Build Your Own Revolving Yarn Tree by Laura Boylan Thanks go to Juliet Page--her octagonal-post yarn tree instructions inspired this design! The octagonal post with alternating dowels is based on her design, while the revolving base is my (and my husband's) contribution. Juliet’s design can be found at Machine-Knit.com. Don't be intimidated by the length of these instructions! I tried to give as much explanation for each step as I could. These trees are really easy to build! Materials: (this is an exact part list for what I used) (1) 6' 4"x4" cedar post, cut octagonally lengthwise (8 equal sides instead of 4) (Note--cedar posts protect your yarn from moths and smell great! Try a lumber company for cedar posts--my local company also cut this for me for a very nominal charge) (1) 2'x4' 3/4"-thick hardwood (birch) plywood (8) 36"-long 1/2"-diameter dowels (4) 4" corner braces (Stanley zinc-plated steel, part #30-3970) (1) Lazy Susan (Shepherd, 500 lb., part #9548) (8) #8 1-1/2" steel/zinc wood screws, flat-head, phillips (12) #8 3/4" steel/zinc wood screws, flat-head, slot (4) #6 3/4" steel/zinc sheet metal screws, hex-head, slot (1) 4"x3/8" wood screw/bolt Wood glue Coarse & fine sandpaper (60 grit & 150 grit) Fine steel wool (optional) Wood conditioner (MinWax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner) Stain (MinWax PolyShades, I used Natural Cherry) 3-in-1 household oil Tools: Circular saw Sander Drill press Hand drill 1/2" drill bit 5/16" drill bit Misc small drill bits Sanding disc for drill (optional) Vise (optional) Instructions: Using circular saw, cut plywood into (1) 2'x2' square and (1) 1'x1' square. Using fine sandpaper, sand all surfaces of both plywood squares until smooth. Be sure to smooth all sharp edges and corners. Cut all dowels into 6" lengths (96 total). With fine sandpaper, sand all dowels (I found that smoothing and rounding the edges was done most easily using a hand drill with fine sanding disc attachment. I mounted the drill in a vise for stability, turned it on, and held the dowels to the sanding attachment as required to smooth and round the dowel ends.) Coat all sanded dowel pieces with pre-stain wood conditioner and let dry, following instructions on conditioner can. Stain all sanded dowel pieces/plywood squares and let dry, following instructions on stain can. Note that you don't have to stain the bottoms of the plywood squares, as no one will see them! (I found that 1 coat of MinWax PolyShades Natural Cherry on pine dowels matched the color of the cedar post almost perfectly. The same stain on the hardwood plywood results in a redder color than the cedar & dowels, but I still liked the results.) Using fine steel wool, lightly sand all stained wood to smooth the finish. Using coarse sandpaper, sand all sides of the cedar post until relatively smooth. You can use progressively finer sandpaper to smooth the post more thoroughly if desired. I used only coarse sandpaper. Measure and mark the placement of the dowels on the cedar post. On the first, third, fifth, and seventh sides, make 6 marks down the side of the post at 12" intervals, starting 3" from the top of the post. On the other 4 sides, make 6 marks at 12" intervals starting 9" from the top of the post. These marks will be where you drill the holes for the dowels, so be sure the marks are centered. Using a drill press set at approx. a 15-20 degree angle with a 1/2" bit, drill a 1" deep hole on each of the 48 marks made in the previous step. Be sure that the holes angle up toward the top of the post! Lightly sand around each hole drilled in the previous step to remove any snags in the wood. Mark the very center of the BOTTOM of the cedar post, and drill a tap hole for the 4" bolt, using a 5/16" drill bit. Mark the very center of the BOTTOM of the 1'x1' plywood square. (The easiest way to find the center is to draw two diagonal lines, corner to corner--the center is where the two lines cross). In addition, also on the bottom of the plywood square, mark the holes for the blind side of the lazy susan (follow the instructions on the lazy susan package for more specific information). Using a drill bit slightly smaller than the #6 sheet metal screws, drill tap holes on the marks for the lazy susan, all the way through the plywood. Place the 1'x1' plywood face up on a hard surface, and drill countersink holes for the sheet metal screw heads in the existing tap holes. Be sure not to drill the countersink hole any deeper than the screw head, or the screws will prevent the lazy susan from turning properly. Using a 1-1/2" paddle bit, start a hole on this center mark on the bottom of 1'x1' plywood square. DO NOT drill all the way through the wood--stop when the hole is approximately 1/4" deep. This is the countersink hole for the head of the bolt. Change to the 5/16" drill bit and drill into the center of this hole all the way through the plywood. Screw the 1'x1' plywood to the bottom of the cedar post with the 4"x3/8" wood screw/bolt. DO NOT tighten all the way. Place a corner brace against the 1'x1' plywood and the cedar post (be sure to use one of the sides of the post where the brace doesn't cover a dowel hole!). Attach the brace to the post using #8 1-1/2" wood screws. Attach the brace to the plywood using #8 3/4" wood screws. Tighten the 4"x3/8" wood screw/bolt. Center the lazy susan on the top of the 2'x2' plywood square and attach using #8 3/4" wood screws. Now is a good time to oil the ball bearings in the lazy susan (using 3-in-1 household oil) to make the rotation action smoother. Very carefully lift the post with 1'x1' plywood square attached and place the 1'x1' plywood square on top of the lazy susan, matching the tap holes with the holes on the lazy susan. Using #6 sheet metal screws, attach the 1'x1' plywood to the lazy susan following the instructions on the lazy susan package. Be sure that the sheet metal screws actually tap the metal of the lazy susan--this takes a lot of strength! Using wood glue, glue a dowel into each dowel hole on the cedar post. Let glue dry, and the yarn tree is done!!! Please don't reproduce these instructions for anything except personal use without permission! To request permission to reproduce, contact Laura Boylan at lboylan@bcaweb.com. I made 2 trees that hold of total of 96 cones of yarn. Total cost was only $109 + tax for both (would be less if you already have some of the supplies). Material Approx. Cost (2) Cedar posts, custom cut $27 (2) 2'x4' birch 3/4" plywood $23.34 (16) dowels $14.24 screws $5.44 (8) braces $9.52 (2) lazy susan $7.82 wood conditioner $4.45 stain $7.94 sandpaper $3.52 3-in-1 oil $1.73 wood glue ~$2 steel wool ~$2