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| by:
Gary Walchuk
photos: Bert Klassen
illustrations: Len Churchill |
HARDWOOD HANGER |
| It
may be beautiful, but this garden hose hanger was built for
strength |
| |
| Hardy
hardwood: This garden hose hanger is made from 7/8"-thick
white oak for strength and durability, but both
fir and cedar are good, weather-tough alternatives |
|
While it’s
true many gardening tools have improved as the hobby increases
in popularity, this isn’t the case with garden hose hangers.
That’s why I built strength, style and durability into
this design. For starters, I used 7/8"-thick white oak
throughout. If it’s good enough for wooden wine barrels,
it’s good enough to hold a hose. Of course, you can use
your stock of choice—even fir or spruce—one that weathers
well. And if the 7/8" thickness poses a problem, a few
minor adjustments to the materials list easily accommodate 3/4"-thick
wood.
Regardless of what you choose,
you’ve got many finishing options. You can use the hanger
with no finish at all to get a weathered grey look, or you can
stain and finish as I’ve done here. Paint is another option.
Just remember to sand all parts before assembly and use weatherproof,
exterior-grade glue.
 |
| Screw
the back securely to the base with three 1 1/2"
stainless-steel screws |
|
Sizing it Up
You’ll need a large compass to layout full-size templates
of the front and base members. This can be rigged using a strip
of scrap and pencil if need be. Mark directly onto thin cardboard
to create a pattern, beginning with a pivot point and transferring
three arcs, at 6 1/2", 7 1/8" and 10 1/2" radii.
Next, use a protractor to mark two lines, 44° from each
side of the baseline. Next, draw a line 2 1/2" above the
baseline, parallel to it, marking the bottom edge of the base.
Round the ends of the front member to a 11 1/16" radius
before transferring the series of angled lines (4°, 6°,
14°, etc.) from the pivot point to the outlines of the base
and front members. This fan-shaped array marks the location
of the slats that you’ll add later.
| HANG
ON TIGHT |
A
100' coil of water-filled rubber garden hose is
too heavy to be supported by a couple of screws
driven into plastic anchors set in your house wall.
If you’re anchoring your hose hanger into masonry,
consider 1/2" diameter expanding anchor bolts.
They’re often called Hilti bolts, though different
brands are now available. They look like headless
bolts, but once they’re in place, tightening
the nut on the end expands metal wings that grip
the side of the hole tightly from inside. Anchoring
securely into wood siding is easy: drive #12 wood
screws into the wall so they penetrate the underlying
wall studs by at least 1".
Aluminum and vinyl
siding pose a mounting problem because both are
hollow underneath and unable to support the hanger
as it’s torqued down. In this case, consider
mounting the hanger on a wooden post set into the
ground near your
outdoor tap. —Steve Maxwell |
|
Cut out your cardboard templates now, then transfer their outlines
to the wood for front and base members. After the edges are
sanded smooth, transfer the angle lines to the working edges
of all parts.
Cut the nine slats now. The plans
show how their long edges are bevelled 4° from square, and
how each slot needs three 1/8"-deep x 7/8"-wide dados.
Next come the braces. Cut the top edges 4° from square so
they approximate the curve of the base members they join.
Bring it Together
Begin assembly by evenly attaching slats to the top edges of
the base members. Use one counterbored #8 x 1 1/2" screw
and glue on each joint. Cover the holes with tapered wooden
plugs pared flush after installation. Next, centre the front
member into the shallow dados in the slats, securing it with
glue and screws driven from the bottom face of the slats.
Apply glue to the top edges and ends of the two braces, slide
them between the base members, then secure with clamps and more
counterbored screws.
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE FOR PLAN |
|
All that’s left now is to cut the back member to size and
install it. Begin with a piece of wood 7/8" x 5" x
14". Trim the bottom end to a centre point with a 44°
cut on each side, then round the top end to a semicircular shape.
Round the bottom point to a 1" radius and drill two mounting
holes, as shown in the plans, then fasten the back to the base
with glue and three 1 1/2" screws. Remove any excess glue,
hand-sand and apply a finish. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Size |
Qty. |
| Front |
7/8"
x 6" x 16" |
1 |
| Base |
7/8"
x 4" x 9" |
2 |
| Slats |
7/8"
x 1" x 7 7/8" |
9 |
| Braces |
7/8"
x 3" x 3 3/4" |
2 |
| Back |
7/8"
x 5" x 14" |
1 |
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