Clothesline Poles

[Guy Germaine]

A few years back, I built some clothes line poles for LOML. I just used a half-lap joint to make a "T". They're starting to go bad, and I need to make another pair. What is the best joint to use on a 4X4 pressure treated post? With the wet clothes hanging on them, there is a lot of torque on the joint.

[Art Mulder]

We have a single pole - no "T" - with a pulley supporting a line that goes about 60'. I wouldn't recommend a 4x4. I used a 4x6 post, and it still wiggles a bit. I had it set so the 6" dimension is facing the pulley, to give lots of meat for bolting it into place. I wonder if I had turned it 90 degrees - so that the 6" dimension is resisting the pull of the line - it would be sturdier. I'd be inclined to look at 6x6 posts next time. Of course the other end is a 12" diameter maple tree, and it doesn't wiggle much at all...

(that is just pickiness, the 4x6 is plenty strong enough. Can't say the same for the clothesline. We're on our second one since we put this in about 7 years ago, and a third one needs to be bought soon.)

[Kyle Kraft]

Guy,

This probably doesn't answer your question, but on my clothsline poles I used a mortise and tenon. There are a few problems with this, when the lumber shrinks, they loosen up. Also, when I set the posts in the ground, the cross arms were parallel with each other. After the posts dried out they twisted along their axis and look like crap.

Just a couple of suggestions, buy the posts and let them dry out for a year before machining them. Also I would use a "wedged" tenon, like driving a wedge in a hammer handle. Maybe this would solve some of my problems.

[David G Baker]

Sometimes steel pipe has its place. A tee made from 2 1/2 inch galvanized pipe set in concrete will solve your problem. It may not be pretty but it will do the job and may cost about the same as 6x6 limber.

[Randal Stevenson]

On the steel pipes issue, I am one of the few houses in my area, that both have, and still uses the clothesline. If you have an area where older folk are dying off, seems the newer ones always rip them out, so you can find used ones for free occassionally.

[Matt Meiser]

On the steel pipes issue, I am one of the few houses in my area, that both have, and still uses the clothesline. If you have an area where older folk are dying off, seems the newer ones always rip them out, so you can find used ones for free occassionally.

Yep, I know where this is (was?) a free set for the taking in Minneapolis. I helped my brother dig them out. They were more structurally sound than his garage. If we would have had room, I would have cut them apart and brought them home for the steel.

[Lee Schierer]

I used a 4 x 4 post for the vertical and the cross piece is a piece of 1-1/2 pipe with five holes drilled through it. The center hole is to attach the pipe to the post with a long 5/16 dia carriage bolt, the other four are equally spaced for the lines. I used J hooks through the four holes in the pipe to hook on the lines. From the back side of the inner two holes, I ran diagonal braces down to the post on about a 45 degree angle with some perforrated steel strapping they sell at HD and the lower ends are attached to the post with a carriage bolt. The post have been there for at leas 5 years with no problems. The diagonal braces prevent any tipping.

[Benjimin Young]

Don't want to hijack this one but I had to share my simple minded humor. After reading the title, my first thought was use a small tree. Let me explain.

When I was a boy on the East coast, a lot of cloths lines were just single lines stretched between two points. The line sagged so you could reach it to put your laundry on. A cloths line pole was a long thin tree trunk with a knotch in the top. After hanging the laundry on the line you would wedge the pole in the middle of the line to keep the laundry from touching the ground.

Us enterprising boys would cut down thin tall trees, skin them into poles and then sell them door to door, as I recall, for 50 cents each.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane ;-)

[Art Mulder]

Here's ours.
66049

This is what I would recommend for the end of a clothesline. This gizmo lets you lower the pulley down for easily getting the clothes on/off the line, and then you pull it up when you're done and it is well above your head and out of the way.

[Fred Voorhees]

Guy, I've attached a pic of one of a trio of clothesline arbors that I built a few years ago for the LOML. For the crossmembers, I used dados, but you could also use half laps. I had opposing crossmembers and used Gorilla Glue and lag screws and beleive me....with five lines attached to each one, they get their fair share of stress, but have never come close to failing.

[Jim Becker]

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rte/lowres/rten95l.jpg

Personally, I use the kind that consumes electrons/fossil fuels, but I have seen Fred's setup and it's grand!

[David G Baker]

The cartoon is exactly what I made for the LOML to hang large items that can be machine washed but not put in the clothes dryer. The only difference is that the line is hanging from a couple of 2x4s bolted to the ceiling trusses in the garage. Works great and she is happy with it.
Matt is so right on the steel cloths lines disappearing when the younger generation moves in.

[Brad Townsend]

I commend you for having an outside clothesline. I live in a small subdivision in the country with 1+ acre lots that would be ideal for everyone to have one. Out of fifteen homes, there is exactly one clothesline, and I have to admit, the one home is not mine. Consider the amount of energy we could save in this country if everyone that could, had one and used it. I would suggest installing one to my wife, but I know the response I would get, and at my age, I don't want to start hanging out laundry.:D

[Jim Becker]

I wholeheartedly agree, Brad...it would be nice to dry outside. Unfortunately, laundry is most often a nighttime activity around here and without the warm sun to "freshen" the clothing on the line...not to mention the issue of hanging in the dark...well...

[James Ayars]

I put up a new clothesline 4 years ago and used lap joints and two 12x3 wood screws on each one. For the uprights I used landscape timbers and the cross bars are 2x4's. I have 4 lines strung between them and so far so good. I've seen only one other in our neighborhood and it's one of those square ones that rotates on a thin metal pole.

My parents still have the same steel poles they had when I was a young kid 30+ years ago.

I use ours all year long. I actually kept a tally for 2006 of the loads I hung out. 215 loads that did not go in the dryer. At our electric rate that works out to be ~$121 per year saved. Plus the clothes last longer being hung on the line instead of thrown in the dryer.

[Rob Will]

For a clothesline pole, it would be hard for me not to consider using 2" oilfield tubing instead of wood.

Rob

[Guy Germaine]

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the pipe ideas, but I'd rather stay with wood. I guess it's the woodworker in me :rolleyes:
I haven't started this project yet, but when I do, I'm thinking about a pinned bridle joint. That should b strong enough, and it will be good practice.:D