Okay, so i went to Lowes to pick up the supplies I'll need to stretch my single monkey hut into a double. And i found all the PVC just fine, but when I looked for those 3' long tapered 3/4" diameter metal stakes, they told me they no longer carry them. Is this just the burbank store? Or do we now have to find another source, or revert to *gulp* rebar????
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sat, August 9, 2008 - 2:41 PMSo not the case. The tension of the ribs bend the rebar and reduce the structural integrity of the hut. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sun, August 10, 2008 - 7:21 AMOur 19'x20' monkey hut is well into its second year and we've had no rebar issues. The thing's been almost flattened by wind, melted by heat, and we've had the top seam torn out of our cabin tent sitting inside the hut. It is well tested and rebar is simply not an issue.
-- Clown, clearly YMMV
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sat, August 9, 2008 - 9:12 PMAre these form stakes (the ones w/ nail holes every 6" or so)? If so, Home Despot has 'em.
- Bart -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sat, August 9, 2008 - 11:05 PMI've never seen them there. Which HD have you seen them in? -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sun, August 10, 2008 - 2:34 PMAll the ones I've been to in southeast michigan have the form stakes, same area as the rebar -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Sun, August 10, 2008 - 3:53 PMYou mean the 2" wide flat stakes? Nope can't use them. I need the 3/4" round bars with holes up the body (to fit inside the monkeyhut ribs). -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 11, 2008 - 11:24 AMcome to reno. All HD have them.
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 11, 2008 - 6:22 PMMost of the home depots in northern cali carry them, typically the 3' and 4' in 3/4. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 11, 2008 - 7:21 PMIve seen these at home depot in the bay area this weekend. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 11, 2008 - 8:02 PMGrrr naturally the Socal HDs don't carry them...
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Re: DPW Stakes
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 2:30 PMThey are indeed called concrete form stakes. Concrete form stakes come in round and flat. You want the round ones obviously. If lowe's doesn't have them, call around. A concrete supply store or maybe another hardware store will have them.
I guarantee that a #6 or #7 piece of rebar will be just as strong (and a lot cheaper) than the same sized concrete form. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Wed, August 20, 2008 - 10:34 AMI'd disagree, the concrete form stakes will be stronger. Rebar, especially class 40* you find in Home Despot and the like, is pretty cheap steel. Very inconsistent, low specs, etc. The form stakes _should_ be a notch up from that. The class 60 and 75 rebar is probably closer to the form stakes, but you have to get that at commercial concrete place.
Whether that matters when talking about a 3/4" steel rod connected to a 3/4" piece of PVC, that's another question. Although, note, one can fit a full 3/4" form stake inside a 3/4" pvc pipe, but probably not the case to fit 3/4" (nominal) rebar in due to the ribbing. So, you'd have to downsize 1/8" inch to the #5 bar.
*Classes refer to tensile strength in thousands-of-psi, nominally.
-B. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Wed, August 20, 2008 - 10:49 AMWell, my big reason for using them instead of rebar is the ease of removal. They're stiff enough to help straighten up the Hut, but pull out fast. Since they're not holding anything down, I don't need the extra staying power that rebar tends to have, and it's actually undesirable in the case of the spine holders.
I suppose I could just grind down straight bar stock, but then it wouldn't come with the extra nailing holes. I know they don't help with the Hut, but there's a project in the future that's calling out to those holes, I can just feel it. Besides, this is easier than grinding.
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 18, 2008 - 12:23 AMAll the HD and Lowes and other big hardware stores with a concrete stuff section has them here in Seattle. Been told by some that they've been mysteriously selling out of them lately (!) I explained, a little, about BM.
I looked on CL and found a guy selling used but cleaned-up 24" for $1.50 each, our camp bought 80. This burn it's probably too late, but if you watch CL can pick them up cheapish usually. Look for Form Stake, Curb Stake, Concrete Stake (plurals too), etc.
This is one place I went with some rebar, slipping PVC over it...bought-into the notion that the ribbing tends to grip the inside of the PVC better and hold it in. (Being used in a trivial application in our camp.)
-B. -
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Re: DPW Stakes
Mon, August 18, 2008 - 12:54 AMIt's weird, All the ones in LA have the flat stakes. It sucks.
But I found a source for them, so I'm finally happy.
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