A Helping Hand

Patty Anderson
by Patty Anderson
2 Materials
30 Minutes
Easy
How many times have you been busy on a project, letting your creative juices flow, and when it comes time to paint your objects, you can't find a suitable place to hang them to dry? I needed a third hand, a thingee, something to hold my art while it dried. Something perhaps better than the tried and true S hooks, string from a cabinet handle, bungee cord off a tree limb....you know? I had this idea.......icon
I went out to the shop and found me some white pine pieces thrown in the bucket that ultimately becomes our kindling for the first winter fires in the wood stove. Waste not, want not, right? I had this idea of two vertical pieces attached to a flat platform, with a middle piece hinged in the middle, sort of like a fulcrum. I wanted an arm that would hold my work up after I painted both sides. So! I found a bolt, 2 washers and a wing nut, and proceeded to create!
I drilled a hole through the two vertical pieces, and tapped a starter hole in my arm to drill through. Confused? My job is done!!!icon
I put the arm between the two vertical pieces of wood, and bolted the thing together.
I put a long spacer between the legs of my vertical pieces. I used tite-bond glue and my trusty finishing nailer to set the spacer to the base, and the legs to the spacer.
I grabbed a lead trot line weight and my "helping hand" and brought them into the house. I added cup hooks to the arm, and small eye bolts to the end of the arm and at the base, so that I could run a piece of string through the eye bolts and tie the string off to the weight.
There! I now have places to hang some of my work while it dries.
And there you have it! Something to think about when you need a "helping hand!"icon
Suggested materials:
  • Scrap wood lead weight and hardware   (from the shop)
  • Cup hooks and eye hooks and a bit of string   (from the craft desk)
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
12 of 14 comments
  • Jennifer Jennifer on Sep 16, 2017

    Love it! I made a stand and easel but nothing to hang stuff on! Very cool

    • See 8 previous
    • Patty Anderson Patty Anderson on Sep 20, 2017
      I'd like to have a wall mural or paint a wall extravagant colors, but I have no wall space, what with my "vertical clutter" ! (Stuff I hang on the wall....)
  • Pat Ruge Pat Ruge on Sep 19, 2017

    What a clever idea!

    • Patty Anderson Patty Anderson on Sep 19, 2017
      Thanks, Pat! I ended up adding paper clips on the back end for added hanging room.....
Next