Mother's Pyramid Trellis
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Whether you live in Phoenix or Nome, 100-square feet of enclosed, environmentally controlled space for plant germination is a godsend. We designed our greenhouse to be not only lightweight, capable of being assembled and disassembled in 20 minutes, storable and durable, but also just as happy covered with plexiglass or flexible-weather sheeting as it is open to the wind as a trellis. The individual sides of the trellis pyramid can be used either lying fiat or pitched on the side of a building, where its wining plants can offer shade. Climbing plants will find the trellis a home as will plants housed within, which will thrive under the shade of the vines.
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To begin building MOTHER'S Pyramid Trellis, start by cutting your pine strips into 3-foot lengths. A total of 225 linear feet should give you 75 pieces—72 for construction and three extra. Although this cutting can be done with a hand saw and a miter box, you might want to have this done at a lumber yard if you don't have access to a table or chop saw. Whichever method you choose, take care to keep the cuts consistent.
The next step is to drill holes at equal points at both ends of each length. A simple jig is made by cutting one of the extra strips in half. On the end of one of those pieces, make a mark equal to the width of the strip using either a ruler or the other half as your guide. Locate the drill point by drawing equal diagonal lines in the resulting square (see diagram). Drill a 90° hole through the piece. Now, placing a new length on a 2" piece of 2x4 scrap wood, align the jig flush on three sides. Holding the piece steady with one hand, drill through the bottom length. Repeat this process on both ends of all 72 pieces.
Having completed this, you can begin assembling the four pyramid sides. Lay out six overlapping triangles for each side in the appropriate manner (see diagrams 1,2,3). Line up your drill points and insert the screws through the holes from underneath with washers at both ends. Fasten with wing nuts. Use 1 1/4" bolts at the three outer corners and 3" for the central hub. All other junctures take 2" screws. Until you're ready to erect the Pyramid on site, fully tighten only the wing nuts of the bottom center triangles.
Because the trellis is composed of staggered triangular units, the meeting points vary according to the number of pieces. To accommodate the difference in width and tension on adjoining sides, flexible fasteners are used. These are fashioned by cutting 16 2 1/2" pieces of hanger strip. Holding each piece at the center hole with a pair of pliers, bend to an approximately 100° angle. These homemade brackets will provide the necessary support to connect the pyramid sides.
