Two identical trees that cross at a right angle and stand up on their own. One is slotted down from the tip, the other up from the base, and each slot runs exactly half the height of the tree, so the two slot ends meet in the middle and both bases finish level on the table.
Two sheets, and what is on each
Sheet one holds the two trees, one above the other, each about 94mm wide by 120mm tall on A4. Every line on it is a cut, including the slot. A single grey line under them states the slot width and what thickness of board it is for.
Sheet two is the how-to. Three small diagrams show the tree slotted from the tip, the tree slotted from the base and the two of them crossed and standing, then five numbered steps and three notes take you from printing to a finished tree.
Set the slot width before you print
This is the one control that changes what you have to do, so set it first. At 2mm, the default, you print the sheet on paper, cut both trees out and draw round them on corrugated packing card or thin foam board about 2mm thick, then cut the board to the line. 3mm is the same job on 3mm foam board.
At 1mm the method changes completely: you print the sheet twice on card of about 300gsm, cut out all four trees and glue them in matching pairs back to back, which gives two trees about a millimetre thick. The numbered steps on sheet two change with the setting, so they always describe the method the slot is drawn for.
Why there is no trunk
A tree with a trunk would leave the top half standing on one narrow foot, because the base is the only part of it the slot does not split. Here the bottom tier runs the full width of the shape instead, so each half stands on a foot about 90mm across, which is nearly as wide as the tree is tall.
The slot from the tip cannot start as a straight sided cut either, because at the point there is nothing either side of a 2mm gap to leave behind. It opens out from the tip itself over the first few millimetres, which also funnels the other tree in as you slide it home.
Cutting the slots, and decorating
Use a craft knife against a steel rule, and keep that step for an adult. Scissors widen a slot as the blades open, and a slot a millimetre wider than the board is what makes a stand-up tree lean. If the finished fit binds, run the knife down the slot once more. If it is slack, fold a scrap of paper over the edge before sliding it in.
Set Decoration to Baubles and ten circles print inside each tree in a grey noticeably lighter than the cut line, so there is no doubt that they are drawn and not cut. Colour both trees before you put them together: once they are crossed, only one face of each tree is ever facing you.
Questions
- How does the stand-up tree go together?
- Two identical trees slide into each other at a right angle. One is slotted down from the tip and the other up from the base, each slot half the height of the tree, so the slot ends meet in the middle.
- What do I print it on?
- It depends on the slot width. At 1mm, print twice on 300gsm card and glue the trees in pairs back to back. At 2mm or 3mm, print on paper and use the trees as a pattern on corrugated card or foam board.
- How big is the finished tree?
- About 94mm wide and 120mm tall on A4, standing on a foot about 90mm across. Both trees print on one sheet, so one sheet is one tree.
- Why does the tree have no trunk?
- Because the slot splits everything except the base. A trunk would leave the top tree balanced on one narrow foot, so the bottom tier runs the full width instead and gives each half a wide, stable foot.
- Are there instructions in the PDF?
- Yes. The second sheet carries three diagrams, five numbered steps and three notes, and the first step changes to match the slot width you chose, so it always describes the right method.