pointdisc
Double Eagle Member
Made a custom mini-basket last night and figured I'd share it for those interested. The pole is a stand-up lamp that I broke the lighting fixture on and worked out perfectly. All the materials, minus the chain, I already had sitting around and in total I spent about $10 on the basket. It has 24 chains, the basket is a cut-out 5-gallon bucket, catches quite well, and the lamp base is weighted pso it won't tip plus I can add more sections of pole if I want to have 5-foot tall mini basket (pics only have 1 section in them).
Materials needed:
Pole - Cheap stand alone lamps work well. You can buy one from any resale shop or break your own
Chain - #16 Jack chain (flower pot chain). I used about 33' for 24 chains.
5-gallon bucket
Ultimate lid - use a crappy one
Book rings - 2 - 1.5"+ diameter. Easier to find than solid rings & cheap
Zip-ties - 12 for inner chains.
Pliers - for chain installation
Assembly:
1) Drill hole through center of ultimate disc. Size depends on type of lamp or pole.
2) Drill 12 holes evenly space along the rim of the lid for outer chains. For my lid, it was about every 7cm to drill. Make sure they're close enough to edge to get the a chain link through.
3) Drill 12 holes through top of lid about 1/2 way in from the edge. Space holes evenly between the outer holes (see pic below). Make sure holes are small enough to stop the square tie part of the zip-ties from pulling through.
4) Make small loops with 12 zip-ties (about 1/2-3/4inch long). Cut off excess tie & put loops through the 12 holes in the lid.
5) Attach chains to the rim holes & zip-tie loops. Length of chains depends on space between pole sections. Alter accordingly & attach end of chains through the book rings
6) Cut off bottom 2-4" of 5-gallon bucket. I used 4", the black line going through the bucket would be 2".
7) Drill hole through center of bucket base & attach between pole sections. Make sure it's small enough to be threaded onto the threads between lamp-pole sections. I believe mine was 1/2".
8) Assemble all together & enjoy.
I don't recall what size drill bits I use for the ultimate, I just guessed. I also don't remember how long each chain is, but can get that info if needed. If you'd like further pics or info, let me know & I can post it up.
Materials needed:
Pole - Cheap stand alone lamps work well. You can buy one from any resale shop or break your own
Chain - #16 Jack chain (flower pot chain). I used about 33' for 24 chains.
5-gallon bucket
Ultimate lid - use a crappy one
Book rings - 2 - 1.5"+ diameter. Easier to find than solid rings & cheap
Zip-ties - 12 for inner chains.
Pliers - for chain installation
Assembly:
1) Drill hole through center of ultimate disc. Size depends on type of lamp or pole.
2) Drill 12 holes evenly space along the rim of the lid for outer chains. For my lid, it was about every 7cm to drill. Make sure they're close enough to edge to get the a chain link through.
3) Drill 12 holes through top of lid about 1/2 way in from the edge. Space holes evenly between the outer holes (see pic below). Make sure holes are small enough to stop the square tie part of the zip-ties from pulling through.
4) Make small loops with 12 zip-ties (about 1/2-3/4inch long). Cut off excess tie & put loops through the 12 holes in the lid.
5) Attach chains to the rim holes & zip-tie loops. Length of chains depends on space between pole sections. Alter accordingly & attach end of chains through the book rings
6) Cut off bottom 2-4" of 5-gallon bucket. I used 4", the black line going through the bucket would be 2".
7) Drill hole through center of bucket base & attach between pole sections. Make sure it's small enough to be threaded onto the threads between lamp-pole sections. I believe mine was 1/2".
8) Assemble all together & enjoy.
I don't recall what size drill bits I use for the ultimate, I just guessed. I also don't remember how long each chain is, but can get that info if needed. If you'd like further pics or info, let me know & I can post it up.
