Fitting Christmas tree to stand

job with a socket in the centre. The base of the trunk was cut to shape to fit this socket snugly, forming a clean cylinder.

ble is, every tree we've bought since comes with an unshaped trunk, so I ha ve to shape it myself. Fortunately, the socket's the same diameter as my bi ggest holesaw, so I start with that. The holesaw is only about 2cm deep tho ugh, so out comes a hand saw next to trim further, using the holesaw cut a s a guide. The holesaw's also not really suited to cutting wet wood, so tak es ages and there's lots of steam and cursing.

ids waiting inside to decorate it?

the same size as is used when the tree is stuck into a slice of wood. Non-S DS solutions preferred.

Buy a Krinner Christmas tree stand? I picked one up on Ebay in July for a fiver after years of faffing with some ridiculous hydro-stand thing with fo ur plastic bolts. Set the tree up last night in under a minute.

Angle grinder?

Chuck the tree in a lathe... dont spin it too fast or all the needles will fly off :)

Have a look at cheap core drills that appear in aldidl from time to time. They should be getting on for 15cm deep. Or you can buy them individually on ebay

The diamond cutting tips will the completely wrong for the job but either might hack through by brute force or grind them off and fashion some more wood like cutting teeth with the compulsory angle grinder. The tree stumps will be quite soft and the sap should help lubricate the cut.

It is by no means the correct tool but it will probably work.

Probably easier to buy a stand that is designed to take a wide variety of tree sizes.

I have a steel similar device but with an oversized socket. And four hand bolts. Not only grips well but allows you to adjust the tree vertical. Ish.

To me, it sounds like it wouldn't. ;-)

But the trunks seem to be getting fatter. The one I butchered today was slightly too big for the steel stand with bolts. Pruning saw would have been ideal but a plasterboard saw was all I had about my person

For years we had a metal stand with a support tube 150 mm deep and at least 100 mm in bore, which would take the biggest tree that would go under our 90 inch ceilings. This just had three metal screws to centre the stump. Five minute job each time.

Mine is sitting in a bucket full of gravel & water. With luck the water will help it keep it's needles, just like a big cut flower really.

Cut to shape? Too much trouble.

Andy

Cheers Mike for that info, just ordered one from Amazon (SWMBO paid for it) - she reckoned it's worth it if it stops me swearing every year when setting up the tree.

Cash

One year, having left it a bit too late to buy the tree, we ended up with a shorter one that normal. I clamped it in the jaws of the B&D Workmate, and draped a Christmas themed table-cloth over the Workmate.