Cake stand help

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Excuse if I'm repeating some suggestions above, some great ideas...., but this has obviously inspired lots of people. It's a fantastic project!! I think what you have done already is a pretty good start. I am sure that what you have in mind to produce, is way beyond what the sister in law would be delighted with. You will easily do it!! so don't panic!
Once you start, ideas will develop. when you get stuck, come back here and you will get lots of great suggestions.
For wood, you could head to the sea where stuff is washed ashore, there is normally a variety of bleached wood available. If that's not suitable, contact a local firewood supplier, see if they might get what you need. I would secretly find out what colour/material the dress will be, or the cake colours....and find matching ribbon/material to put on your creation. I would get my wife to do the material selection! that can hide problem areas.
PLEASE don't be offended, but ( I did run the CAD drawing through a high-end physics algorithm and it agrees that it should be structurally sound so long as it is sponge-based cake. ) is overthinking it a bit. Out of interest 'as long as it was sponge based cake' suggests that another type of cake might be too much for your structure???
Try things, build it, over engineer it, test it for load and balance, heavy handed cutting. I would have it so securely fitted to a table with castors, even if I had to make the table myself. Generous use of coach bolts to hold it down. Get the cake sizes so the different bases are large enough. Do a final test assuming all the cakes get mixed up. I would have it engineered to survive kids pulling on the wood as they might lol. Watch out for protruding parts getting nudged or caught on things, Make sure you can transport it, you can get it to where it needs to be in the building.
If I was joining bits together, I would be drilling tight and fitting steel threaded rod and glue or dowel and glue, then perhaps a nice ribbon to hide the join.

I would also consider having some very subtle LED lighting to give it a 'sparkle'. There shouldn't be many bugs if the wood is fresh. Bugs like damp dark places, so take it somewhere dry and warm, but that would accelerate the main problem you will have as the wood dries out. It will start cracking. You are starting very early, so the wood will change over the next year. places where you dowel, may crack open. In order to mitigate the risk of all the drying problems, you could 'kiln dry' the wood by putting it in a small sealed space with a de-humidifier, making sure the draught form the dehumidifier can circulate around the wood and turn it every day. You could also build a frame and cover in plastic and insulation and do the same. Perhaps a small tube heater would speed up the process a bit. Othes will have more experience of this. Keep your sister in law in the loop she may have an image of what she wants, it's very important to meet her expectations, or adjust her expectations to what is possible. The main thing is it must not tip over, collapse and be able to survive cutting.
I might have a big concrete block hidden under the table :)

If I was doing this, what would I think??? Easy---piece of cake!!!! (NOT, lol :))
 
Excuse if I'm repeating some suggestions above, some great ideas...., but this has obviously inspired lots of people. It's a fantastic project!! I think what you have done already is a pretty good start. I am sure that what you have in mind to produce, is way beyond what the sister in law would be delighted with. You will easily do it!! so don't panic!
Once you start, ideas will develop. when you get stuck, come back here and you will get lots of great suggestions.
For wood, you could head to the sea where stuff is washed ashore, there is normally a variety of bleached wood available. If that's not suitable, contact a local firewood supplier, see if they might get what you need. I would secretly find out what colour/material the dress will be, or the cake colours....and find matching ribbon/material to put on your creation. I would get my wife to do the material selection! that can hide problem areas.
PLEASE don't be offended, but ( I did run the CAD drawing through a high-end physics algorithm and it agrees that it should be structurally sound so long as it is sponge-based cake. ) is overthinking it a bit. Out of interest 'as long as it was sponge based cake' suggests that another type of cake might be too much for your structure???
Try things, build it, over engineer it, test it for load and balance, heavy handed cutting. I would have it so securely fitted to a table with castors, even if I had to make the table myself. Generous use of coach bolts to hold it down. Get the cake sizes so the different bases are large enough. Do a final test assuming all the cakes get mixed up. I would have it engineered to survive kids pulling on the wood as they might lol. Watch out for protruding parts getting nudged or caught on things, Make sure you can transport it, you can get it to where it needs to be in the building.
If I was joining bits together, I would be drilling tight and fitting steel threaded rod and glue or dowel and glue, then perhaps a nice ribbon to hide the join.

I would also consider having some very subtle LED lighting to give it a 'sparkle'. There shouldn't be many bugs if the wood is fresh. Bugs like damp dark places, so take it somewhere dry and warm, but that would accelerate the main problem you will have as the wood dries out. It will start cracking. You are starting very early, so the wood will change over the next year. places where you dowel, may crack open. In order to mitigate the risk of all the drying problems, you could 'kiln dry' the wood by putting it in a small sealed space with a de-humidifier, making sure the draught form the dehumidifier can circulate around the wood and turn it every day. You could also build a frame and cover in plastic and insulation and do the same. Perhaps a small tube heater would speed up the process a bit. Othes will have more experience of this. Keep your sister in law in the loop she may have an image of what she wants, it's very important to meet her expectations, or adjust her expectations to what is possible. The main thing is it must not tip over, collapse and be able to survive cutting.
I might have a big concrete block hidden under the table :)

If I was doing this, what would I think??? Easy---piece of cake!!!! (NOT, lol :))

Thanks very much, @Sandyn. I like the LED idea. The algorithm was the same one used in the design of the Millennium Bridge... so long as they don't cut the cake at the same time other types of cake will be fine! As you say these decoration jobs will probably have to be escalated. You're right, ideas do come as you go and that's more fun than working from an exact plan. There is an ugly part of the tree that is almost the shape of a door and that made me think about making a fairy door to cover it. As you say, any design changes will have to be approved by my taskmasters.

I'll have a look at some information on drying it. I don't really have a clue on that at the moment.

I have the cake sizes - 3 x 12" diameter and one 8" diameter - well that's the sizes of the boards they'll be supplied on.

(Easy---piece of cake!!!! ) Someone had to say it!

Cheers
 
lol, the Millenium bridge? isn't that the one which suffered a bit of a wobble? or what that the algorithm which fixed it?
When you are getting wood slices for the cake stand, try to get heart shaped ones. They are quite common where a tree branches in two fairly equal parts. If the slice is taken at the right place, you get a lovely heart shape. You could cut heart shaped, but it's nicer if the grain of the wood forms the shape. I do a lot of this kind of improvised design. I usually have a functional base design. That's the basic which will do the job, then I incrementally add enhancements. if they work, great, if not, they can be removed. You have lots of time to experiment.
The fairy door might also be suitable as a 'threshold' with a little plastic married couple....perhaps naff, lol.
Once you get the main design done, you could also have slices of branches as place markers for guests.
The main thing is to have fun and enjoy experimenting and making it. Keep us posted with progress.
 
Food safety???
Do cakes come with bare bottoms as it were??
Are you going to need to have a protective (for the cake) layer on top of each platform? Would Perspex or polycarbonate work?
 
What a fun project!

How large is each cake tier? If you're feeding 100, that's a lot of cake to support, and when it's cut the "surface area" will double. And cutting puts a lot of force on it. Often the happy couple will do a slice-for-a-photo, and then it will be whisked away to the kitchens, and will come back fully sliced to hand around. Do you intend for people to take their own slice off the tree, or will it be handed around?

I wouldn't worry too much about little critters, as they'll be long gone by the time you've done some cutting etc. And the cake itself will be on some kind of base/tray/plate,
 
Last edited:
lol, the Millenium bridge? isn't that the one which suffered a bit of a wobble? or what that the algorithm which fixed it?
When you are getting wood slices for the cake stand, try to get heart shaped ones. They are quite common where a tree branches in two fairly equal parts. If the slice is taken at the right place, you get a lovely heart shape. You could cut heart shaped, but it's nicer if the grain of the wood forms the shape. I do a lot of this kind of improvised design. I usually have a functional base design. That's the basic which will do the job, then I incrementally add enhancements. if they work, great, if not, they can be removed. You have lots of time to experiment.
The fairy door might also be suitable as a 'threshold' with a little plastic married couple....perhaps naff, lol.
Once you get the main design done, you could also have slices of branches as place markers for guests.
The main thing is to have fun and enjoy experimenting and making it. Keep us posted with progress.

Thanks, @Sandyn. I've already been roped into parts of the place holders and the base for the centrepiece on each table. They should be straight forward, though (famous last words). I'll keep my eye out for the heart-shaped slices and I'll post an update after I attack it this weekend. Cheers
 
What a fun project!

How large is each cake tier? If you're feeding 100, that's a lot of cake to support, and when it's cut the "surface area" will double. And cutting puts a lot of force on it. Often the happy couple will do a slice-for-a-photo, and then it will be whisked away to the kitchens, and will come back fully sliced to hand around. Do you intend for people to take their own slice off the tree, or will it be handed around?

I wouldn't worry too much about little critters, as they'll be long gone by the time you've done some cutting etc. And the cake itself will be on some kind of base/tray/plate,

Thanks, @gmgmgm. 3 tiers at 12" and one at 8" they will be. The small one is supposed to be on top and the others below. The cake cutting ceremony is way beyond my pay grade! I'm not sure how it will be handled, to be honest. There will be 50 guests (hopefully) so I think there will be enough to go around. I hope you're right about the bugs! Cheers.
 
There will be 50 guests (hopefully) so I think there will be enough to go around.
With 3 - 12" and an 8" there is enough cake to feed 3-400 people generously! The tradition is for the top tier (8") to be retained for the first Christening but even so the 3 - 12" will still serve 250-300.

I am assuming that these really are proper fruit 'Wedding' cakes with Royal Icing and not decorated 'sponge cake'.
 
With 3 - 12" and an 8" there is enough cake to feed 3-400 people generously! The tradition is for the top tier (8") to be retained for the first Christening but even so the 3 - 12" will still serve 250-300.

I am assuming that these really are proper fruit 'Wedding' cakes with Royal Icing and not decorated 'sponge cake'.

I haven't got a clue but I know it was expensive, so I don't want to be the one to destroy them!
 
Right, I've stripped the blighter and it's been a bit of a pain. I did it with a wide chisel and mallet, but it has left a residue behind - like when you strip wallpaper and the backing comes off... but worse! I could methodically just carry on now just without the mallet, but I feel like I'm missing a trick. I don't own a drawknife or spokeshave. Is it worth me picking one up to get this done, or crack on with the chisel? Here's a pic you can see where I've got past the bark and through to the wood in a few places...

IMG_3460.jpg


The brown bits are wet and sticky. On the plus side, I only encountered one insect getting it off.

Also, I made a fairy door for the existing hole...

IMG_3462 (1).JPG


I made that from a bit of a table they donated to me when they moved into their new house last month.
 
I think most of the suggestions have already been made individually already, but what I would do is:
  • lose the bark ASAP as it retains moisture, funghi and wildlife
  • make the surface of the branch ends level to be "tiers"
  • get the "tree" smooth and clean - could use wire brush or flap wheel in an electric drill
  • allow to air dry
  • sealant + wood stain for colour a few weeks befor the big day
  • make bases from acrylic or perspex. One hole in the centre to fix to centre of branch. No issues putting cake on it and can see the original grain through the top
  • base depending on size and location (table or floor based) - could be ply disc, legs, trolley etc.
 
What??? lol

That door looks really good. It will have to open and a wee surprise behind it.

Don't encourage me! I've already started drilling a hole to put a window in and I'm thinking about lighting up the inside! I'll end up having to explain why I made a dolls house instead of a cake stand.

I bought a spokeshave (well 2 actually) and got most of that remaining bark off. There's still some left to go around the awkward areas. After I've removed it all I'll break out the sander to remove the tool marks the spokeshaves have left.

IMG_3485.jpg
 
Looking good!

She'll be proud of it and you!

Now you just need to write that speech and get your own back!!

Cheers James
 
Well, the wedding was postponed twice but is finally going ahead next month, so I had to pull my finger out and finish this cakestand nightmare over the past few weeks and months. I've seen people's workshop builds start and finish in the time this has taken me. Anyway, it's the hen do this weekend, so they're all down, and her sister saw it for the first time yesterday and was over the moon with it.

IMG_2552 (1).png


I ended up going all out SFX with batteries up the cakestand's bum running slowly changing lights that are in every crack and orifice.

IMG_2495.png


I'd already done most of the work last year, but I didn't glue anything up and just left it sitting there. When I returned to it, the cracks had all gotten bigger, and it had moved about the place, so I had a very awkward session levelling all the bases again.

IMG_2499.png


The missus helped glue the berries and moss because I was a disaster with the hot glue gun.

IMG_2500.png




IMG_2504.png


I covered the base in hessian and added a load of big rubber feet so it doesn't scratch any tables.

Her mum said you should make a business making cake stands. I said with the time it's taken I'd have to charge £30k per cake stand to survive.

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions and help everyone - I got there in the end! Oh, and if anyone wants a tree cakestand making... DON'T ASK ME!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top