The Spurtle Stand

**Drewmon71** · 09-08-2014, 15:32

Thanks for this, been wanting to a portable stand for car camping, this is the one!!!

**Willfcc** · 09-08-2014, 16:52

Originally Posted by Max Capacity

For the OP, is there a reason you used the open-ended elbows instead of the closed-ended ones? Also, I see Tarps.com also has a tube connector. Have you ever used that? It might work out for splitting the uprights.

MaxC, I used open-ended elbows to ensure top rail was fully supported by the the upright, and overall I believe it to be a stronger weld joint. The closed-ended ones would not allow full insertion of the top rail into the joint, and I doubt there is a stiffener plate at the mitered joint. Also, the holes drilled for the wire lock pins would have been forced away from the center of the joint, moving the hang point inside the vertical support point, causing bending loads on the top rail.

I didn't use tube connectors for a couple reasons:

There is a stop in the center of the connector, made by crimping the tube. This creates a weak point at the location of a lot of stress. If the tube is going to bend, this is where it will happen. The swaged tube method gives the joint 3" of overlap, much stronger IMO.
I'm trying to use as few parts as possible.

Will

**gunner76** · 09-08-2014, 17:09

Nice job and excellent report. Good hybrid name too.

**slbear** · 09-08-2014, 19:13

Willfcc,

Very nice job. I was looking at putting together a steel pipe stand, but was put off by the cost. This is both cheaper and better looking.

Has anyone who tried to make a 2-hammock stand? I'd like to make one for car camping with my son (while he still wants to hang around with Dad). End to end is an obvious choice, but I was thinking V-shaped, then we could face the tarps inward (if you will) to create a cozy and more compact setup. The goal here is to share one pole so I'm saving $ and storage space, but a equilateral triangle would be nice and we could use the 3rd end for more stability and a place to hang things off the ground. Anyone with experience making a 2-hammock stand work, or otherwise suggest it's better to just build (2) single hammock stands instead?

Looking at the canopy fittings, some of the high pitch and/or corner pieces have angles < 90 degrees, but I'd probably have an unused connector, and it looks from the pictures that some of the connectors are smaller diameter, and might not slide over the standard 1-3/8 toprail. I also don't see anything that is an obvious 60 degree angle that could be used to make a triangle stand. Any direction from those who know these fittings better is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Slbear

**Willfcc** · 09-08-2014, 20:53

Slbear,
I thought about this while designing the stand, and have a few unproven ideas.

Tarps.com has a high pitch peak end with center pole that can give you a 60* angle between top rails, but, the top rails won't reach fully into the tubes for support on the vertical pole. Multiple hang points directly above the vertical pole would be difficult.

More elbows like the ones I use for the top rail could be slid onto the vertical pole and locked with a wire lock pin, but, the second top rail would be about 6" lower, and again, it wouldn't be directly supported by the vertical rail.

I think best bet using these materials are separate stands. Gives you more flexibility at in your campsite, and infinitely adjustable angle between stands. I like two stands parallel to each other, appropriately distanced to make a nice porch area between them to cover with one or both tarps.

Will

**slbear** · 09-09-2014, 00:03

Will,

I think I agree on the flexibility of two stands for parallel or flexible setup, although keener minds than mine might come up something with those tinkertoy parts from Tarps.com

How tall is your Spurtle stand with the 57" vertical poles? Add 3" for the bottom and top connectors or more? I usually eyeball my ridgeline to be just about head level, but I'll want this one to be dialed in, and I probably will want to cut as much as possible at Home Depot instead of using my old-fashion hacksaw. My guess is I'll want this around 6'

If the legs are in two sections, how much of the length do you lose for the swedge?

Thanks for leading the way and answering questions.

Slbear.

**hppyfngy** · 09-09-2014, 04:47

See you get yourself some sort of measuring device and measure from your feet to your head...

That ought to be a place to start.

**Willfcc** · 09-09-2014, 05:01

Slbear,
I haven't measured, but the math says the hang points are 57 + 1-3/8 + 11/16 = 59-1/16".
The joints have ~3" overlap. I used two 30" pieces for the 57" leg.

Will

**slbear** · 09-09-2014, 11:37

Originally Posted by hppyfngy

See you get yourself some sort of measuring device and measure from your feet to your head...

That ought to be a place to start.

Happy Fun Guy,

Actually, I don't need to do that. I've got Derek's cool Ultimate Hang Calculator http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/. It looks like I'm looking for a stand height of about 6' 1" give or take. I wish I was that tall.

I'm still a new hanger around these parts. I'm thinking I should build my Spurtle stand at least that height, and I can always adjust down with whoopie slings. (2) 40" pipes on each leg should yield a hang point of ~6'3" Without digging through the huge archive of Turtle Dog and other DIY stands, is there a typical height? Is 6'3" too tall for some reason? I hope to learn from others as much as possible.

Thanks again for the help,
Slbear

**slbear** · 09-11-2014, 13:58

I ordered parts from Tarps.com for (2) stands, as well as the McMaster parts - that arrived the next day. I'm getting excited waiting for canopy parts - how sick is that?

To temper my excitement, I thought of a few more questions.

Will...how did you cut the top rail? I hope to have HD make most of the cuts, but I'm sure I'll need to adjust when I try the setup, and I'll need something more than my hand hacksaw. As my dad taught me, there is always a reason to buy a tool!

I have a circular and table saw and was looking for a reason to get a 10" miter saw. I saw metal cutting discs/abrasive wheels or metal cutting blades for a lot more $. I have a sawzall but it's not good for accurate cuts.

Push again for feedback or tradeoffs on height. OP has hang points ~5' - maybe to minimize materials/weight/cost. I wanted something taller, but was not doing the math correctly. Checking Derek's calculator again, I can see that ~59" hang points gives me an 18" sit height. Even setting up on sand with an underquilt, I probably wouldn't be dragging. I still plan to start out with a 73" hang height, but I think now that requires 48" + 26" pole sections. Still asking for sage advice if a ~6' tall stand is not as good as a 5' stand for some reason.

Last question (for now). I purchased one of the end-to-end connectors to avoid buying another pole - and have 48" max lengths. I realize it's a compromise per the OP's comments, but where would you put the straight connector if necessary? If it's on the legs, inward pull should be handled by the top bar, and if it's on the top, downward pull should be handled by the legs. I think that's the real trick of these top pole stands - and it should be fine for normal hammock use either way. I'm a little worried that someone might try to hang or swing from the top bar, which would not be good either way (or maybe even a concern with the 3" swedge joints.) I think the side might be best - just because it's shorter In any case, advice on where to position one E2E joint is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,
Slbear