How to Make a Poolside Towel Rack or Tree

How to Make a Poolside Towel Rack or Tree

• 1

  Purchase PVC pipe that is 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Make sure the caps and connectors fit snugly on the end of the pipe and that the slip "T's" fit over the pipe and spin easily.

• 2

  Cut the PVC pipe using the pipe cutter. Cut 10 pieces of PVC pipe, each of them 17 inches long. Cut one piece 12 inches long and one piece 31 inches long.

• 3

  Glue a cap on one of the 17-inch pipes. Paint PVC glue on the inside of the cap, covering an area from the edge to about half an inch inside. Paint glue on the outside of the 17-inch pipe, starting at the edge and covering about half an inch. Push the cap onto the glued end of the pipe, and hold for about 30 seconds. Glue a cap on each of the remaining 17-inch pipes.

• 4

  The five-way connector has one opening pointing up and four pointing to the sides. Working one at a time, glue a 17-inch piece to each of the four side openings. As before, paint glue inside the connector opening and on the outside of the 17-inch pipe. Insert the pipe into the connector, and hold for 30 seconds. The four pipes now form the letter "X," with the connector at the center. This is the base on which the towel rack will stand.

• 5

  Glue the 31-inch main post into the center opening of the connector, using the same method. Stand the assembled post and base on a hard surface.

• 6

  The "T" connector has three openings. Glue a 17-inch pipe to the middle opening, leaving a top and bottom opening. This is the non-moving, horizontal towel bar. The "T" connector has two openings remaining. Glue either of these to the top of the 31-inch post. In the last opening of the "T" connector, glue the 12-inch pipe. This completes the main post and the first towel bar.

• 7

  The slip "T" connector also has three openings. Glue a 17-inch pipe to the middle opening. Do this for all five slip "T's." The slip "T's" have two remaining openings. Slide either opening over the top of the 12-inch post. The slip "T" will slide down the 12-inch post until it reaches the non-moving "T" connector. Slide all the slip "T" connectors over the 12-inch post, allowing them to slide down. These are the moving horizontal towel bars.

• 8

  To complete the project, glue a cap on the top of the 12-inch main post.