Help with building a cucumber frame

herbaceous

I am building a cucumber frame out of furniture packing/palettes, I believe I have a workable design but could do with another (better) brain to resolve a couple of questions please. Self isolating can be difficult for brainstorming!

1)  The material appears to be some kind of compressed card/paper, quite rigid and pretty strong. Should I use a wood saw or hacksaw to cut it?  Me and power tools don't play well together so its all muscle power here.

2)  I'm thinking I will need two struts for the top and two struts for the bottom to maintain the shape.  It would be very useful if two of the struts could span the centre rather than an end. Is this going to be strong enough?

This is my drawing of one end of the frame.


any and all suggestions welcome 

Blue Onion

I made a cucumber frame a few years ago, at about 45 degrees angle to the soil.  The cucumbers wanted to go anywhere but up it.  It was a daily task to tie them in and try training them up it.  Mine was scrap wire in a frame.  Your composite type material sounds like it will warp all over the place as soon as it gets damp.  I suggest you get a piece and spray it with a hose out in the yard over a few days.. or just leave it sitting out in the rain for a few days.  I've used something similar before, and it cuts fine with a wood saw.   

herbaceous

Thank you @Blue Onion I didn't think of the water issue - that's what happens with only one brain!  I am not expecting it to get wet really but I will test it anyway, I tend to water into the bottom of the pot for everything in tubs.

The plan is to anchor one end of a roll of clematis netting under one cucumber pot, stretch the netting over the top of the frame, down the other side and anchor under the second pot.  It is a version of a suggestion from this forum (think it might have been Pete.8) and I trialled it last year with a Heath-Robinson frame and it worked really well so quite optimistic.

Thank you for the info on the wood saw,  much prefer a good long saw to my stupid hacksaw any day!

Blue Onion

It really just depends on how much adhesive is mixed in with the material, what you need to cut it with.  If you have some spare paint sitting around, you might add a coat of that to protect.  Even interior house paint will add some protection.  Ask around, most people have a few random pints sitting at the back of a cupboard.

herbaceous

Thank you @Blue Onion I have plenty of random pints of paint. Now I just need to decide where to put the second struts for support.

Thank you again, most helpful!

Blue Onion

All depends on the thickness of your boards.  😁 One inch wide will require more support, but two inches wide is another story.  If it's originally for pallets, maybe it's about 1.5”? I would go with a middle vertically support adding to your drawing above.. on the opposite side of the horizontal supports from the other two vertical boards.  Cucumbers are heavy, if you get a bumper crop.  

herbaceous

Thank you again @Blue Onion I'm off to amend my drawing and dig out the paint and a saw!  I will be very upset if I don't get a bumper crop as I only have 2 pints of soup left from last year and lots of flowers on the tomatoes 

granma

I use canes in a similar way ,I add some cheep netting for the tendrils to cling to.
Works well enough , even with a bumper crop.

granma

Forgot to add ......I use garden twine or the thin wife where the canes meet.