Build your own wedding arch
- Difficultymedium
- Cost40-70 £
- Duration1-3 h
Introduction
Regardless of whether you’re celebrating outdoors or at a romantic location of your choosing, you can add that special touch to your ceremony with a DIY wedding arch. Once you’ve built the arch, you can decorate it anyway you’d like based on the theme of your wedding. You can go bohemian style and adorn it with flowers or wrap it in fairy lights to create a bright and vibrant atmosphere. Our step-by-step guide will show you how to build your very own wooden wedding arch with ease.
Have you heard about our 18-volt system yet? It offers a very wide variety of devices for many uses. The thing that makes the project below so special is that you can use the same rechargeable battery for every part of this project. Simply swap out the battery pack, inserting it into a different device that is part of the 18-volt system, and continue to the next step.
It should go without saying that your safety is paramount throughout every step of the project, so make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the correct protective clothing you need when using each type of tool in our overview.
Preparing the timbers
In step one, secure a squared timber with a standard length of two meters to your workbench using G-clamps. Use a pocket rule and a pencil to mark out one meter on the squared timber. Then make the cut using the saw at the marked location (image 1). Because you’re using the 18-volt system, you can also take the rechargeable battery from the jigsaw and connect it to the next 18 V tool you’ll be using.
Sand the cut edges (image 2).
Repeat this step seven more times until you have 16 boards, each measuring one meter in length. Place eight of the boards to the side (boards B) since you won’t be needing them until step 3. You’ll require the other eight (boards A) for this step.
Optional: If you want to paint the arch, use a brush or spray system to apply a coat of paint since this would be more difficult and take much more time to do once the arch is fully assembled.
Drilling holes in boards A
Place eight of the boards from step 1 on your workbench and use your protractor to check if they are all parallel and at the same height. Then, secure them in place using G-clamps.
Now draw a point in the middle of the board at the 37 mm mark, measured from the short side, and make three more markings at intervals of 241 mm. At the end, you’ll have a total of four markings on each of your squared timbers.
Attach the 18 V rechargeable battery from the multi-sander you used in step 2 to the cordless combi drill. Next, drill a hole at the first marking (37 mm from the edge) using a 4 mm Brad point drill bit. Then use a 3 mm Brad point drill bit for the other three holes (image 1). Repeat the steps above with each of the other seven boards. Place a piece of scrap wood under the squared timbers.
Drilling holes in boards B
Place the other eight boards from step 1 on your workbench and use a protractor to check if they are all parallel and at the same height. Then, secure them in place using G-clamps.
Also draw a dot in the middle of the board at the 37 mm mark, measured from the short side, and mark three further points at intervals of 241 mm.
Next, drill a hole at the first marking (37 mm from the edge) using a 3 mm Brad point drill bit. Then use a 4 mm Brad point drill bit for the other three holes (image 1). Repeat the steps above with each of the other seven boards. Also place a piece of scrap wood under the squared timbers.
Screwing the arch together
Since the wedding arch will be 2.5 meters in diameter when you’re done, you should work on the floor.
Lay the eight boards (A) down so that they overlap (see diagram). Screw together the boards. Begin by inserting a screw through the top 4 mm hole into the 3 mm hole below it (image 1).
Boards B, which are joined to form a second octagon, are now screwed in an offset position to the octagon made of boards A (see diagram). Connect the two octagons by tightening the screw from above through the 4 mm hole on octagon B in the 3 mm hole in octagon A below it (image 2).
If you did everything right, there should be two screws connecting each of the slats that make up octagon A to octagon B (image 3) and two connecting the slats that make up octagon B to each other at the corners (image 4).
Cutting off the excess wood
Raise the double arch you just screwed together off the ground by clamping it to two wood trestles.
Saw off the excess wood (image 1). With this done, the arch is complete (image 2). Since all the sides are the same, you can decide what side you want on top and what one you want on the bottom. Now sand the cut ends.
Finally, you can adorn the arch with flowers or other decorations to suit your taste (image 3).
Fixing the arch to the ground
It’s important to get someone to assist you when you are setting up the arch. Make sure to fasten two long cords to the top half of the arch on both the left and right side. Push a tent peg or a claw hook into the ground 1.5 meters in front of and 1.5 meters behind the right part of the wedding arch. If the ground is hard, you can use a hammer to push in the hook or peg. If at all possible, place the two anchors next to the wedding arch in such a way that they are set off to the side. Now tie a knot and fasten the two ends of the cord to the pegs or hooks. When you are tying the knot, have someone hold the arch to keep it upright and make sure the two cords are drawn taut. When you’re done with the right side, repeat the same steps for the left side. Here’s a little tip when everything is up: Place small decorations on the cords to make sure they’re easy to see. Your DIY wedding arch is now finished.