- 1). Make the trellis slats. From the board, saw six, 9-foot wood slats. Cut six wood strips down the entire 9-foot length. Measure each piece 7/8 inch thick on the six inches side of the board. When cutting with the draw, cut evenly down the length.
- 2). Cut one piece into cross pieces. Take the sixth strip. Measure three cross pieces: a 4-foot 7-inch long top piece, a 3-foot long middle piece and a 1-foot 5-inch long low piece. Draw short marks. At each mark, Cut through the strip. Sand all slats and cross pieces with 120 grit, 180 grit and 220 grit sandpaper.
- 3). Assemble the base, and secure. Before assembling, make eight spacers for the trellis base. The spacers support the base in between the slat bottoms. From the 9 foot piece, cut a 1/8-inch strip 56 inches long. Mark off eight spacers, 7-inches long. Cut the spacers.
Use the screwdriver and eight wood screws to attach the five slats at the bottom. Place the 7-inch spacers right at the bottom and four more inches up. On each side of the base, put through two screws where each spacer set sits between the slats. You might want to use guide holes to avoid splitting the wood. - 4). Form the fan by attaching the cross pieces. You make the fan shape by spreading the slats wide on the top cross piece, quickly narrowing the spread at the middle cross piece and making a small fan spread above the bottom.
To secure the cross pieces, begin with the top piece. At the trellis top, with 3 inches of slat above the top cross piece, screw the cross piece on the front of the middle and two outer slats: middle, then right and then left. Attach the 2nd and 4th slats to the top cross piece with screws. Place the middle cross piece at 6 feet 3 inches and attach to each of the 5 slats. Secure the low cross piece 8 inches above the top spacer height. - 5). Paint the trellis in garden colors of white, green or brown. You are ready to set the trellis in its place near your climbing plants, and let the flowers and vines grow up as they wish.
Source...