Sandbagging
Mar. 17th, 2015 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
offcntrJust heard from Saturday Market that the local fire marshall's decreed that tent-style booths (of which ours is one) will need to have a minimum of 30 lbs. anchoring weight for each leg. The Market has commissioned a local canvas supplier to sew custom sand bags, but I'd rather do my own.
We already have sand-bag booth weights, but they only weigh 15 lbs. each, so I thought I'd just make another set.
I start with a couple of empty cat litter bags, from 40 lb.-size Tidy Cat. I cut each one in two, then trim the pieces down to 24" lengths (width is 18.5").
With a template, I transfer measurements to the end of each piece, then cut out the notches. Each side is 4.25" wide, leaving around 5/8" for the side seam.
Sewing the things takes practice. The sewing machine's feed dogs don't want to grip the slippery material. Sew the side seam first, then the two outer seams from the bottom.
Flatten the bag on the other axis to line up the last two seams, and stitch them. Turn the bag inside out.
A 1/2 cubic foot tube of construction sand comes to almost exactly 60 lbs., so I divide it in quarters and fill each bag. Since litter bag material isn't air/dust/water-tight, I line each sand bag with a used clay bag. (Look! I'm recycling!)
Cinch off the top with a zip tie, trim off the tie and the top of the inner bag.
Fold over the top and secure with a grommet. Two bags per leg will meet the fire marshall's requirements. Since I already had four bags made, my total cost for an additional four: $3.98 for the sand, $4.99 for grommets.
Edited 3/20/15: And now Market says the weight requirements only apply on tents 400 sq.ft. or larger. I guess now I have spares...
We already have sand-bag booth weights, but they only weigh 15 lbs. each, so I thought I'd just make another set.
I start with a couple of empty cat litter bags, from 40 lb.-size Tidy Cat. I cut each one in two, then trim the pieces down to 24" lengths (width is 18.5").
With a template, I transfer measurements to the end of each piece, then cut out the notches. Each side is 4.25" wide, leaving around 5/8" for the side seam.
Sewing the things takes practice. The sewing machine's feed dogs don't want to grip the slippery material. Sew the side seam first, then the two outer seams from the bottom.
Flatten the bag on the other axis to line up the last two seams, and stitch them. Turn the bag inside out.
A 1/2 cubic foot tube of construction sand comes to almost exactly 60 lbs., so I divide it in quarters and fill each bag. Since litter bag material isn't air/dust/water-tight, I line each sand bag with a used clay bag. (Look! I'm recycling!)
Cinch off the top with a zip tie, trim off the tie and the top of the inner bag.
Fold over the top and secure with a grommet. Two bags per leg will meet the fire marshall's requirements. Since I already had four bags made, my total cost for an additional four: $3.98 for the sand, $4.99 for grommets.
Edited 3/20/15: And now Market says the weight requirements only apply on tents 400 sq.ft. or larger. I guess now I have spares...