Introduction: New Stakes for My Grass Volleyball Net in 30 Minutes or Less @ TechShop San Jose!
So... I needed some stakes (as my old ones have been beaten and are just embarrassing) for my Grass Volleyball net.
Materials:
1/2 diameter Rebar
1/8" thick steel washer or discs (in this case Ryan used the water jet to cut them out of some angle iron I found)
Machines Used @ TechShop San Jose:
WaterJet
Hot Saw
Mig Welder
Fixture table (welding table... that I cleaned after I was done BTW)
Bench Grinder
Pedestal Disc Sander
Hand Tools/misc items used:
Hammer (just in case... hammers can fix anything!)
Vice grip
Tape measure
Welding Helmet, gloves, general protection
Fixture/hold down (magnet and clamp)
Safety glasses & ear plugs too!
Skills Required:
Awesomeness
Mad welding skills
Grinding/Sanding Action
(Someone who is signed off on the waterjet already since I want to make it yesterday!) Thanks Ryan.
All done @ TechShop San Jose!
http://www.techshop.ws/ts_sanjose.html
Step 1: Didn't Have Washers or Discs Handy... So Waterjet Time
Ryan was good enough to help me out and cut the discs I needed from some angle iron I found. Approximately 1.75" diameter.
He had to rig some clamps to get it done.
Afterwards it was a few simple taps with a hammer to get them free.
Step 2: Measure and Cut!
Next I cut the rebar... These are about 9" long each.
Hot Saw time!
Step 3: Let's Grind! And... Err Sand!
Worked the rebar, cleaning them up and shaping the tips to make it easier to drive them into the earth....
I used the bench grinder to remove most of the material and get the rough shape, finished off with the pedestal disc sander to make it so shiny and smooth!
I also smoothed out the edges of the discs (stake heads) so they won't cut my nylon guide ropes.
I used a vice grip to keep things in hand. Always secure your stuff properly when you grind, cut, etc. (seems lame to mention)... but seriously I have seen more than a few people get SURPRISED grinding parts.
Step 4: Fixture and Weld!
Using our super awesome precision welding tables... (I didn't really do anything precision, but you definitely can!)
I clamped some 1/8 material to the table to offset the a 90 degree magnet to hold the rebar up and straight.
The spacer gave me clearance for the head of the stake to rest flat on the table and not interfere with the magnet.
Then a few zaps from the mig...
Step 5: Done! Game Time!
After welding you may need to clean them up like I did, but if you take the time to setup the mig you can make it clean and just be done with it.
Of course I put all my stuff away, and CLEANED THE WELDING TABLE. (Don't forget to purge your gas lines!)
I made these right before I was supposed to meet people at the park to play... so in and out of the TechShop!
The stakes are super awesome to see (at least I think so) So I made it a point to tell and show all my friends who play on my net that I made my stakes @ TechShop San Jose! (Right before I smash a leather sphere into their smiling faces!)
