DIY java tree/grapevine tree stand/table top-need guidance :)

[wishforabird]

ok, I have decided to do this on my own because $100 for a glorified branch screwed to a piece of wood (that isn't laminated for cleaning..DUH) just ...well....I can't justify the cost.

so I ordered a nice grapewood branch from jungle beaks, and am on the prowl for a good piece of wood to screw it to.  I will use two pieces of wood, so there is a hollow area under the main platform where the branch's wingnut will have room to be.

here is my question..the platform... can I get wood from the home depot and stick a piece of 1 foot square (self-adhesive -BIIIIG sticker) laminate tile to it?

the sticky underside will be stuck to the surface of the wood to create the platform's "floor", and the birds will not have contact with it... or a piece of laminate wood like that used in furniture. is that better?

I need feedback and ideas for this, I wanna do it right :)

[steptoe91(tozie)]

i use untreated wood from home depot/lowes for all my home projects. i also use shelf paper to make it easier to wipe up. cause the wood absorbs the poo.
it seems like the self adhesive tile would be fine...as long as it's big enough that you only need one. if you use more than one, you're gonna have a crack that will hold debris. is one foot square big enough base? the base for marley's table top playgym is 2x2. you want to have enough weight on the base to keep it from toppling over when he plays on the branches. even tho he doesnt weight alot, it will pull it over when he goes to the edge of the branch. or at least that's what happened to me....well, skittles.
it took a few times and a few projects for me to understand the physics of the whole thing. i cant wait to see your project!    you gotta take pics. before, during and finished product. so i can shamelessly steal your design. 

[Sondra]

we use newspaper on top of the wood, just pick up and toss. Your base should extend 6 -12 inches past the farthest branch sticking out from the main trunk so it won't tip as Wishy said. Drill a hole in the center of a piece of plywood drill a hole in the bottom of the branch and use a long thick screw  ( I think they are called I-Bolts) to connect the branch to the plywood. Attach 1-2 inch trim to the bottom all the way around (so the bolt doesn't lay on the table and make the whole thing rock).

[Ditty]

I am thinking the same thing about using the tiles for mine however I am not using plywood.  My reasoning is that IF the bird does in fact get to it, plywood is made up of thin layers of wood held together with GLUE to make it stronger.  It just makes me too nervous.    I have used the tiles before on things and the crease in the seams are pretty tight if you do it correctly.  Just make sure You get a fairly flat tile without all the nooks and crannies that they can have.  And I know at Home Depot we had gotten "extras" that were basically being thrown out for only a few cents a peice!!

[wishforabird]

yeah, I figured i would beg for scraps, LOL. When I think of "plywood" I think of the solid wood planks, not particleboard..sorry, I don't know all the terms of all this stuff  ! LOL 

I want this to be nice and solid..and heavy..no TIMBIIIIIRRRD!  if it falls, he will never get on it again (nor would I) 

[Ditty]

Plywood IS the big planks, and I was not talking particle board either.  Look on the edge of plywood and you can see the separations.

[Sondra]

The last table-top stand hubs made the base was cabinet grade maple - it was supposed to be a door for a cabinet in the kitchen, but the bird we were fostering needed a table-top playgym. that was a year-ago and I'm still waiting on a cabinet door. LOL!! we use plywood bases for all of our birds full-size playgyms, each base is then framed out with pine so there isn't a worry about a bird getting to the plywood. Of course if you'd like to make a full size playgym you could always do this:
http://landofvos.com/diy/diy_projects.html#tree

[wishforabird]

ohh plywood like for attic floors/sub floors, etc. OKAY! I got it noW!  I was thinking the solid wood planks like you would use for making furniture and shelving.. 

thanks!!

when the branch arrives, I will see how big it is and decide on the base measurement from there.

[steptoe91(tozie)]

that's what i use, wishy, solid wood planks. if you need it wider than the plank you can use brackets to secure them together. tho, i did use plywood for the base on marley's table top playgym. tho, its covered and has 2x4 sides so  its impossible for even him to chew the base... and that's a neat trick with the master of disaster.