DYI Tensahedron stand - wood?

[_YEM_]

I'm planning to make a DIY Tensahedron stand to hang in my "back yard" in South Philly. The stand will only be used in my yard, it doesn't need to be portable. I'm 170lbs and my hammock ridgeline is 110". Would 8' wood 2x2's support me and be adequate length for my hammock? Doesn't need to hang my tarp as I can run a CRL from the fences in my yard. I'm also planning on drilling a hole in the bottom and tying the supports together with amteel, which seems easier than lashing.

Anything I'm missing?

Many thanks in advance!

[cmc4free]

I'm planning to make a DIY Tensahedron stand to hang in my "back yard" in South Philly. The stand will only be used in my yard, it doesn't need to be portable. I'm 170lbs and my hammock ridgeline is 110". Would 8' wood 2x2's support me and be adequate length for my hammock? Doesn't need to hang my tarp as I can run a CRL from the fences in my yard. I'm also planning on drilling a hole in the bottom and tying the supports together with amteel, which seems easier than lashing.

Anything I'm missing?

Many thanks in advance!

If you look back to the beginnings of the original thread, I believe GadgetUK437 did just that.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...=1#post1828502

It can be hard to find 2x2's that are straight at that length.

[cougarmeat]

Looking at the photo in post 1828502, it looks like solid hinges were used for one of the joints/connections. With additional reading, it seems most have determined that the pieces need to rotate/twist a bit. So that's why they are using loose Amsteel or wire cable connections at the foot and top ends. It's good to read the beginnings of threads and also good to see if there had been any refinement along the way.

[cmc4free]

As for length, the commercial Tensa4 uses poles that are 8' or thereabouts, so using that length in a wooden version should not be a problem.

Re. the loose joints for rotation, the commercial version has loose joints at the ground ends and apex ends of the poles. Having a loose joint at one end or the other is probably sufficient on a DIY version. I know jeff-oh would say that it is. One thing I'd wonder would be about the strength of a 2x2 with a hole drilled through it at the apex end where the hammock suspension forces are applied. My guess is it would be ok, but wood is a natural product and every piece is different with grain, knots, other defects... One way to find out, I suppose. At least the OP of this thread is not terribly heavy.

On a side note, I'm amused there are now at least 2 Tensahedron threads that use the erroneous acronym "DYI." I've often thought to myself that in this application, it could stand for "do yourself in."

[_YEM_]

Looking at the photo in post 1828502, it looks like solid hinges were used for one of the joints/connections. With additional reading, it seems most have determined that the pieces need to rotate/twist a bit. So that's why they are using loose Amsteel or wire cable connections at the foot and top ends. It's good to read the beginnings of threads and also good to see if there had been any refinement along the way.

Thank you for the response! My apologies if my original post wasn't clear. - My question wasn't about the material for the joints/connection, my plan is to drill a hole in the 2x2's and "tie" the X together with Amsteel, it was regarding the poles themselves. I did watch GadgetUK437's video last night and saw he was using wood, but it almost looked like he had two 2x2's attached somehow. Unfortunately I couldn't zoom in on the video. The video also appeared to be an initial test/trial so I wasn't sure of how they performed long term. I read a significant portion of the lengthy thread but couldn't find anything specifically referencing using wood instead of EMT conduit or chain link top rail.

[Latherdome]

There are several 2x2”x8’ wood versions out there. Haven’t heard of failures yet. Good idea to pick clear good wood, as cmc4free says. That length is just barely long enough for your hammock. Take care to connect as near the ends as practicable to make full use of all the length you have. A particularly clean/elegant joint is an amsteel continuous loop pushed through holes large enough, then each tail looped over the top of the poles: no hardware or knots, and you can shift the loop to spread any wear.

[CaptainGravity]

I've had success with both 2x2s and "tree stakes". Both are 8' long. Tree stakes are stouter. I'm 240lbs 6'2. My preferred method of connection is lashings.

[tazmaniac]

I wonder, would bamboo be stronger? Also if portability isn't an issue what about rigid Aluminum conduit. Just some thoughts.

[fivefreds]

On a side note, I'm amused there are now at least 2 Tensahedron threads that use the erroneous acronym "DYI." I've often thought to myself that in this application, it could stand for "do yourself in."

Do Yourself In! Bwah ha haaah! I can't believe I never even noticed that this one had it wrong!

If you want it to be rock-solid, then consider using chain link fence top rails. Post #19 of thread linked above shows how I connected my ends & made it a bit more portable.

[Latherdome]

I wonder, would bamboo be stronger? Also if portability isn't an issue what about rigid Aluminum conduit. Just some thoughts.

Bamboo has a great strength:weight, some as good as mild steel. But it is even more variable than wood, harder to assure good unless expertly selected and processed for structural use. Aluminum needs to be in quite large diameters, almost double steel, to realize its strength:weight advantage potential.


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