A unique head-turner: build your own clothing rail from a tree branch in a few simple steps
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost< 50 £
- Duration< 1 h
Introduction
The floor, your desk chair, the desk itself, your bed – not having the right place to store clothes means they just get moved from one place to the next. This stylish and unique clothing rail puts an end to this clothing merry-go-round. It doesn’t just look great, but you can also easily build it yourself.
- pencil
- ear protectors
- face mask
- work gloves
- screwdriver
- pocket rule
- safety glasses
- g-clamps
- Tree branch (for example birch, with or without bark) approx. 1.5 m in length
- Screw hooks (approx. 30)
- Steel cable
- Wire clips
Let's go - step by step
Cut the tree branch to length and sand it
You need: NanoBlade saw, Multi-sander, g-clamps, safety glasses, ear protectors, face mask
Get hold of a suitable tree branch. You can look for one while you’re out on a walk or ask a forester. Make sure you check whether you’re allowed to take the branch with you. Once you’ve found the perfect tree branch to make your clothing rail out of, saw it to the desired length. The branch in our example is 1.5 m long. It’s up to you how long you want your hanging clothing rail – and therefore your branch – to be. Secure your branch to your workbench with G-clamps. Use a saw to shorten it and don’t forget to wear protective goggles, ear protection and gloves. Also, remove any twigs and other branches that are in the way. You can sand the rough ends. You should also wear protective goggles, ear protection and a mask while sanding.
Measure out intervals for the hooks
You need: pocket rule, pencil, mandrel / screwdriver
In this next step, you will measure out the spacing for the screw hooks on the tree branch. Do this by lying the pocket rule on the branch and marking out the intervals. We’ve gone for 5 cm between each hook, but feel free to choose whatever spacing you like. We’ve used a bradawl for the markings, but you can also use a screwdriver or a sharpened pencil.
Drill holes for the hooks
You need: Cordless Drill, Wood Drill Bit Set
Once you’ve got the markings for your screw hooks just how you want them, you have to create the holes using a drill. It’s best to use a 3 mm wood drill bit to do this.
Drill holes for the steel cables to hang the rail
You need: Cordless Drill, Wood Drill Bit Set
Mark where you want to thread the steel cables through on each end of the tree branch. You can use these cables to hang your clothing rail anywhere in your home. To do this, drill the two holes using a small drill bit (3 mm). Then, use a larger drill bit (8 mm) to enlarge the holes you’ve drilled on the underside of the rail so that wire clips can be fully inserted into them later. How deep you drill the hole using the 8 mm drill bit depends on the size of the wire clip.
Screw the hooks in
You need: g-clamps, screw hooks
Screw all the hooks into the holes you’ve drilled. Later, you can hang your clothes on them. It’s entirely up to you how many hooks you use.
Thread the wire cables through and seal them
You need: steel cable, wire clip
Thread the steel cables through the holes and screw down the wire clips so you can hang your DIY clothing rail safely and without a problem. The clips disappear into the larger holes you drilled into the tree branch and can no longer be seen.
You’re almost finished! Now, you just need to hang up your new clothing rail and you’ll have somewhere perfect to show off your clothes. You can do this either with screw hooks or dowels, depending on the material and strength of your wall. Use your cordless drill to drill the holes in the wall you’ll need to safely hang up your rail.