Mini Clothesline

I needed a place for my wife to hang shirts to dry other than the shower rod. That drives me mad. So, while I was refurbishing a 10'x12' deck off of the kitchen, I decided to put some sort of hanger or clothesline there as one side of it is in the sun. The umbrella-type clotheslines are too big for this space. What I decided on was this rotating clothesline that is roughly 2' x 4'.

1 ea. 1-5/8"x6' fence pipe. This is made for chain link fencing.

2 ea. 1-1/2" 2-hole EMT strap clamps. These are made for electrical conduit.

1 ea. 1-1/4"x10' Schedule 40 PVC pipe

3 ea. 1-1/4" tee fittings

4 ea. 1-1/4" pipe caps

1 ea. 1-1/4" pipe coupler

2 ea. #10 x 3/4" screws, 2 ea. 1/4" x 5" eyebolts, 1 ea. steel L-bracket. A length of clothesline.

I cut the pipe as follows: 4 x 13", 2 x 23", 1 x 2"

I used a hacksaw to cut it. A reciprocating saw is quicker, but that wasn't available.

I did not drill the holes for the clothesline until it was all assembled.

Cement two 13" lengths of pipe to a tee then one 24" length. Do the same for the other side. Now cement these two tee shaped assemblies to the center tee fitting, the one that goes onto the post. You'll need to carefully eyeball these to insure they are at a 90 degree angle to the center post. Use your scrap piece of pipe in the center of the post tee to make this easier to see the angle.

I chose this 1-5/8" post because the 1-1/4" pipe coupler fits it perfectly, The coupler goes onto the pipe and tightens up in the taper inside the coupler. Tap it on snug and as square as you can get it, Drill a hole through each side of the coupler/pipe assembly and screw in the two #10 screws to hold it tight.

I used the L-bracket as a bottom support for the pipe and attached the pipe to the deck with the strap clamps leaving them loose enough so that the pipe can rotate.

I glued the short 2" pipe stub into the bottom of the center tee. I left the steel pipe coupler-to-stub connection un-glued. That is the only joint not cemented. That way it can be disassembled easily.

I noticed that the pipe is also the perfect size for the umbrella hole in my patio table. This won't work for me but if you have a patio table in the sun, it's an option that doesn't involve digging and mixing concrete. Additionally, you could modify the PVC dimensions and make a table canopy instead of a clothesline.

Once assembled, I drilled three 1/4" holes in each leg of the frame. Measuring from the edge of the tee fitting outward, the holes are 3-1/2", 7" and 10-1/2". I used two eyebolts, one at each end of the line. You can use more and it would make the lacing easier to tension. It's up to you. I didn't photograph every step but I think the photo's I included will tell the whole story.