How to make a jungle treehouse for stage Part 2

This is a continuation of the Treehouse


I cut out 3 sections nearly 8 foot long for the large tree branches.  In the middle one I cut out a section so it would fit on the 2x4s coming out of the trunk.
(I should have made the 2x4s longer which would have been more stable.)

I stacked and glued the 3 pieces together with gorilla glue.

Then rounded off the edges and carved some bark. I put these arms on and they stuck straight out. It didn't look right. So then I cut out an angled section in the middle and reglued them back together.

This was a little better. 

(I forgot to take pictures of this part)

I took a sheet of 2-inch thick styrofoam and first drew out some random leaves. 

Then, using a wire brush, I carved into those lines. 

Once I had some deep gouges in the styrofoam, I sanded the edges, which rounded the leaves.

I painted the leaves, making sure to cover all of the white styrofoam. Then, I came in with a slightly darker green for the deeper parts.

I cut some random tree shapes and rounded the edges with sandpaper as well. Then I attached the trees to the back using a little bit of Great Stuf Foam and some 3 inch drywall screws.

Now for the treehouse.

How to make a jungle treehouse for stage Part 3

Making a VBS jungle treehouse part 3

I took two sheets of 4 x 8 foot by 2-inch thick white styrofoam and cut them in half. Then I measured and cut out a triangle to form the front of the treehouse. I did the same for the back. I cut a door hole in the front one.

Then, using a wire brush, I carved gouges into strips to simulate bamboo. 

I even carved the little holes in the top of the door.

I made short sides of the house to match. 

I took some long strips, about 2 inches square by 8 feet long, and rounded the edges off. Then cut a few of those rounded pieces the same height to serve as railing posts. These I attached with some drywall screws from the top of the railing into the post. I carefully squeezed Great Stuf foam in an X pattern to simulate vines or rope tying everything together.

I made the roof by taking another piece of styrofoam, cutting it in half, and making one side jagged. 

I attached all of these pieces together using drywall screws to see what it looked like.

There was a gap in the top of the roof, so I used another railing piece for the top. 

I took everything apart and painted it. 

For the bamboo I just used a darker brown color and made lines. Then drybrushed these lines up and down to simulate the bamboo rings.

I forgot to show the windows which I carved and added the Great Stuf rope.

Here it is mostly finished

Then I sat the treehouse on the top of the tree to test fit it. It looked pretty good.

I made some more leave bunches to go on the ends. 

The leaf ends were a tad heavy, so they ended up getting some fishing line support from the ceiling. 

I also made some vines using the technique on this post. 

I put a small white piece of material across the front door and windows so I didn't have to paint the inside of the treehouse.

If you make your own version, I would love to see it.

Jeff

Some of the coral I made for a VBS

Update to Styrofoam Airplane Propeller for VBS

After I made the last propeller I found an easier and faster way of making it.  This way saves a lot of sanding and shaping.

It ended up looking like this.

 I took three paint cans, one gallon, one quart and one pint.  I traced around them onto a piece of 2" thick styrofoam.

I cut them out and glued them together with Gorilla Glue.

Then I took a 3/4 inch paddle bit and shoved it down into the center of the biggest circle.  The paddle bit keeps the styro from stopping and makes it easier to sand. 

Then I hooked it up to my drill press. If you don't have a drill press don't worry you can just clamp your regular drill to the side of a table or something so it would be stable.  I don't really think that it makes a difference if it is going up or down.

Next I turned the drill press on and used a piece of 80 grit sandpaper and sanded it down.  The paddle bit keeps the styro from spinning around the middle while it is being sanded, and the smaller circles mean you don't have to sand so much.

I also cut some grooves in the nose once I had it sanded smooth.  I just folded the sandpaper with the grit side out, and stuck the folded sandpaper into the styro and left it there.  It carved a perfect groove without me having to struggle with it.

After I got it shaped into the cone, I glued it to the propeller so it looks like this

The Styrofoam Airplane Propeller for VBS

I have been asked to make a styrofoam propeller for a VBS.  They want to paint it themselves so I just have to make it.

I started by drawing off a pattern on paper mill paper. It is about 4 feet long from tip to tip.   I cut it out a little big with the heat knife.  The heat knife tends to melt a little farther than you really want it. (In the past I have used an electric knife.  That's right just like the one that is used only at Thanksgiving to carve the turkey.  It works well for cutting styrofoam.)  I want a very clean edge because I am going to shape it.

I also cut out 3 circles.  (I know only there are only two here.  I can count ok? I just didn't take a picture of the third circle.)

I cut out the shape on the band saw.  I took my time because one small bump can make a huge cut in the wrong spot.

I stacked the circles, one on the bottom, and two on the top.  It has to be away from the wall a little.  These two on top will be shaped into a cone.

I glued the circles with gorilla glue.  This glue does not eat foam and it bonds extremely well.  Just be careful not to put too much glue.  The glue doesn't sand as well or as fast as the styro so learn from my mistakes and don't use too much.

I put glue on all the pieces not realizing that I didn't need it on the top one.  So the top circle got twice the glue that it needed.  

One thing about Gorilla Glue is that it needs moisture to work, so I sprinkled some water on it before I put them together.  I was going to use my spray water bottle but I couldn't find it.

I clamped it together and waited.

Then I used my sander to shape it.  Yes you can sand styrofoam.  

I did the same for the other side and formed the nose into a cone.

I am going to ask them to take a picture of the final product so I can post it here.

Even easier styrofoam airplane propeller


For more VBS decor tutorials check out:
How to make fake tube coral
How to make candy cane coral

How to make styrofoam look like wood

First, get a piece of styrofoam. I typically buy mine in 4ft by 8ft pieces in the insulation section of Home Depot or Lowes.  It comes in 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch at my stores.  Some places I have found sell them in 2 inch thick sheets.
This is a 1/2 inch thick piece of pink foam.  The blue foam is the same
but the regular white styrofoam doesn't work well for this.
The pink/blue foam is far denser than the white stuff.
Cut it to the size you want the final piece to be.  You don't need to cut each individual slat, just the finished piece.  I am making the background for a sign, so this piece is about 2 feet wide and 3 1/2 feet long.

The thing you need to remember is ALWAYS REMOVE THE PLASTIC SHEET! If you don't then you will end up with a huge mess that won't accept paint.  I like to peel the sheet off of both sides but that is just me.  It does need to be off of the front at least.

Next use a wire brush and rake it down in the direction you want the grain to run.  Dont go in different directions or it won't work. You can use the brush sideways or straight.  I typically start in the middle of the board and pull all the way down to the edge.  You are going to think "I am doing this wrong.  It is messing up."  Don't Panic (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference there.) It is supposed to look messed up.  Keep going over the same spot until you reach the depth you want.  Do this across the whole surface.  Make sure you keep going past the edges too.

You will be left with a deeply scarred piece of foam.  Now if you want to make planks or what looks like different boards just go deeper with the wire brush in the "crack" areas. You can tilt the wire brush sideways so only a little bit hits the board or you can use a small wire brush (one that looks like a toothbrush) to make the "cracks."  

Next use a paintbrush to sweep away the extra bits that are left over.  I have found that brushes that are no longer good for painting are usually good for this part.

Now it is time to paint.

You will want to use latex paint on this, not spray paint or it will end up being eaten away by the spray paint. I started off with a medium colored brown paint. (I used the Apple Barrel kind on this one.)  I poured it in small amounts all over the styro.  I also use a spray bottle of water to thin it out a little.

While it is still wet, spray it with some water and drip darker colored paint in random spots.  I used a burgundy, dark brown and even black.
The trick is to keep it wet.  Run the paint brush with the grain, and mix the paint on the board itself.

If you are making planks, then make the "crack" areas darker.  

It ends up looking something like this.  Stand it on one end and let it dry.  The paint will run down and puddle so make sure you have a tarp down or it is somewhere that can get paint on it. Make sure you stand it on an end so the paint runs with the grain.  You wouldn't want the paint to drip across the grain then it wouldn't look right.

Here is another one that I have done. The wood is darker in this one.

You might notice in the bottom left corner there is a knot.  I used a tiny heat knife to do this before I painted it.  I did it in a few other areas too but those are harder to see in this photo.