In 4 simple steps you will have your balancing bottle tree: o Cut your PVC branches. The most important cut on several of the ends is to make an angled cut which allows for the initial balancing angle. A 30 degree cut works well (so that the pipe stands at 60 degrees) for getting the balance just right. For the branches, you can cut them to different lengths for fun, and choose whether you want angled or straight cuts on the different ends. Straight cuts will allow branches to be connected more easily but not be the initial balancer, so it’s a tradeoff! o Drill bottle holding holes. Using a 1 1/4″ hole saw on a drill press, make holes along the bottle branches. Drill them in lines with different spacings so that there are more variables to play with. You could even drill holes on both sides of the pipe if you want! The one important note is that on your pieces that you cut at an angle, make sure to drill holes on the same side as the longer side of the PVC so that the bottles can counterbalance the tilt of the PVC. o Fill them up. Water time! Take off the labels (for aesthetic), fill up the bottles partway, and cap them. It’s great to keep a container and a funnel nearby for when you’re building. With these, you can easily pour out water and re-fill bottles to change the weight. o Assemble a balancing bottle forest.