Free Floating Flag Pole

Most flagpoles are cemented into the ground however we needed something portable and something that wouldn't interfere with unknown objects in the ground. Therefore this project was to build a portable surface mounted flagpole that does not dig into the ground at all.

Base
-4 10.5 feet chain link top rails. 1.375" .
-1 6 foot long, 1.660" galvanized fence post
-4 aluminum 90 deg elbows 1.375" with bolts
-1 6' steel studded T-post
-2 female hinges
-1 3" D-clip pin (3/8")
-4 self tapping screws
-20 carriage bolts 3" (These are sold in packs of 10 and are for chain link fencing. I got 3" because the smaller size may not have worked)
-1 bag of 3/4" long, 1/4" carriage bolts (these are only needed if the elbows did not include bolts)
-20 galvanized washers

Flag pole
-2 10.5 feet chain link top rails. 1.375" .
-2 stainless pipe clamps, large enough to go around a 1 and 3/8 diameter post
-1 pulley for the rope (make sure the pipe clamp can fit through the loop and the rope can fit over the pulley)
-1 rope cleat (4-6")
-50' 3/8 poly rope
-2 quick clips ( if you want to add a second flag then you need two more)
-1 self tapping screw (optional)
-1 solar powered Sparkle lights (optional)

All of the parts and supplies needed to build this flagpole I was able to get from Menards. You should also be able to get them from the other big box hardware stores, however it did end up being cheaper from Menards. The hardest part to find where the 90-degree elbows for the pipes. I ended up finding these in a different store, but you could still order them from any of the stores.

Tools needed for this project
-adjustable wrench
-drill
-3/8 drill bit for metal
-flat screwdriver
-Tape measure
-permanent marker
-2' level

For cutting, one of the following:
-hack saw (slow and hard way)
-4.5" circular grinder tool with cutting blade
-flap disc
-grinding disc

For this particular project there's a lot of cutting, sanding, and grinding that needs to be done. If you have access to a Harbor Freight store, I would encourage you to pick up a very inexpensive hand grinder for this project. They also sell attachment and cutting tools.

This particular base is 5 foot by 5 foot. One of the top rails will create two of the sides of the square. Measure and Mark a line that is 60 in Long and use a metal cutting blade to cut this.

Once cut, use either the flap disc or coarse sandpaper if you don't have a grinder, and knock down the Burrs on the edges that you cut.

In total you will have four 5 ft pipes.

Now using the four elbows, slide those on to the for pipes to create a square, and tighten the three bolts in each elbow for a snug fit.

The goal is to create a tripod that is supporting a slightly larger pipe as a sleeve to support the flagpole. The main vertical support sleeve pipe for the flagpole is 1.66 inch galvanized fencing.

The tripod will support the top part of the 1.66 inch pipe, however the bottom needs to be supported at ground level. This bottom support will be attached to the square pipe frame that sits on the ground.

For my base pictured, I did end up using a welder. It is very possible that you do not need to use a welder to do this step. I will offer an alternative idea below.

This project uses a green steel Garden T post is being used as the base.

I used some 1" by 1" square steel tubing to create a vertical stud for the support pipe too attached to. This Square Tubing is only a few inches long. With my four and a half inch cutting wheel, I cut a Groove in the end of the square tube so that it can fit over the T post. I then welded the T post to the square tubing. If you do not have a welder there are probably other ways that this can be done. I would think that you could use some epoxy to secure it to the t-post. I also experimented and was able to drill through the T post, so you could probably run a single bolt through the bottom of the square post and T post to create a single unit. Maybe that along with some epoxy would result in a solid foundation. Whichever method you do, use the flap disc to sand down the factory green paint for a good adhesion first.

You will now need to go back to your square frame and install two female hinges that crimp over the 1 3/8 inch pipe. It might be hard to see in the photos, but these were slightly off center so that the tripods were on center. Once the female hinge are installed on either side, bolt on the 1 3/8 inch cap to the female hinge. Do this on both sides. The cap will eventually slide over the green tea post. You will then need to measure from inside of cap to inside of the other cap. It should be approximately 60 in but probably a little less. You will need to grind down the t-post edges on both sides to fit inside of the cap. Make sure that you do this knowing that the square stud that you added is directly in the center and not offset. The nice thing is that all of the bolted pieces are adjustable, so you can always make adjustments for final fit.

Because the green post has a nice factory paint job on it, it is recommended that you spray paint the areas that you've ground off, to protect from rusting. Same goes for adding the square tubing, that is not galvanized.

In the photos, you'll see the stud has a hole through the center of it for the D-pin. Do not worry about this at this step, as this will be drilled towards the end.

At the end of this step you should have the complete square and the green T post attached did the bottom frame.

On each of the four bases, measure and mark the center. Bolt on the female hinges. Then bolt on 4 caps so that they can aim upwards.

Using that 1.66 inch pipe, place it over your stud just to get a sense of how this will look. The post is 6 ft from the store, and I ended up cutting about 19 in off the top. Nothing magic about that number it just was where looked good. But don't cut it yet wait until the end. I would go ahead and mark off with a marker where you intend to cut it so that you can continue working.

You will need to now install four of the female hinges on this larger-diameter post, each pointing to the four different directions. Then you are both on another cap similar to what you did on the base, as these will point towards the base.

This above suggestion is not how I built mine, because I ended up welding on that same square tubing to the four sides as shown. So again if you don't have a welder, than the bolt on options would be preferred. Please no comments about welding on galvanized pipe. I know, and I did it outside.

You can cut your mast pipe now if you feel comfortable with the heights otherwise you can do it at the very end before you set the flag post inside of it.

While on this step, you can also drill through the bottom of the post through the square post. I've been used a clip pin to run it through to keep it secure.

You might need a friend to help you with this next part. If you can get them to hold up the pole and level it, then you can measure your first diagonal post. Again measure inside of cap to inside of cap. Similar to the first step, cut your post and sand down the burrs on the edges.

You feel pretty good about the first one then move on to the second one and repeat. Once you get two of them in then you can actually use a bungee cord to pull your support post towards the corner of your frame so it'll stand by itself.

Continue installing the remaining diagonal posts until all four of them are in.

Please keep in mind that these hinges are completely adjustable, so if you're having trouble getting things perfectly Plumb don't worry about cutting 1/8 of an inch off of your posts. Just adjust the hinges and the caps and you should make up the difference.

I installed for self tapping screws on each of the top four post caps to keep the posts from falling out. Because those caps are aluminum, the self tapping screws install like a dream. I did not install self tappers on the bottom ones as the compression is tight with the bottom pin at the base. You can install self tappers if you wish.

Congratulations, your base should be complete. Go ahead and tighten all of your bolts and you should have a single unit that you can list and move, with little chance of it coming apart.

I used two of the top rails for this poll, resulting in a 20-foot approximate post. Go ahead and attach the two flag poles together and you can optionally use a self-tapping screw in the middle.

Using the two stainless steel straps, snake one of them through the pulley loop and strap it on towards the very top of the pole. Using the other stainless steel strap, wrap that around the Rope cleat about 6 or 7 inches or so above where the post would rest inside the larger diameter support post.

Using a rope, make it through the pulley and down towards the cleat. Make it longer than what that loop would be, by about three feet or so.

Make sure you loop in your quick clips and tie them in with just a regular overhand knot. Depending upon your flag, you would want to space these accordingly, probably 3 ft. If you want to add clips for a second flag, I space them about 6 inches below the first flag clips. This step is optional. You might also want to consider placing a little Super Glue at these knots just to keep them from loosening. This is optional of course.

You can look up a triple fisherman's knot and do that at the bottom to tie the loop together. You could probably do a square knot as well, but the first knot wasn't too difficult and will get tighter as tension occurs.

I found this small landscape light that fits well inside of the top. It may not be real effective, and it definitely doesn't serve to light up the American flag for flying it at night, but it's neat to see a round ball up at the top. You could optionally just use one of the rail caps instead. Or you could keep it open. This is up to you.

At this point you are ready to put the flagpole into the sleeve and insert your flag

Now that the entire project is complete, you can put your flag out on display. I picked up some sand bags to put on the four corners of the base to reduce the likeliness of the post falling over. You could probably use heavy rocks or concrete stones.

The flag pole will just rest inside the base. You will likely need to tip the base over so that the support pipe is more horizontal to install the flag pole, then just raise the pole up. Now just attach your flag to the rope clips and send it up the pipe.

For the completed photo as shown, this was a very windy day. The flag did not tip over with no sandbags on the base, but it almost did. I am very pleased with the project and hope you all can enjoy it also.

The nice thing is that the pieces collapse down for storage or travel. The hardest piece to travel with are the flagpoles.