How to Make a Caution Flag for Hauling Oversized Lumber

When hauling lumber, it's important to do it safely. If you buy large pieces that have to stick out of your car, be sure to put a highly visible flag on them so nobody hits you or walks into it.

In this Instructable, I'll show you how I did it using a little bit of fabric and a bungee cord. Some of the commercially available ones cost $5-$7. This can be achieved for much cheaper.

I made this at TechShop.

Step 1: Gather Materials

For this project, you'll need the following:

A piece of orange hunting fabric. I found it at JoAnn's for $6/yd. I purchased half a yard which is enough to make 4 flags.
A grommet set that I purchased from Harbor Freight for $4.
A hammer
A bungee cord

Step 2: Sew the Flag

I cut a piece of fabric that was 18"x20".

Fold it in half with the bright side facing in. Sew the 3 edges, leaving one of the corners open. Pull the flag inside out, exposing the bright side of the material.

Once you've turned it completely inside-out, Iron your seams flat.

For good measure, go over the edges one more time. This is going to be flapping in the wind quite a bit so I went ahead and went over my seams one more time from the other side.

Step 3: Add a Grommet

Now that we have our flag sewn, we have to add a grommeted hole that the bungee cord will be attached to. A grommet kit makes this very easy.

Using the hole punch and a piece of scrap wood underneath, punch a hold in the corner of the fabric where the grommet will go.

Once you have the hole, place the grommet on the base tool underneath the fabric. Add the washer to the top and secure them together by striking the grommet punch with a hammer. This will crush the grommet around the washer and secure it to the fabric.