This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least 2
decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I typically
put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then lift it by the
tree until it's vertical. This puts significant sideways pressure on the
spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop of
water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it still
amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged in water
for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well as the
plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check the
bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I have not
had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed
and released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber
grommet in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD

The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed and
released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber grommet
in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD

Well, with all the turning and twisting that occurs when I'm positioning
the tree, hanging the lights, etc., I'm sure it's a large multiple of 20
times, but I hear what you are saying. That's one of the things I love
about the stand. You can simply spin the tree to position correctly and to
make it easier to put the lights on and take them off. If drilled
correctly, it's perfectly straight even if the trunk is twisted and bent.

In any case, my suggestion about plumbing parts was all in fun, thus the
smiley. ;-)

True, happy holiday story about this year's tree: we usually go to a
Christmas tree farm and cut down a fresh tree. We've been doing it with the
kids since they were babies. This year, with the boys out of the house and
the girls away at college, time slipped away from us. SWMBO decided to stop
by Christmas tree farm last Thursday night just to see what they had,
thinking she might just grab a pre-cut tree. She got there at 4:30 and
found out that they closed at 5. She was about to leave when the owner said
"Hey, if you want to cut down a tree, let's go find one." They climbed into
a Gator and off they went into the fields. They walked around a bit and
found a really nice tree. The owner cut it down for her, brought it back,
trimmed it to the 7 feet we need, drilled the hole and tied it to the top
of her car. $35 and he wouldn't accept a tip.

We will be going back there next year for sure.

On 12/21/2013 1:51 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed and
released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber grommet
in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD

Well, with all the turning and twisting that occurs when I'm positioning
the tree, hanging the lights, etc., I'm sure it's a large multiple of 20
times, but I hear what you are saying. That's one of the things I love
about the stand. You can simply spin the tree to position correctly and to
make it easier to put the lights on and take them off. If drilled
correctly, it's perfectly straight even if the trunk is twisted and bent.

In any case, my suggestion about plumbing parts was all in fun, thus the
smiley. ;-)

True, happy holiday story about this year's tree: we usually go to a
Christmas tree farm and cut down a fresh tree. We've been doing it with the
kids since they were babies. This year, with the boys out of the house and
the girls away at college, time slipped away from us. SWMBO decided to stop
by Christmas tree farm last Thursday night just to see what they had,
thinking she might just grab a pre-cut tree. She got there at 4:30 and
found out that they closed at 5. She was about to leave when the owner said
"Hey, if you want to cut down a tree, let's go find one." They climbed into
a Gator and off they went into the fields. They walked around a bit and
found a really nice tree. The owner cut it down for her, brought it back,
trimmed it to the 7 feet we need, drilled the hole and tied it to the top
of her car. $35 and he wouldn't accept a tip.

We will be going back there next year for sure.


Oh man, it's been so many years since I had a had a Christmas tree, real
or fake, where I was living. If I ever have one it will be a Bonsai
sized one that sits on a table or the bar. ^_^

TDD

On Sat, 21 Dec 2013 12:04:21 -0500, DerbyDad03
wrote:

snipped
The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

I've used these type grommets on some lamps I made (old jars, filled
with sea shells). Used as a stress relief for the lamp wire.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!

The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 1:51 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed and
released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber grommet
in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD

Well, with all the turning and twisting that occurs when I'm positioning
the tree, hanging the lights, etc., I'm sure it's a large multiple of 20
times, but I hear what you are saying. That's one of the things I love
about the stand. You can simply spin the tree to position correctly and to
make it easier to put the lights on and take them off. If drilled
correctly, it's perfectly straight even if the trunk is twisted and bent.

In any case, my suggestion about plumbing parts was all in fun, thus the
smiley. ;-)

True, happy holiday story about this year's tree: we usually go to a
Christmas tree farm and cut down a fresh tree. We've been doing it with the
kids since they were babies. This year, with the boys out of the house and
the girls away at college, time slipped away from us. SWMBO decided to stop
by Christmas tree farm last Thursday night just to see what they had,
thinking she might just grab a pre-cut tree. She got there at 4:30 and
found out that they closed at 5. She was about to leave when the owner said
"Hey, if you want to cut down a tree, let's go find one." They climbed into
a Gator and off they went into the fields. They walked around a bit and
found a really nice tree. The owner cut it down for her, brought it back,
trimmed it to the 7 feet we need, drilled the hole and tied it to the top
of her car. $35 and he wouldn't accept a tip.

We will be going back there next year for sure.


Oh man, it's been so many years since I had a had a Christmas tree, real
or fake, where I was living. If I ever have one it will be a Bonsai sized
one that sits on a table or the bar. ^_^

TDD

Real tree every year, lights on the house, front and rear.

SWMBO and I color eggs at Easter, Easter morning there's a huge egg
feaster.

Halloween means graves in the yard, spooking out the place isn't all that
hard.

Winter, fall or early spring, I like the joy that holidays bring.

On 12/21/2013 4:12 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 1:51 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed and
released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber grommet
in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD

Well, with all the turning and twisting that occurs when I'm positioning
the tree, hanging the lights, etc., I'm sure it's a large multiple of 20
times, but I hear what you are saying. That's one of the things I love
about the stand. You can simply spin the tree to position correctly and to
make it easier to put the lights on and take them off. If drilled
correctly, it's perfectly straight even if the trunk is twisted and bent.

In any case, my suggestion about plumbing parts was all in fun, thus the
smiley. ;-)

True, happy holiday story about this year's tree: we usually go to a
Christmas tree farm and cut down a fresh tree. We've been doing it with the
kids since they were babies. This year, with the boys out of the house and
the girls away at college, time slipped away from us. SWMBO decided to stop
by Christmas tree farm last Thursday night just to see what they had,
thinking she might just grab a pre-cut tree. She got there at 4:30 and
found out that they closed at 5. She was about to leave when the owner said
"Hey, if you want to cut down a tree, let's go find one." They climbed into
a Gator and off they went into the fields. They walked around a bit and
found a really nice tree. The owner cut it down for her, brought it back,
trimmed it to the 7 feet we need, drilled the hole and tied it to the top
of her car. $35 and he wouldn't accept a tip.

We will be going back there next year for sure.


Oh man, it's been so many years since I had a had a Christmas tree, real
or fake, where I was living. If I ever have one it will be a Bonsai sized
one that sits on a table or the bar. ^_^

TDD

Real tree every year, lights on the house, front and rear.

SWMBO and I color eggs at Easter, Easter morning there's a huge egg
feaster.

Halloween means graves in the yard, spooking out the place isn't all that
hard.

Winter, fall or early spring, I like the joy that holidays bring.


Every Halloween, I take a big bag of candy to my next door neighbor for
his kids and their cousins if they show up. I do it because I'm disabled
but not in a wheelchair and it's very painful for me to get up and down
to answer the door which is something I don't do during Halloween. My
neighbor's three little girls and 4 year old nephew came by to thank me
for the candy and sing a Halloween song for me. The 4 year old has the
coolest nickname of any little kid and it's, "Bop Bop". The kids watch
out for me and my roommate and let us know if anyone is snooping around
when we're both away from the house. ^_^

TDD