How to Make an Aluminum Christmas Tree

Make a Christmas tree from aluminum cans.

While it's certainly traditional to have a Christmas tree in your home during the holiday season, you don't have to use a real tree. Instead, you can create your own tree from empty aluminum cans. Green cans will give your tree a more realistic look, but you can use any color can that you like. An aluminum Christmas tree takes time to make, but the result is well worth your effort.

Things You'll Need

• 400 empty aluminum cans
• 400 construction flags
• PVC pipe
• Christmas tree stand
• Drill
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Place the PVC pipe into the Christmas tree stand. The PVC pipe should be hollow and have a diameter of approximately 3 inches. At this point, you should have a large pole sticking straight up that is the height of your aluminum Christmas tree--it looks like any artificial Christmas tree before you place the branches.

2. Drill small holes around the bottom of the PVC pipe. Drill through the PVC to the empty space in the middle. The wire end of the construction flags will enter this hole, so use a drill bit that matches the size of the wire you have. Start this about 12 inches from the bottom. Holes should be approximately 1 cm apart. You should have between 20 and 30 holes on each row.

3. Place the flags into the cans. This should go into the hole from which you would drink. You should do this for all the cans.

4. Create the first layer of the Christmas tree. Stick the end of a construction flag into one of the holes that you drilled, as far as it will go. It should hit the inside of the PVC pipe. The can will dangle at the end and the wires on the inside will crisscross over each other, helping to support them and keep up the "branches." Place one flag in each of your holes. At this point, there will probably be space between each can.

5. Drill a second row of holes one inch higher than your first layer. Do not drill directly above your first set of holes; drill the holes in the spaces between, still keeping about 1 cm between holes.

6. Fill in the spaces with the next layer. Keeping the same length of flag, place the ends of the flags in the holes to seal in the spaces with more cans.

7. Prepare the next layer. Drill two more layers of holes. Cut one inch off of each of the flags you'll use for these layers. This will start to make the triangular shape of the tree.

8. Repeat these steps until you have a fully formed tree. With each layer of tree, be sure to cut an additional inch off of the flags.

Tips & Warnings

• Use twist ties around the base of your wires to give extra support.

• Make the tree primarily out of green cans, but use other colors as "ornaments."

References

• Mountain Dew Christmas Tree