John,

I don't trust "the knot at the top" to hold up my teepees. Rather, I use a breaker bar (large iron rod) and make holes at least 18" deep, into which I sink my poles. I sink them at an angle, so they naturally meet at the top. Then I tie them. Otherwise, I've found that my teepee will likely blow over in a storm.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Thanks for the tip....

What angle should I sink the poles at? 30 degrees / 45 degrees? 10 degrees?

I can't visualize what you are doing. You have 2 poles? I know you can't be trying to build a tripod with 2 poles. Could you clarify?

Jim

I have (5) poles. Each pole is 2"x2"x8'. Maybe I only need three, but I thought five would give me more support.

I can manually get the 5 poles to form a tepee, but the top is not pretty. And when I try to tie them together, it is not good....

The way the plains Indians made teepees was to tie three poles together and erect a tripod. Then they set the other poles in place and walked around the outside a few times with the rope, binding them all together. The tail of the rope was then anchored to a stake in the center of the circle, with some tension to hold everything in place and prevent lifting or overturning. The poles, being slender tree trunks, were naturally tapered. The poles were skinnier at top, where they were bound together than at the lower area where they were widely separated. That made it prettier than yours will be using 2x2 lumber.

The Indian teepees were tall, way beyond the reach of a man. So all of this had to be done from the ground. When the framework was finished a short pole was lashed horizontally above the place where the door opening would be, providing a place to stand while a covering made of hides was wrapped around the frame and fastened, forming vertical seam. Two long poles provided a way of manipulating two flaps at the peak, providing control over ventilation.

That's probably more information than you were asking for but teepees are so interesting that I couldn't give you just part of it. Well, actually there is more but I will stop at that. :-)

Jim

John, when erecting a bean tepee I set the bottom of the poles about 4 to 4 1/2' apart. Naturally, the tops touch, if it's going to be a "tepee." It is not an exacting science. Mainly, one wants the bottom of the tepee to be broad enough to lend stability and the poles to be vertical enough to give proper support for a plant which wants to GO UP. You can use more than three poles. Though, if you're short on poles, you can use a "peg" and some heavy twine, tied to the top of the tepee, for additional support.

One other tip: beware of making your supports higher than you can reach. I'm 6' tall and I prefer my tepees to be no higher than 8'.

George

Here's an image of a pretty fancy tepee (not one of mine). It does show a good angle.

macmex, I like your idea of "predrilling" with an ironbar at an angle. If you've seen my bamboo support pics on this forum or elsewhere, I'll mention I dug 24" holes with the post hole diggers. Your idea sounds faster and easier.

jimster, I like how you explained the Indian way of erecting a tepee with three poles, then adding. I think I'll incorporate that concept with macmex's predrilling. In Oklahoma winds, things must be very well secured.

I'll add my own tip. After I cut up bleach bottles to make plant labels, I am left with the round bottom of the bottle. I cut a good size circle in the middle, then thread five bamboo through it. It's not a permanent hold, but it keeps the ends together long enough for me to place the legs where I want them. Afterwards, I tie the tops with a cross bar of some sort, depending on what I have handy. I'm going to combine this with jimsters Indian method.

Thanks all for sharing.

seedmama,

Thanks! Bleach bottles for plant labels - now why did I not think about that ??

DL

Look into "tripod lashing"

Here is a link that might be useful: Tripod Lashing

I make my labels from yogurt and cottage cheese containers, or discarded plastic windowblinds. Mark them with a livestock eartag pen, it will stay black in the sun for years.