72″ tall cat tree plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
• Miter saw, or circular saw in two passes, for 4×4 posts
• Stud finder
• Level
• Staple gun
• Utility knife
• Countersink bit
• Hammer
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Mark and drill the base and platforms

   On the base (A), draw each post's 3 1/2″ square: centres 3 1/2″ in from the edges, the tallest post (D) at the back-left corner, which goes against the wall.

   Inside each square, drill 4 pilot holes about 1″ in from the square's corners, straight through the base. Turn it over and countersink them so the screw heads sit flush underneath.

   On each platform (E), draw the post square the same way, 3 1/2″ wide, where its post meets it: centred, or as close to centred as the base allows. Drill and countersink 4 holes in each from the top.

   • Tip Number the posts and platforms in pencil as you go: they are all different lengths and easy to mix up.

   ✓ Hold a post on each square: the 4 holes all land inside its end, at least 3/4″ from its edges.

4. 4Sand and finish

   Sand every face and edge of the base, platforms and post tops with 120 grit, then 180 grit, always moving along the grain (the lines in the wood). Sanding across the grain leaves scratches that the finish makes darker.

   Soften every sharp edge and corner with a few strokes of 180-grit paper on a block, so edges don't splinter or chip.

   Vacuum the dust, then wipe with a tack cloth or a barely damp rag and let it dry 10 minutes.

   Use a water-based polyurethane or a water-based paint: they smell less and cure faster than oil-based finishes. Skip anything labelled "exterior only" or for decks.

   Brush on thin coats along the grain, sanding lightly with 220 grit between coats once each is dry. Three coats on surfaces that get wet or scratched.

   Let the finish cure a full 7 days before your pet uses it: pets lick, chew and sleep on it, and finish that is dry to the touch is not yet cured.

   • Tip Pine goes blotchy under stain. If you want colour, brush on a pre-stain conditioner first, or use a gel stain.
   • Tip Finish the back and underside too. Wood that is sealed on one side only can cup as the seasons change.
   • Tip Work in a warm, dry, well-ventilated room. Below about 50°F (10°C) most finishes dry slowly and cloudy.

   ✓ The surface feels smooth and even, with no drips on the edges and no dull, dry patches.

5. 5Wrap the posts in sisal

   Wrap the bottom 24″ of each post (B, C, D), starting right at the bottom end. You need about 256 ft of 3/8″ sisal rope.

   Staple the rope end to the post with 3 staples on the face that will point at the wall. Wrap it tight around the post, keeping each turn hard against the last.

   Every 4 or 5 turns, push the coils down with a scrap block and a tap of a hammer, so there are no gaps for claws to pull open. Every 6″, run a thin bead of wood glue along one face before you wrap over it.

   At the top of the wrap, cut the rope, glue the last 3″, staple the end on the wall side and tuck it under.

   • Tip Wrapping before the posts go on is far easier: you can turn the post on the floor instead of walking round the tree.
   • Tip Untreated sisal sheds a few fibres at first. That is normal.

   ✓ Push hard on the coils with your thumb: nothing slides and no wood shows between turns.

   STOP. Drive every staple flush and only at the rope ends on the wall side. A raised staple catches claws and paws.

6. 6Cover the base and platforms

   Cut low-pile carpet (no loops: claws catch in loops) 1 1/2″ bigger all round than each platform (E), and exactly the size of the base.

   Lay each platform on the back of its piece, fold the extra over the edges and staple it underneath every 2″. Fold the corners like wrapping a present and trim the bulk with a utility knife.

   On the base (A), staple the carpet on top, then cut out each post square with a utility knife so the posts stand on bare wood, not on carpet.

   • Tip Cut carpet from the back with a sharp utility knife against a straightedge. Change blades often: a dull one drags fibres out.

   ✓ No staple shows on any top surface, and the carpet is tight with no bubbles.

7. 7Attach the posts to the base

   Lay a post on the floor. Stand the base on its edge against the post's bottom end, line the end up with its square (look through the pilot holes), and glue it: end grain, so a thin first coat, wait two minutes, then a second.

   Drive 4 screws, 3″, through the base into the post end.

   Repeat for each post. Stand the base up and check each post with a level on two faces.

   • Tip End grain (the cut end of a board) soaks glue up like a straw. Brush on a thin first coat, wait two minutes, then add a second coat before you join the parts.
   • Tip If a post leans, back out its screws, put a sliver of card under the low side of its end, and drive them again.

   ✓ Every post is plumb on two faces and tight to the base; none wobbles when you push its top.

8. 8Attach the platforms

   Work from the lowest platform up. Glue the top of the post, set the platform on it over its square, and drive 4 screws, 3″, down through the platform into the post (through the carpet; the heads sink into the pile).

   Check each platform is level both ways before the glue sets.

   Leave it 24 hours for the glue to cure before a cat uses it.

   • Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of the end of a board, or the board will split. Then countersink so the screw head sits flush.

   ✓ Each platform is level, and pressing down hard on the outer edge of each one moves nothing.

   STOP. The tree is not stable until it is anchored to the wall in the next step. Don't let a cat on it before then.

9. 9Anchor to the wall

   Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.

   Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.

   Do not load the piece until it is anchored.

   STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.