recently recycling in the OTHER direction.

When I was a graduate student, I built a plant stand with fluorescent lights for my modest orchid collection. I built what I could with limited funds and tools, but ended up with a wobbly not-so-great plant stand.

Years later, I built a much better plant stand, and consigned the old one to use as storage in the garage. It wasn't great for that either. This year I did a major garage clean-out. What to do with the old stand? Being a proud cheapskate, I completely dismantled it, used about 90% of the wood plus a little extra hardware to make a super-strong storage rack for outdoor garden tools: