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Lawn Edger Bracket

I had more fun putting the new MIG welder to use again today.

I bought a new edger because I gave up on making my old one work. I've taken the carburetor apart 3 times now and cleaned it, and replaced fuel lines, but it's refusing to start so I decided it was time to buy a new one before the weeds took over my sidewalks and drive way.

Space in my garage is getting tight these days, so I wanted to hang the new edger on the wall with the other tools, but between a lack of space, and the fact I couldn't find any hooks at Home Depot that looked like they would work well, I decide it was time to put the new welder to some more use so I designed and build a bracket to hold the new edger.

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The main advantage of this one is that it holds the edger about 8 inches out from the wall which allows it to hang freely, as well as allow me to fit it on the wall without moving other tools out of the way. And of course, the hook was sized just right to fit the edger where I wanted it to be held.

I also got to use the new rod and bar bender I recently got at Harbor Freight with my 15% off coupon.

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It worked well for bending the fork on the bracket but it does take a bit of time to figure out how to set it up for the project. It would work far better if I had a place to secure it to the floor, but for now, I just hold it down with a foot while holding and pushing to make the bend. The 5/16" rod I was using for this project is about the limit of what you can probably bend without securing the bender to something. There's only so much force you can apply with the bending bar while trying to hold it down with a single foot at the same time. :)

I used a PLASTI DIP product (from Home Depot) to coat the tongs of the bracket. The hooks I've bought in the past had a similar coating on them to protect the tools they hold from scratching so it seemed like a good idea. I've never used this stuff before but I've seen it advertised for years so it was fun having an excuse to buy some and try it out.

I don't know what the stuff is actually made of, but it seems to work well for this type of application. I had painted the entire bracket before I dipped it, and it looked like the first coat was having some issues trying to bond to the fairly fresh paint. But a second coat in the dip took care of that and the result seems to have turned out just fine. I'll have to give it some time to see how well it holds up.

All it all, it was another fun project that makes me enjoy having a welder at home so I whip up these sorts of things on a moments notice. It only took maybe two hours of work plus the time waiting for the paint and the plasti dip to dry.

I've also ordered a cab rebuilt kit for the old edger to see if I can bring it back to life. Hate to give up on a machine that seems like it should still have a good bit of life left in it. If I can get that back to life, maybe I'll make an effort to bring the old grass trimmer and leaf blower back to life as well!

Reply to
Curt Welch
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Well, lessee --

Metal, rod/wire, welder -- $500 Paint, handle dip $20? The sheer fun of having made exactly what you wanted out of what you had around the shop Priceless

Whatcha coulda got it for at one of the big box stores? Who gives a shit!?!?

Good on ya!

Reply to
John Husvar

:)

That's it exactly!

Oddly enough, for me, it's these little unexpected sources of joy that really make life fun.

Reply to
Curt Welch

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Curt,

I had exactly the same problem with the bender. My garage space is extremely limited. You also need some space around the bender for the bending arm and for the material stock to stick out. So, I drilled some holes in the middle of the garage concrete floor and epoxied in some large diameter nuts flush with the floor. Now, I can move my car out of the garage, drag the bender out to the middle of the floor and quickly bolt it down. This way, I can push really hard on the bender without any problems. When I am done, the bender gets unbolted and pushed back into the corner. I actually always leave the bolts screwed into the nuts in the floor. This way, I do not lose the bolts and it keeps debris from piling up in the holes.

In addition, I have found out I can use these same floor nuts to bolt other miscellaneous things down when I am working on them (e.g. I made a little bicycle support stand so I can do wheel and gear maintenance).

Tom Doody

Reply to
tdoodyNS

That's a cool idea. The epoxy actually holds well enough that it doesn't pop out when you bolt it down? What type of epoxy did you use?

And I guess you could recess the nuts so that the bolts can be screwed down flush to the floor as well so you don't create a trip hazard.

Yeah, interesting idea.

Reply to
Curt Welch

For the bolts, I used 1/2" diameter, 1" long.

For the embedded nuts, I actually made it slightly more complicated than a single nut. I made a small assembly with a nut at each end separated by a spacer about 1/2 long (the three parts were welded together). This was the really hard way. If I were doing it again, I would just use a coupling "nut" (or maybe cut a coupling nut in half) so that there is about 1" depth for the embedded nut/coupling (the couplings are generally available at your local Home Depot/Lowes for about $1.50 each for 1/2 or 3/4" bolt diameters). The extra length (i.e. the use of a 1" long coupling or the home-made assembly I made) provides more than enough strength / resistance. I just used standard 2-part epoxy. Yes, my bolt heads stick up above the floor level but it is right in the middle of where I park my car, so I am not usually walking over that spot, but your idea of recessing the nut/ coupling just the depth of the bolt head is an improvement.

My biggest problem was finding a concrete drill big enough to make the hole in the floor but my BIL had a really nice big one.

Tom Doody

Reply to
tdoodyNS

Exactly the same idea I was thinking about. :)

Also what I was thinking. I had seen those as well.

I have a two car garrage with one big door and was thinking it putting it right in the middle between the cars near the door to give maximum room. But that would also put it right in the normal walking path. But if I make it flush, it shouldn't be too much of a trip hazard.

Painting a big yellow square to make it stand out wouldn't hurt to keep me and others mindful to watch out.

Yeah, I've got a collection of concrete drills, but nothing large enough. I'll have to check around to see what I can find.

Thanks for the ideas.

Reply to
Curt Welch

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