Tool Time Tuesday...Conduit Pipe and Pipe Strap Ideas

Wow!! Have I been missing in action...I even missed a Tool Time last week. Our holidays were so spread out, they lasted for 2 weeks with family members coming in at different times, from different states. We had such a beautiful Christmas and we just love it when we can see the whole family. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year too. No resolutions this year for me, just "I hopes". I hope to organize my blog, I hope to start a sewing project this month, I hope to catch up on emails, I hope to... You all know what I mean...right?
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This week's Tool Time title is "You Conduit" (con du it). You know I love the play on words, especially when I can use a word from the hardware store. Remember this picture below?
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I used these conduit pipe straps to make handles for everything in my new sewing room.
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Well, this is a picture of the conduit pipe in my basement. Conduit is found in the electrical section. Electricians run the wiring through them into the electrical box. The straps that I used for the handles are what hold the pipe to the wall.

Here is the pre-cut piece of pipe that I purchased. Boy is this stuff cheap. I think a 10 foot length was $1.68. This was a 5 foot piece, which was the exact size I needed. (for some reason this picture is horizontal in my picture file, but downloads the wrong way. I swear it's that Picasa that my daughter downloaded...keeps messing me up)

This is a close up of the label. If you know the measurement of the pipe you need, I'm sure the store could cut it for you...or the man in your life might have a pipe cutter. That thing spins around the pipe and cuts it as you tighten it. I need to steal that from my husband...he'll never miss it!!

Here is another crooked picture...sorry. This is a shot of the bag of brackets that I used to hang the conduit pipe. They are in the same section as the pipes and the other handles that I used.

This style is perfect for where I want to mount it...under the edge of my sewing table. If you are mounting yours some where else, you may need a different style.

You can also use hooks like these, or small curtain brackets.

I placed the bracket under the edge of my cutting table.

Pre drilled a hole, then screwed it in tightly.

this is a shot from underneath.

Now just place your conduit pipe in the holder.

You may need to place some sort of stopper or finial on the end to prevent it from slipping off the bracket. I used 1/2" pipe caps from the plumbing section. You could always just hot glue it in place, you just need to make sure all your rings (which I mention below)are on before you glue it. The "S" hooks aren't a problem, because the just hook on.

Now for the accessories. "S" hooks, curtain clip rings, shower curtain rings...

I used all the hooks here in this picture just to show you, but it all depends on where you might hang your pipe.

Mine is on the front of my cutting table.

So I used the "S" hooks to hang my rulers.

How about rotary cutters or scissors...(just make sure there aren't any little kiddos around who can reach them)

Since my sewing table and cutting table are floating in the middle of the room, not up against a wall, you will have to imagine the next few ideas. If you mount this pipe to the wall over your desk, sewing area, in your kitchen, in your children's room, laundry room, mud room...you can hang "to do" list...

photographs, children's art work, telephone numbers, recipe cards, fabric swatches, inspiration clippings for quilts you want to make, grocery lists, chore charts, report cards...the possibilities are endless.

Here it is on the front of my table. Just make sure no matter where you mount it, that there is enough space on the back side of the pipe for the hooks to slide back and forth. You don't want it mounted flush to the surface.




Here's an extra idea...wouldn't this conduit pipe make great curtain rods for either the country galvanized metal look or the urban industrial look. Soooo much cheaper than a real curtain rod and they come in different widths too. Go take a peek in the electrical aisle...you'll be there a while!!! When the nice man from the hardware store keeps asking you if you need help as you're standing there looking at all those bits and pieces, just tell Karen sent you...he knows who I am!
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I also want to let everyone know that a give away is coming soon. My one year blogiversary is January 14th!! Woo Hoo. I don't know what the prize will be, but stay tuned for more info.

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Have a great Tuesday,

~Karen~

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ps. maybe some day I'll post something I've sewn...this is a quilting blog after all!

Tool Time Tuesday...Conduit Pipe and Pipe Strap Ideas

Wow!! Have I been missing in action...I even missed a Tool Time last week. Our holidays were so spread out, they lasted for 2 weeks with family members coming in at different times, from different states. We had such a beautiful Christmas and we just love it when we can see the whole family. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year too. No resolutions this year for me, just "I hopes". I hope to organize my blog, I hope to start a sewing project this month, I hope to catch up on emails, I hope to... You all know what I mean...right?
space
This week's Tool Time title is "You Conduit" (con du it). You know I love the play on words, especially when I can use a word from the hardware store. Remember this picture below?
space
space
I used these conduit pipe straps to make handles for everything in my new sewing room.
space

Well, this is a picture of the conduit pipe in my basement. Conduit is found in the electrical section. Electricians run the wiring through them into the electrical box. The straps that I used for the handles are what hold the pipe to the wall.

Here is the pre-cut piece of pipe that I purchased. Boy is this stuff cheap. I think a 10 foot length was $1.68. This was a 5 foot piece, which was the exact size I needed. (for some reason this picture is horizontal in my picture file, but downloads the wrong way. I swear it's that Picasa that my daughter downloaded...keeps messing me up)

This is a close up of the label. If you know the measurement of the pipe you need, I'm sure the store could cut it for you...or the man in your life might have a pipe cutter. That thing spins around the pipe and cuts it as you tighten it. I need to steal that from my husband...he'll never miss it!!

Here is another crooked picture...sorry. This is a shot of the bag of brackets that I used to hang the conduit pipe. They are in the same section as the pipes and the other handles that I used.

This style is perfect for where I want to mount it...under the edge of my sewing table. If you are mounting yours some where else, you may need a different style.

You can also use hooks like these, or small curtain brackets.

I placed the bracket under the edge of my cutting table.

Pre drilled a hole, then screwed it in tightly.

this is a shot from underneath.

Now just place your conduit pipe in the holder.

You may need to place some sort of stopper or finial on the end to prevent it from slipping off the bracket. I used 1/2" pipe caps from the plumbing section. You could always just hot glue it in place, you just need to make sure all your rings (which I mention below)are on before you glue it. The "S" hooks aren't a problem, because the just hook on.

Now for the accessories. "S" hooks, curtain clip rings, shower curtain rings...

I used all the hooks here in this picture just to show you, but it all depends on where you might hang your pipe.

Mine is on the front of my cutting table.

So I used the "S" hooks to hang my rulers.

How about rotary cutters or scissors...(just make sure there aren't any little kiddos around who can reach them)

Since my sewing table and cutting table are floating in the middle of the room, not up against a wall, you will have to imagine the next few ideas. If you mount this pipe to the wall over your desk, sewing area, in your kitchen, in your children's room, laundry room, mud room...you can hang "to do" list...

photographs, children's art work, telephone numbers, recipe cards, fabric swatches, inspiration clippings for quilts you want to make, grocery lists, chore charts, report cards...the possibilities are endless.

Here it is on the front of my table. Just make sure no matter where you mount it, that there is enough space on the back side of the pipe for the hooks to slide back and forth. You don't want it mounted flush to the surface.




Here's an extra idea...wouldn't this conduit pipe make great curtain rods for either the country galvanized metal look or the urban industrial look. Soooo much cheaper than a real curtain rod and they come in different widths too. Go take a peek in the electrical aisle...you'll be there a while!!! When the nice man from the hardware store keeps asking you if you need help as you're standing there looking at all those bits and pieces, just tell Karen sent you...he knows who I am!
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I also want to let everyone know that a give away is coming soon. My one year blogiversary is January 14th!! Woo Hoo. I don't know what the prize will be, but stay tuned for more info.

space

Have a great Tuesday,

~Karen~

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ps. maybe some day I'll post something I've sewn...this is a quilting blog after all!

Tool Time Tuesday...if You're "Strapped" for Cash

Strapped...as in pipe straps. I found these little galvanized beauties at Lowe's, but I'm sure they are in any hardware store in the plumbing section. I love anything galvanized and I have a lot of it in my sewing room as storage containers. So, when I saw these pipe straps I knew what I was going to use them for. Not to mention this bag of 10 was $1.70. That's 17 cents a piece. They do sell them individually and in all different sizes too...heck I can find 17 cents in the bottom of my cup holder in my car. Probably covered in spilled tea and all stuck to the bottom, but it's still 17 cents.


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Here's a picture of a pipe in the ceiling of our basement. See that white plastic thing...that's a pipe strap. My galvanized straps are much cuter than the plastic.
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The straps don't come with the screws, so you will need the flat ended type with nuts. Make sure they are long enough to go through the thickness of your cardboard box, which you'll see in the next picture.
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Here is a close up of a storage box. Mark the holes of the handle with a pencil where you'd like it to be.

With a sharp pokey thing, make little holes in the card board. Sorry this is fuzzy.

Now just place the screws in each on the holes in the handle, through the cardboard, to the inside of the box. Then just tighten the little nuts on the back. Here you have an ordinary cardboard box with a stylish and cheap handle. This is a little sneak peek at my new sewing room shelf too.

Do you remember when I mentioned that the girls drink bottled water by the case. Well, I save those cases and here is one of them.

and here it is all dressed up nice and pretty with a shiny new handle. I just covered the box with the fabric that I've picked to decorate the room with. These boxes are great to organize quilt projects, templates, papers, fat quarters, scraps, fabric squares (one box for each size), kids school papers, in and out mail box, bills, coupons, the list is endless. You can label the box too. I am going to use the round metal rimmed key chain tags from Staples, but I had the wrong size. If it works out after I buy the larger size, I'll show you a picture.

If you are going to do a lot of boxes that are the same size like I am. It might be a good idea to make a template the same size as the front of your box and then punch the holes in the template. That way, all you have to do is place the template on the box front and mark the holes over and over with out having to measure where the handle is going to go every time.

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Hope you like this one!!

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Have a wonderful Tuesday...I know where I'll be seeing you...in the plumbing isle!!!

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~Karen~