I am creating this awesome cat climbing tree. I know everything I'm doingjust curious for structural soundness how many L brackets should I use? Should I put the brackets on all 4 sides of my posts? Or just two? Keep in mind this tree is being created for a very big cat. He is 22 pounds and is probably taller and longer than most dogs at this point. Plus his sister.
That depends on what material you're using for your cat tower and which type of L-brackets you purchased (some come with a single set of screw holes, others with two or three sets). If you're using solid plywood or hardwood, it would be best to have around 5 pairs of holes (three double brackets or 4-5 singles). Be sure to spread the brackets evenly-- weight distribution is the goal here. Hope this helps!
The brackets should be on all four sides of the post, otherwise the post will only be stable in one direction. The combination of the four brackets will make it stable in all directions. But you also mentioned that posts are being used. This being the case it would only be necessary to install the L brackets so that a total of four brackets are installed so that any movement will be restrained in, for the example, the South, West, North and East directions. The stability will depend on the strength of the tree above the base. The further apart the attachments of the bracket the stronger the bracket will be. If the posts are of a substantial size you may want to use small lag screws in lieu of wood screws. Have you considered using shelf brackets in lieu of L brackets? They would be stronger, have more separation on the fasteners and be less expensive. Please select a Best Answer from the answers provided. I have confidence in your judgment but I will not compete with William B ,maint man, in that he has to many votes and to many followers that vote for his incorrect and incomplete answers just for the points he receives. He does not comply with the intent of the Yahoo Answers format. It is my intent to delete my answer in 8 hours if a best answer is not selected by the asker.
