Tensegrity Passionfruit Climber

Here's how a tensegrity passionfruit climber can be re-purposed from a thrown out clothes airer.

Having come across a thrown out Clothes Airier it gave me the idea that it could be re-purposed to make a tensegrity tower, suitable for a passionfruit plant to grow up.

1. The Corners were cut from the clothes airier using a small pipe cutter.
2. These corner where bent inwards to about 60 degrees, some of the corners squished in a bit and while this could probably be have prevented by filling the tubes first with sand, I wasn't too concerned about it.

Cut each side of a corner to be the same length.

If some of corners a longer than other arrange them from the longest to shortest.

Wooden plugs for the ends can be made from suitable diameter dowel.
They are tapered with a rasp and then inserted into the ends with the use of a 'persuader' (otherwise known as a hammer).

A hole is drilled into the end and a eye hook screwed in.

Two are joined with a bolt and nut as shown in the photo.

A base can be made from a couple of timber 4 by 2's as shown in the photos. (In some countries it's called 2 by 4's and referred to as lumber)

Here's how they are connected together. You might like to add some glue and screw them together.

The bottom unit was fixed to be base by drilling a couple of holes, inserting some dowel and striking them with the persuader.

The units are suspended above the base unit using cord. You will able to work out how to supend then one above the other with a bit of trial and error. The method which worked well for me was to have a cord come up and then across (see highlighted in a photo above). With two main cords running from bottom to top, giving vertical support.

No knots were tied in this project. Instead a bolt, washer and nut system is used to secure the cords between the compression members.

Heat the cut ends of the cords with a lighter and then clamped with a pair of pillars to stop them fraying. Don't use your fingers as the melted ends will be hot. Hint: do this after you have finished tightening the stand.

Tighten the cords by loosening the bolts and nuts slightly and pulling the cords to tension the stand.

After placing the stand in your garden, plant a passionfruit next to it.

1. Dig a hole.
2. Add in some potting mix and the passionfruit plant.
3. Water well.

Check on the Passionfruit plant every few days, it is interesting to watch how it 'knows' the Climber is there and starts to climb up it.

Keep the plant watered and every couple of weeks give a little liquid fertilizer.