American Flag Spindle Post

I have really wanted a flag spindle post for quite sometime and finally remembered to pick up the materials the other day during my trip to the hardware store. It screams 'All American' and I just completely adore that! You can put this together in under an hour from start to finish {simply using a hand drill & saw} and it costs just under $12 including the flags.

Since I will be using my post outside I used pressure treated wood. The post is actually a deck post. They come in several different styles and can run anywhere from $6 to $12 dollars ~ mine was the most inexpensive. I made two cuts to my post, the pre-fabricated finial off the top {as it was too small} and the notched bottom. The picture above is the after as I didn't snap a before.

I purchased a larger finial for the top {again, found in hardware store right next to the posts; pressure treated as well} They are pre-made with a screw attachment making it really easy to put together.

I did pre-drill a pilot hole in the top of the post before attaching the finial; this serves as a guide plus makes it simple to screw in.

The next step is measuring out where you flag holes are going to be. As a guide I used a top to a spray paint can to draw a line around the finial. This will assure all the flags on that layer are even.

I made five holes in the top finial for flags. One is in the center and the other four are evenly spaced around the guideline {as drawn above}. You want to use a drill bit that is just the size of your flag poles. This will assure a tight fit. You also want to drill your side holes at angels so the flags will hang properly. I used a slightly larger flag for the center hole.

I got so excited seeing this come together that I'm missing a couple of progress pictures. First; The second layer of flags. As shown in the picture above {with the arrows} these were drilled into the base of the finial, again, at an angle evenly spaced out. You want this layer of four flags to fall in between the flags of the first layer so they are not right on top of each other, but staggered.

Secondly; The base & paint. For the base I simply used a left over piece of pressure treated decking board. The board is screwed to the post from the bottom and you need to counter-sink the screws so that the board will sit flat. I simply used black exterior spray paint to finished the wood; quick and easy.

Can I tell you how much I love this! It's perfect for the upcoming holiday {as well as the entire summer in my book} I know I've said it before, but there is just something about the good old red, white and blue. Enjoy!