Smoker Stand

How to repurpose cut down trees to make smoker stands, especially beekeeping on a hillside. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Smoker Stand

You’re probably thinking what’s the big deal about having a little stand for a smoker. Well, if you are keeping bees on a limestone hillside, it’s a problem.

No fun chasing a smoking smoker down a limestone hillside. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Without a lot of level areas, a smoker placed on the ground has a higher chance of rolling down hill, setting everything it touches on fire. Not a good look in general but even worse when everything is so dry a spark could send the hillside up in smoke.

Keeping with my history of repurposing what is in my garden, or what I can easily add to my garden - I am taking some of the short tree stumps around and making them into smoker stands.

They were actually just stands to begin with. I don’t want to use chemicals to speed up the stump decomposition so I repurpose them. The taller ones have birdhouses on top; medium sized ones form garden decor stands and the legs for bird baths. It just so happened this one was near a hive and I stopped myself from dropping the smoker when I stuck the smoker on the level top.

I have made use of them twice now and they work quite well. Besides keeping the smoker level, I can also easily find it as I move to the next hive.

My smoker stand in use and the smoker not rolling down the hill. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I am particular about the thin cedar pieces that form the top. At first I couldn’t describe what I was looking for, it was more of a I will know it when I see it.

When I spotted these cut down cedar pieces, I knew they were perfect. They look nice even with nothing on them.

I confess, I pick wood pieces that look like flowers for my stands. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I am moving some iris to surround this one. The iris will look nice nearby and, once they bloom, the pointed leaves will make it look like a giant flower in the center of the iris bed.

Apparently some of the other garden residents find them handy as well. I periodically find lizards sunning on them. Birds have stopped while carrying worms. This morning, it appears it was set for breakfast.

My smoker stands come in handy for more than holding hot smokers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I recently saw a cut down stump reshaped into a chair. I may try that on the next stump that gets made in my garden but in the meantime, I like my little smoker stands.

Charlotte