Monkey poles

[Steven]

G'day,

I had a small area in my garden that I wanted to be able to display bonsai so decided to build some monkey poles.

2009 January (1).JPG

First I cleared the ground and made it a bit level.

2009 January (8).JPG

Decided where I wanted the poles to sit and then dug small pier holes.

2009 January (2).JPG

The posts are 90mm x 90mm treated pine and each one is supported by half a bag of rapid set cement.

2009 January (4).JPG

2009 January (5).JPG

You have to move pretty quick as the rapid set hardens within minutes but it is critical that you get the posts level!

2009 January (3).JPG

2009 January (6).JPG

Once they are in you need to let the cement cure before you can do anything else. If not you risk having wobbly poles.

2009 January (7).JPG

The tops are just 300mm x 50mm treated pine that is screwed into the tops of the poles. If you are going to have large trees displayed then I would recommend having brackets under them for support.
I decided to paint mine in a traditional Japanese style red - Dulux Fire Engine Red.
The following pictures are how they look today. It's been a couple of years now since I built them and they are as strong and sturdy as they were when they were built.

2011 September (2).JPG

2011 September (1).JPG

In my opinion, the key points to consider before building them are;
• Design your layout first. Heights of poles and placement.
• Make sure they are far enough apart so trees don't touch or shadow each other.
• Build them to be sturdy!
• Check and double check that they are level.
• Ensure they are in a sunny spot with easy access for watering.

If anyone has any other tips for building monkey poles or pictures of them please add to this thread.

Regards,
Steven

[phantom]

Very nice Steven 2 questions how deep did u dig below ground level? and are the trees on turn tables. regards phantom

[Jarrod]

Very nice Steven. Would you have spaced them a bit further apart if you were to do this again?

[Mojo Moyogi]

Great Job Steven, I would happily have these in my backyard and that is coming from somebody who designed and built gardens for a living. Love the fact that you set out to build them well and delivered. I quite like your use of colour, have you considered a darker grey for the platforms on top of the poles? It may show the form and colour of your pots off a little more and tie the colour scheme in with the background. I built a set of poles for a client using rendered Hebel blocks for the columns that were then finished with a rust effect paint, from Porter's Paints in Melbourne. The tops were 400x400x35mm thick Granite with a hammered finish that gives them an old worn look. They cost an awful lot to build, but that was what he wanted and they really worked well with the very large (backbreaking ) trees set out on them.

Cheers,
Mojo

[Steven]

Very nice Steven 2 questions how deep did u dig below ground level? and are the trees on turn tables. regards phantom

G'day Phantom,
The shorter ones were about 300mm deep and the larger ones were about 450mm deep.
Nope, no turn tables.

Very nice Steven. Would you have spaced them a bit further apart if you were to do this again?

G'day Jarrod, yes I would have spaced them a bit further. Nothing like hindsight!

Great Job Steven, I would happily have these in my backyard and that is coming from somebody who designed and built gardens for a living. Love the fact that you set out to build them well and delivered. I quite like your use of colour, have you considered a darker grey for the platforms on top of the poles? It may show the form and colour of your pots off a little more and tie the colour scheme in with the background. I built a set of poles for a client using rendered Hebel blocks for the columns that were then finished with a rust effect paint, from Porter's Paints in Melbourne. The tops were 400x400x35mm thick Granite with a hammered finish that gives them an old worn look. They cost an awful lot to build, but that was what he wanted and they really worked well with the very large (backbreaking ) trees set out on them.
Cheers,
Mojo

G'day Mojo, thanks for the compliment mate. I was hoping that the platforms would have gracefully aged to a nice grey but due to them being treated, they haven't. I might resort to painting them and charcoal or black would probably be my choice.
I'd love to see pics of the hebel and granite ones you built if you have any.

Regards,
Steven