Quick Step 1

Cut 2 sheets of plywood into 7" X 96" strips

Glue 3 strips together to form one 2.25" X 7" X 96" strip

Glue 2 strips together to form one 1.5" X 7" X 96" strip (repeat once to create two 1.5" X 7" X 96" strips)

Quick Step 1 Explained

Cutting the plywood down to size -

One of the sheets of plywood will act as the background and backbone for the tree, leave this one whole. The other two pieces need to be cut lengthwise (long strips) into 7 inch wide by 8 foot long pieces. This will yield 12 strips of 7" X 96" pieces and two ~5" X 96" piece. If you are purchasing your plywood at The Home Depot, you can get it cut down in strips there and save yourself the trouble at home. The reasoning behind the 7" thickness is that most books (when stood on end) are 5"-7" wide.

The tree branches are divided into three thicknesses:

3/4 inch - single strip of 7" X 96" piece

1 1/2 inch - two strips of 7" X 96" glued together

2 1/4 inch - three strips of 7" X 96" glued together

Glueing the plywood together -

We want to create the three different branch thicknesses, so we need to glue a few of the sheets together. For the double thick branches (1.5" thick), take two strips of plywood, lather one side of one of the sheets with wood glue, press them together so that their front edges are flush and clamp them for at least 2 hours. Make sure that the glue is evenly spread across the surface of the plywood so it doesn't gap as the wood shrinks and expands over time. Repeat this process to create two strips that are 1.5" X 7" X 96".

For the main stem, you will need to glue three sheets of plywood together. This is done in the same way as above, except, glue is applied to either side of one of the strips and two strips are clamped on either side of it. Again, make sure that the front end of the branch (the side that will be sticking out) is relatively flush. This will minimized the amount of sanding required later.