First Mega Tree

[breese]

I am starting to build my first mega tree.
My Sasquatch tree is on order. I have the Nodes and Strips needed for it.
After reading a lot of threads and watching a lot of video's, I decided to take the advice a Lot of people have given and Save my hands from all the pain!  
After a little thought I decided I would make use of what I have already.

1x1 wood board
1/2" whole bit
1 Old short 3/8 drive extension
1 Old 9/16 socket
a drill, table saw, a drill press, and small vice.

First I drilled a 3/4 deep hole in the 1x1 on my drill press, then with 3 passes on my table saw with a sharp crosscut blade I cut a space on either side of the hole for the pixel wires.

Next I cut the wrench end of the 3/8 extension, mounted it in drill press, and placed the 9/16 socket on it.

I put the wood in my small vice and place it on the drill press.

After setting the alignment and height, I can now use the drill press to press the strips onto the nodes with almost no effort.
This also allows me to be a little OCD and make sure all the wires are straight and even from node to node.....

Hole drilled and slot cut
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Inserting nodes into strips.
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[breese]

Made 2 small changes to the Pixel tool (plus a correction to the above post).
The socket is a 7/16 not a 9/16 and switched to a deep well socket.
Second thing was I wanted to have Eyelets on the top to help with the strain.

I took the other end of the cut off extension over to my grinder and gave it a ruff half moon shape.
Then I mounted the extension in my drill press and used a metal file (while the press was running) to clean it up and round it off.

Now I have a single tool to push the nodes into the strips and put the eyelets in.
If anyone has a mill, here is your chance to make a tool to do the same thing and possibly make a few bucks...  lol


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