Tools and Materials

• Sisal rope
• Scissors
• 20-gauge wire
• Wire cutters
• Contact cement
• Pencil
• Clamp
• Triangle template
• Birch (or other tree) branch cross-section, or other scrap wood for base
• Wood glue
• Drill

Sisal Rope Trees How-To

1. Cut two 5- to 6-inch pieces of rope; completely unravel each piece.
2. Cut a length of wire, fold in half, and create a loop at fold by wrapping wire around pencil or pen and twisting once. 
3. Spread out unraveled rope pieces evenly on a flat surface and sandwich within folded wire. Use a bead of contact cement along wire to secure rope pieces in place.
4. Print template and cut out. Lay template on wired rope, aligning center line with wire and the top of the triangle with the bottom of the wire loop, and trace with a permanent marker. Trim tree to shape.
5. Clamp the free ends of the wire to a stable surface. Place a pencil in the wire loop at the top of the tree and twist, finessing the tree shape as you go. Do not overtwist as the wire may break.
6. Trim wire tree "trunk" to desired length. 
7. Drill a hole in the wood base and secure tree in hole with wood glue.

Resources

All tools and materials available at The Home Depot.