The Twerp Stand

[Willfcc]

The name is from an acronym of the design, which has Tw(in) R(idge) P(oles) or TwRP.

Materials:
· Four pieces of 10-foot ¾” EMT
· Four 78* Peak Corner Fittings
· Four 7/8” leg tips
· Four 3/16” washers

Construction:
· Cut four 55” pieces from two pieces of conduit to make the legs. The leftover 10” pieces will be used as cross braces.



Assembly:
· Place two fittings on each 10” cross brace.



· Place assembled fittings on two 10’ lengths of conduit.



· Put one washer and leg tip on each leg.
· Tilt assembly up at each end to install legs.



· Seat the tubes into fittings and snug eye bolts.



Specs:
· Hang Point Height = 54”
· Hang Point Distance = 121”
· Leg Spread = 32”
· ¾” EMT version weight ~ 23 pounds
· Test Dummy weight ~200 pounds
· Cost
o Parts = $36.59
o Shipping = $14.22
o Total = $50.81
· Left over pieces = 0.

Suspension is attached at the corner fittings, not the center of the cross-braced tubes. All compression forces must be in line with the tubes.

This stand was designed for indoors or fair-weather use, so it’s not big enough to install a tarp unless it’s draped over the entire stand. My hammock is 10’ 4”, with a 106” SRL. Suspension length at each end is just under 9”. The stand could be adapted to support a tarp by using taller legs and splice fittings for longer ridge poles, but I would move up to 1” conduit for more stiffness.

A 1-inch conduit version will cost about $15 more and be about 10 pounds heavier. A chain-link fence rail version, with longer cross braces, will probably work to hang two hammocks.


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[kitsapcowboy]

Brilliant!

[FY01CPO]

That's awesome! And perfect for those parks where tree hanging is forbidden.

[Klaussinator]

I like it!

Where do you purchase those 78° corners?

-Klauss

[Willfcc]

tarps.com has 1", 1-3/8" and 1-5/8" fittings.
canopiesandtarps.com has all those, and the 3/4" ones, too.

[GadgetUK437]

Neat job.
Why the twin ridge poles? Specifically for tandem hanging?

--
Gadget

[johnspenn]

It's on my list. Very cool idea, thanks!

[Willfcc]

Neat job.
Why the twin ridge poles? Specifically for tandem hanging?

--
Gadget

Strength: I'm using 3/4" EMT, nowhere near as strong as fence rail.

Stability: Feet are only 32" apart, and the center of gravity needs to be, well, centered. If I used same A-frame set-up, but only one ridge pole, c.o.g would be offset by ~1/3 the spread. Also, the 3/4" EMT and fittings are not as tight a fit as the fence rail in 1-3/8" fittings. The eye bolts are critical to the stiffness of the stand. Without the second ridge pole, the A-frames would be able to twist/wobble. The stand is VERY stable side-to-side, but there feels like more head-to-toe sway than my 1-3/8" Spurtle Stand. But, I want to experiment with only one ridge pole and see how it hangs.

Cost: 4x EMT ~$13, 4x fence rail ~$48.

Expandability: Tandem hanging by lengthening cross braces was a consideration of the design, but don't think I'll get that far. I'm the only hanger in the family. I'd love to see someone else give it a try, but, upgrade to at least 1" EMT for strength, and maybe wider angle fittings for single-occupant stability.

Will

[leapfrog1]

I would expect that the fused 3-way joints provide a lot of lateral stability to the system. Only two legs needed on each side, as opposed to 3 for the turtledog. Is there a 3-way joint that would have the appropriate angles for only one ridgepole?

[Willfcc]

There are higher angle fittings that some have used with one fence rail ridge pole, but the total leg angle is 60*, which results in the feet being spread about 60 inches for the same hang height. I wouldn't do that with 3/4" EMT.
The leg angle with the 78* fittings is 24*, which only gives about 22 inches spread at the feet, but the fittings add another 10" to get the 32" total.