When we moved into the house that would become Rock Father HQ back in 2010, in front of the garage was one of the plants that would end up sticking around – a relatively young Clematis plant that didn’t have a proper trellis to support it. Clematis is a climbing vine, so to get it to grow and flower well, a trellis is essential, so that first year I purchased a black metal trellis that did the job this past six seasons, but we were ready for something with a little more style. Because of where the plant resides, we didn’t want to go too tall (there’s lights above it) but nothing we’d seen at retailers really grabbed me… but eventually, inspiration struck in our own backyard, where a small pile of fence scraps had been tossed aside and were headed for the curb this spring.
Leftovers from a fence repair that I’d worked on with one of our neighbors two summers ago (we don’t actually own our fence aside from the front of it – instead it’s owned by the three adjacent neighbors, but eventually I’d like to take over with a fresh fence), we had odds and ends that varied in length and had all become warped from two years stashed in the corner. The slats had been nail-gunned to their cross support, so there was an opportunity there to drill and screw them together to make them sturdy for what I had in mind. A couple of hours in one afternoon, and a pretty cool new “trellis” was created from repurposed fence scraps.
For this project, I got to use my new WORX 20V Switchdriver 2-in-1 Cordless Drill and Driver, one of the newest tools in my arsenal here at Rock Father HQ, and one I wish I’d had when hanging our downstairs drapery hardware recently. The folks at WORX sent it over for review, and the lightweight drill & driver has officially replaced my old one, fueled by the convenience of dual rotating chucks (I’m keeping one loaded with a drill bit, the other with a Phillips-head driver bit), both of which are 1/4″ hex quick change – no more fumbling with having to manually tighten-in the bits. For the type of around the house stuff I tend to do, this thing is perfect, and here I used it to drill pilot holes for new screws to hold the old fence together for its transformation. The manual torque control also prevented cracking the slats, and the fact that it came with two rechargeable batteries was a bonus. Flipping between the two functions saved me time (which I have little of to begin with!).
Using a handsaw, I cut the support beams to stick out evenly from each side of the new trellis, then used the Switchdriver to screw one of those green steel fence stakes (the kind you’d use for rabbit fencing) to the back to use for getting this thing into the ground. Because Clematis needs something “fine” to grab onto, I used tiny screws that I placed into the front of the slats, scattered around and partially jutting out for the vines to attach to. To finish things off, I used Rust-oleum Advanced Formula Spray Paint (paint + primer in one) in Satin White.
The end result looks really good!
For more ideas and stories, keep your browser pointed to the Home & Garden Section of THE ROCK FATHER Magazine. For more on the WORX 20V Switchdriver 2-in-1 Cordless Drill and Driver check out WORX.com
