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Adjustable Legs

The free-mo standards state that you modules needs to adjust for a top of rail height from 50 to 62 inches in 3/4 inch increments. Here are some leg designs I have been working for my modules.  

Design 1

My first design idea was to use aluminum angle stock to make the legs. After checking out the price of aluminum stock I decided against that. I figured I could build two pieces of angle stock out of 3/4 plywood and achieve the same result. This works very well but is too heavy. The outside piece is 3 inches wide. With some hind sight, the legs use almost as much plywood as the frame, and almost double the weight of the module. In the picture to the left, the legs are show in the fully collapsed mode. This makes the module lower and easer to work on.

 Here are my plans for Leg Design 1

Design 2

After the October 2002 setup in SLO, I realized that I was building legs that were much stronger then they needed to be. I went back to the drawing board and designed this new leg. It is make out of a piece of 1X2, 2X2 and two strips of 1/4 inch masonite.

I have not yet built these legs, I will add pictures and information when I have.  

 Here are my plans for Leg Design 2
Here is the lumber cut up.
  • Four 2 X 2 X 42
  • Four 1 X 2 X 42
  • Eight 1/4 X 3 X 42 strips of masonite.
Here are the legs assembled. Since these pictures I have added a 2 inch piece of 2 X 2 in the end of each leg as a stop. This is also a place to anchor the hinge.
For a leveling foot  I am using "Cabinet Leveling Feet" from Lee Valley Hardware, part number 01S06.04.  I am also using a 3/8 coupling nut from the hardware store.
Drill a hole in the end of the 2 X 2 that will be a tight fit for the coupler. Make the hole deep enough to take the entire shaft of the foot (4 inches). The press fit the coupler into the hole.
Press the coupler all the way into the hole.
no picture yet Next drill a series of hole 3/4 of an inch apart on the leg for adjustments. (see the picture of leg design 1)
no picture yet Drill two holes 6 inches apart on the 1/2 assembly to mate with the holes in the leg.
no picture yet You should now have a leg that will adjust the full 12 inches for the Free-Mo standard.
no picture yet Mount the legs with hinges to your modules and you are done.
no picture yet You might want to add some kind of a brace to the legs or use a locking hinge.

 

Design 3A

Chris has a design that he has been using for removable legs. Making the top of his legs was difficult and required cutting and filing some PVC fittings. With a closer look at the hardware store we redesigned the top. Here are two different designs for a removable leg.

Design 3B  
After another trip to the hardware store I designed a simpler top assembly. It only requires a 2 inch PVC screw cap and a 2 inch slip to screw coupler.
Drill and tap a hole in the screw end cap for the bolt and assembly as show.
Design 3A  

The first design requires
  • a 2" PVC slip/slip coupling
  • a PVC slip to thread reducer
  • a PVC thread cap
  • 1 foot of 2" PCV pipe
  • a nut
  • a long all thread bolt
  • a threaded coupler (Foot not needed)
  • a 2 X 2 X 42 (not pictured)
  • Press on glide foot (not pictured)
Drill a hole in the end of the thread cap.
Screw the cap into the reducer so that the end is flush with the end of the reducer. This is upside down to what would be normal.
Press fit the nut into the cap. This is not a tight fit so I used some two part epoxy to glue the nut in.
Slit the reducer cap assemble into the slip/slip coupler.
This is what the end result should look like.
Drill a hole in the end of the 2 X 2 that will be a tight fit for the coupler. Make the hole deep enough to take the entire shaft of the foot (4 inches). The press fit the coupler into the hole.
Press the coupler all the way into the hole.
Now screw the bolt into the assembly and screw a leg onto the bottom of the bolt.
Slip the PVC pipe over the 2 X 2
Pres the glide foot onto the end of the 2 X 2
Make a slotted mount for the leg.
The bolt got into the slot.
Screw the end cap assembly up to secure the leg to the module. Then screw the 2 X 2 up and down the bolt to adjust the height. This legs has about 3 or 4 inches of adjustment.
Here is a picture of a module with these legs.

 

Design 4

No design 4 yet.

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Page Last Updated 12/19/2004
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