Classic Hall Tree

There’s not much to this hall tree: posts, hooks, feet and cross pieces. But as simple as it is, working out the final design took quite a few revisions. For one thing, a hall tree requires a center post. A solid post would have been hard to find — and pretty heavy. Plus, it would’ve had a tendency to warp. We considered laminating the post from two or three pieces of stock. But then there would have been visible joint lines running the length of the post. So instead of a single, solid post, we decided on four narrower posts (each 1″ thick) that are connected by the hooks, feet, and some special cross braces. This “Lincoln Log” approach lightened the weight of the tree and also made it quite a bit more interesting to look at (and build). With the post designed, next we worked on the hooks and feet. Of course, these pieces have to look right. But changing their size (and shape) also affected the stability and utility of the tree. So we played with the shape of the pieces and their lengths, trying to get a balanced look that worked well when you added coats, hats, and umbrellas. This required building several prototypes. But that wasn’t a big deal; you don’t have to cut any tenons on the inside edges. Instead the pieces are simply sandwiched between the posts.