How to make a mini trellis for your houseplants

Hi again.   Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather.  I know I am.  I have been awfully busy outside in the garden but I am also trying hard not to ignore our indoor green things.   Today we are going to make a cute little mini trellis to help support our baby mandevilla plant.  Proxxon makes the perfect tools for this easy little project.

                                Check it out

 

←This is not pretty😔                                                                                                                             This is better!😁→

I made this first trellis, because I had an amaryllis plant that was so tall but soooo droopy   It looked awful and I was afraid it would break.  Tied to the stick on the left,  it looked worse!!  
I made the trellis on the right about 40" tall and it seems to be working out great.  I am looking forward to some pretty blooms this year.

Now I have a new mandevilla plant that I think will look great on a small trellis so I am going to make another smaller trellis and share with you how to do it.  It is super simple, takes very little material, and I think it looks pretty.

To get started let's see what we need. 

Proxxon mini bandsaw

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

scrap wood. (I used a scrap piece of 1/4" plywood)  1 1/2" x 18"

wood glue
rubber bands and/or small wood clamps
water putty or quick wood.
krylon crystal clear or other sealer

Plaid paints 🖌  👧 to make it pretty

The first thing I did was to cut my piece to about  16" long.  My piece was already 1 1/2" wide so now it measured 1 1/2" x 16 inches.   

 Then I drew 2 parallel lines 1/2" apart down the length, stopping short about 5" from the end that I will cut to a spike.  Stop the cutting about 1.5" short of the start of the spike.
 (My pot is 6" deep).

I cut on the lines I drew with the Proxxon mini bandsaw.  I know I said it before but I say it again.  It cuts like butta!
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I want to spread the sides of my trellis out from the center but it is being difficult so I will make a few cuts just before where the spike starts.  This will weaken the wood a little so I can split them apart.  Don't worry we will strengthen this part a little later.  But be careful to keep the attachment to the spike part intact.

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Ok now it splits so I can fan it out to the shape I want.   I laid it over a 1/2" wide strip of the same plywood and penciled in the shape I would need to cut to use as a spacer.  Again I used the Proxxon mini bandsaw to make the cuts.

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I glued the spacers in place with some good wood glue and held it with rubber bands until it was dry.

I made 2 sets of these, one towards the bottom and the other up near the top. 

Next I cut 2 sticks to the approximate shape overriding the place we had "weakened" for our split.  In the picture below I have glued them to either side and am holding it with a clamp until dry.

Everything gets a good sanding with the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander.

***Because I used some cheap plywood scraps I noticed I had gaps and voids along the edges and also where I had added the extra support so I made up a little water putty and filled the holes.  This is easy and works well.  After sanding and painting it will be hard to tell it was plywood. *** 

Now on to our final touches.

I chose Plaid Paints to make my new trellis pretty.  I first chose the multisurface white paint as my foundation then sponged on some pretty pink and green color.  Later, I sealed it with krylon crystal clear so it will be shiny and last a long time. 

 All done!

I think it is really pretty and actually quite sturdy.

  You can customize this project so easily to fit your needs.   The way the little mandevilla plant is growing, it looks like I will need to find a bigger pot and make another taller trellis soon.  👍

 

Thanks for visiting.  Let me know what you think.  Be brave and give it a try.  It really is a fun and easy project.     Thank you Proxxon for making awesome tools, and Thank you  Plaid for your marvelous paints.   Be sure to check out their websites, So inspiring!!

  Till next time.  Play safe and have some fun!  Carol