Orchard Apple Picker

Have you ever been picking apples and the perfect apple was infuriatingly out of reach or was the apple pickers head just too small for the apple? This apple picker is perfect. It's easily made, tall, and it can finally get those annoying apples of any size. The prongs can be adjusted to fit the apple and it can be put on any size or shape of long pole/stick.

1. Long branch or pole as long as you want it to reach, not too thick, a broom handle would work. (Not in the picture).
2. Plastic encased metal wire 8ft - stiff
3. Duct Tape
4. Pocket knife/knife, flat head screwdriver & saw
5. Sandpaper
6. Wirecutter
7. Two one inch metal clamps

Read all the steps for this instructable before starting.

If you don't want to get a pole or broom handle from the store, go to the hedge or some tree and cut off a strate branch. Make sure that it is straight or it will get easily caught on other branches when picking apples. Finally cut off all the little bits and sticks protruding from the pole.

If you cut your own pole, cut off the top part of the stick at the point where the stick is thick enough to support the apple and bracket. It should be at least one inch in diameter. It doesn't matter if you got it at the store or not, the top three inches of the apple picker must be smooth. Once finished smoothing, save the sandpaper for later and don't throw it out.

Slide the two metal one inch clamps onto the stick to be used later. These will secure the prongs on the pole.

Use the wirecutter to cut the wire into five or six pieces, each approximately 1.5ft long. Fold the wires in half so that the two ends are beside each other. Use the Duct Tape to tape the first prong onto the stick about two inches down. This will let the apple have a little platform to sit on. Make sure the Duct tape goes all the way around the stick at least once, the more the stronger.

Tape the rest of the prongs on in the same fashion as the first one, going around the stick so that there is a prong on all sides.

Slide the one inch clamps upward onto the area where the Duct Tape is Holding down the prongs, one higher up and the other at least 1 cm lower. Using the flat head screwdriver, tighten the clamps until you can't make them go any further. If you cut your own pole, after a while, the clamps will need to be tightened more as the pole dries.

If you cut your own pole, you may be finding that the pointy bottom was getting in the way, and stabbing holes in things as I did, if this is the case, simply remove it and cut it off. If you find that your pole is uncomfortable or rough, you can peel the bark off or sand the places you want to hold.

Now that it's done there are a few things that I would change. For one, if I used a cut off a tree pole, sanding it down would take a while, so I think that first I would peel the bark, (not under the Duct Tape), till even the green under the bark would be peeled away, then after that, take the saw and trim off all the knots down to the level of the rest of the exposed wood. Then I would start to sand the entire thing down. Also, I would be interested to use a thick broom handle, and see how it worked. The tape might not stick as well, if it was plastic, but for all I know, it would work better. Also, I might tape the prongs at the top of the stick instead of two inches down to have minimal bruising of the apple. Although the apple might get stuck in the bracket more easily if at the base, where it held the apple, the prongs were closer together. Then again it might cushion the apple better when picking it. Overall there are definitely things you could change, but the basic strucker still works. Good luck!