Tree Limb Coat Rack

A relative sent me a picture of a Tree Limb Coat Rack and asked me if I could make one. When I get shop time, I'm usually focused on shooting my next woodworking video, but this looked like a fun project. 

I had pruned a maple tree a few months ago and the branches were still in the back yard waiting to be burned. I grabbed my cordless reciprocating saw and went to work. I cut about a dozen Y-shaped sections from the branches and took them back to the shop.  About 3 hours after seeing the initial photo, I was able to turn out this really cool Tree Limb Coat Rack!

Here are the steps I took to make this:

1. Cut the bottom of each branch so it stands up on its own without falling over.
2. Trim the protruding hanger branches to a good size for hanging coats and hats.
3. Stand the branches up on a 3/4" board and space them out.  Make sure the branches do not extend past the back edge of the board to keep them from hitting the wall.  My board was about 2.5" wide.
4. Glue and screw the branches to the board. 
5. Cut the tops of the branch pieces parallel with the bottom board.  (I used my table saw and ran the bottom board along the fence while the blade trimmed the top of each branch.)
6. Glue and screw the top board onto the branch pieces so the ends line up with the bottom board.
7. Cut two sides to fit and glue and screw them to finish the frame.