To sum up part 1: i bought a hammock, two eye bolts, two heavy-duty carabiners, and some rope to hang my hammock with... Only to discover that i would need to build a stand.
The first thing i needed to decide was what material and schematic to use in order to build said hammock stand/frame. The most obvious option was wood: it was relatively inexpensive. But i hadn't worked with wood in a long time, and i wasn't particularly inclined to spend $10 on the U-BILD plan that seemed to be the most professional looking source of information. One big plus was that i could see a photo of the finished projects, while on the how-to and DIY sites were far less forthcoming.
This was also the case for PVC pipe projects. PVC pipes were slightly more expensive, but the glue seemed to be less daunting to me than stain/sealer, bolts/nuts/washers. I found one picture that looked promising of such a project, a GreatPlans number that cost $12 to buy the plans for. Apparently PVC pipe furniture is popular, though i saw a lot of people advise against using it for weight bearing and instead advocated ABS piping or to stay away from these sorts of pipes all together. One of the things that put me off this idea was the fact that the pipes cannot screw into one another (i think i'm right about).
My thoughts eventually turned to steel pipe. This seemed to be the most practical option. There are a lot of metal frames on the market, easy to copy from pictures. However, this turned out to be cost prohibitive, far more expensive than wood or PVC, and i had read warnings that pipe is impossible to completely clean, that it is always oily. This didn't sound practical for indoor use, and it was definitely beyond my budget. If money was no option, i'm pretty sure that this is probably where i would have ended up. Oddly, it was the craft in which i have the least experience. However, the materials are strongest.
Finally, i stumbled upon the Hammock Forums and TrailH4X' portable hammock stand. I felt as if the U-BILD option was a bit overkill, too low and not really practical for a Mayan hammock. This seemed to be a inspired-by yet reworked version of the same pattern. I'm not sure if that's true, but hey, a free schematic was definitely a plus. One thing that i should have taken into account was the size of his hammock compared to mine (i assumed that it was a couple of feet shorter, but didn't take the time to confirm by how much), but it was a starting off point. I decided to make the base 2' longer than Trail's and assumed that this would be sufficient. So i went out and followed his shopping list, planning to make some of the cuts a couple of inches shorter so i didn't have to buy more wood than he had. The wood was pleasantly inexpensive. The stain was far over budget and i ended up getting more than i needed because i trusted the estimates of the employee who helped me rather than figure out the math myself. And the bolts...i was confused about what kind to use. He recommended 1/4" in diameter and i had a feeling that would not be sufficient. But i purchased some of that diameter that were galvanized steel.
Upon getting all of the supplies home...i cut most of the would with my father's old electric saw and sawed through the remaining thickness by hand. I slept in my old bed one last time. The next morning, i put the first coat of stain on the wood. And then i started to drill holes.
Stay tuned for part 3.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
the hammock project, part 1
When i moved back home, not only had my old room been overtaken with sewing, scrapbooking, and various craft supplies, but i didn't have a bed anymore. My old waterbed had a leak so we got rid of it...all except the headboard, which makes a lovely bookcase. When i moved home, we gradually began moving some things out of the black hole that my room had become. I was given an old full size bed with box spring that my youngest sister had been using. It was already an old bed that had been given to us used, but i was glad that it wasn't a twin, even if it was only standing on the floor and there was no frame.
But that was a couple of years ago. All that remains of the black hole is one bookshelf that is still filled with scrapbook supplies, empty boxes, file boxes, and gift wrap. I have most of my room back. But the bed...the bed is dead. Springs are starting to poke out of the mattress and there is no support left. This is disagreeable for anyone, but especially for me because i have a bad back. When i first started using this bed, my back appreciated it and felt much better; now there isn't a morning that i don't wake up with my back complaining.
Well i am between graduating from college and finding a job at the moment. Looking on CraigsList...beds seem to be going for $400 upwards. I definitely can't afford that. But no more can i afford to keep using this bed. So i started dreaming of buying a hammock again.
Way back in 2003, before i even got my GED and decided to go back to school (this time to college) i moved in with my aunt and started paying her some rent. She didn't have an extra bed, so i slept on an air mattress for a while. I didn't have a bad back yet, but my back didn't particularly care for this mattress when my job required me to be on my feet all day long. So what i really wanted to buy was a hammock, but upon some research i realized that it was beyond my budget. So we bought a couch at a thrift store that was like new because it had just been recovered. That was quite comfortable and served me well for nearly a year before i moved away.
But this time...i really wanted to make a hammock setup work. Hammocks are good for your back. Hammocks themselves are relatively inexpensive, it is the hammock frame that costs a lot (upwards of $100, which is extreme for my budget). And then i stumbled upon this video.
RayD888 apparently sleeps in a hammock that has bolted into the wall. All that you need is your hammock, two eye bolts, two carabiners, and some rope. Much more cost effective than a hammock stand! So i broached the subject with my father. My mother tells me that he cannot comprehend why i would want to sleep in a hammock. He has no back trouble whatsoever. Well he didn't object at the time. It wasn't until over a week (something like 10-14 days) after i ordered my hammock that he told me that he didn't want me drilling holes in the studs in my bedroom.
By that time i had already purchased my hammock online and received it in the mail. So what's a girl to do? Stay tuned for part two.
But that was a couple of years ago. All that remains of the black hole is one bookshelf that is still filled with scrapbook supplies, empty boxes, file boxes, and gift wrap. I have most of my room back. But the bed...the bed is dead. Springs are starting to poke out of the mattress and there is no support left. This is disagreeable for anyone, but especially for me because i have a bad back. When i first started using this bed, my back appreciated it and felt much better; now there isn't a morning that i don't wake up with my back complaining.
Well i am between graduating from college and finding a job at the moment. Looking on CraigsList...beds seem to be going for $400 upwards. I definitely can't afford that. But no more can i afford to keep using this bed. So i started dreaming of buying a hammock again.
Way back in 2003, before i even got my GED and decided to go back to school (this time to college) i moved in with my aunt and started paying her some rent. She didn't have an extra bed, so i slept on an air mattress for a while. I didn't have a bad back yet, but my back didn't particularly care for this mattress when my job required me to be on my feet all day long. So what i really wanted to buy was a hammock, but upon some research i realized that it was beyond my budget. So we bought a couch at a thrift store that was like new because it had just been recovered. That was quite comfortable and served me well for nearly a year before i moved away.
But this time...i really wanted to make a hammock setup work. Hammocks are good for your back. Hammocks themselves are relatively inexpensive, it is the hammock frame that costs a lot (upwards of $100, which is extreme for my budget). And then i stumbled upon this video.
RayD888 apparently sleeps in a hammock that has bolted into the wall. All that you need is your hammock, two eye bolts, two carabiners, and some rope. Much more cost effective than a hammock stand! So i broached the subject with my father. My mother tells me that he cannot comprehend why i would want to sleep in a hammock. He has no back trouble whatsoever. Well he didn't object at the time. It wasn't until over a week (something like 10-14 days) after i ordered my hammock that he told me that he didn't want me drilling holes in the studs in my bedroom.
By that time i had already purchased my hammock online and received it in the mail. So what's a girl to do? Stay tuned for part two.
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