A 24 in hardware cloth cylinder, 36 in tall, held by two T-posts, to protect a young trunk from rabbits and voles.
Draft plan, generated from the model. Not yet build-tested.
24 inDiameter
36 inHeight
36 x 77 inCloth
30 minBuild time
$65.51Materials
Drawings All dimensions in inches
3D viewfinishedFront elevationRight elevationPlan viewfrom above
Cut list: sheet goods
Part
Stock
Size
Note
Cylinder
cloth
36 x 77 3/8
cut from the roll
Shopping list $65.51 checked / $0.00 estimated
Item
Store
Qty
Each
Line
Note
Hardware cloth 1/2 in, 3 ft x 25 ft, 19-ga
Home Depot
1
$38.88
$38.88
uses about 77 3/8 in of the roll
6 ft studded T-post (1.25 lb/ft)
Tractor Supply
2
$4.49
$8.98
supports; reuse them on other trees
UV zip ties 11 in, 100 ct (also used for tie wire)
Home Depot
1
$17.65
$17.65
Total before tax
$65.51
Filled dot: price read from a store listing on Oct 20, 2026. Hollow dot: estimate. Prices come from the master price list, so they change when it changes.
Build steps
Cut a 36 in piece of 3 ft hardware cloth about 78 in long, and roll it into a 24 in diameter cylinder with a 2 in overlap.
Wire the seam closed every 3 in with tie wire.
Set the cylinder around the trunk, 2 in clear all round, and drive two T-posts opposite each other 12 in into the ground.
Wire the cylinder to the posts at the top and in the middle, and bury the bottom edge 2 in or stake it down.
Check every spring and widen it when the trunk gets to 3 in across.
Before you start
Protects the trunk from rabbits, voles and deer rub. Voles gnaw the bark under snow: a guard that is buried 2 in stops them.
Check the guard every year. A trunk girdled by cloth is as dead as one chewed by a vole.
A guard keeps deer from the trunk but not the branches. For deer, use a 6 ft cage plan.
Draft drawings generated from the model. Build one before selling this plan.