Hi everyone! Our camp was placed on esplanade this year (!) and we are planning to have some sculptural 'greek columns' at our frontage. Wondering if anyone out there has any advice on how much we should secure these columns down. See photo for our sketch - they are 8' tall with 2x4s as the core and fabric on the outside. Trying to avoid rebar and so was thinking of using lag screws to screw down the base into the playa. We have some concerns with wind (cue playa name jokes) and being more exposed on esplanade and wondering if we need to stabilize these elements more, for example cables strung internally that connect from the top to the lag bolts? Any advice is much appreciated! Also, come visit camp Olympus at Esp. & 3:45!!!
-Zephyr
Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
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Popeye
- Posts: 1006
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:39 pm
- Burning Since: 2011
- Camp Name: Camp Beaverton
- Location: Where the east wind blows
Re: Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
Take a look at what Lamplighters do with their lamp posts. There was a thread about this on here pre Covid.
Everyone is so politically fucked up that they're segregating themselves in the name of equal rights and liberation.
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Just_Joe
- Posts: 1022
- Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:04 pm
- Burning Since: 2009
- Camp Name: Wrinkletown - 2024 address: 4:50/H
- Location: Gerlachistan
Re: Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
I'd think 18" or 24" lags would hold that base down fine against the wind.
Other forces (vehicles, climbers) would probably cause it to shear at the base before the lags failed.
Other forces (vehicles, climbers) would probably cause it to shear at the base before the lags failed.
Re: Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
That plywood base would be well secured with this plan. Your post though would be very vulnerable to being easily levered off a short post base fastener. Lamplighters have an elegant plywood finned base for an idea there, or maybe add one or some verticals driven into the ground (anyone recall t stakes?) up the center of your structure, or secured to the sides of the post under the fabric, through a hole in the plywood… re reinforce more, never a bad plan on playa. It looks cool!
”On second thought, Let’s not go to Camelot. It’s a silly place.”
Roll on through, Tumbleweed.
Roll on through, Tumbleweed.
Re: Advice for securing camp sculptures to playa
Lag bolts are pretty easy to pull straight out of the playa, I do that by hand with dinky little pliers. They're much more resistant to shear forces than tensile. That's why people add a couple of chain links to their lag bolts to offset to transfer the pulling force to a shear force. The pillar could act as a long lever that could catch the wind (or a stumbling drunk) and pull the lags straight out.
Personally I'd just put four more lags in the base at a 45 degree angle to the playa.
Or add some lags around the base perimeter with a two chain links, and screw one of the links into the base.
Or I'd add screw eyes or eye bolts halfway (or less) up the 2x4, drill 1" holes into the base, put lags with two chain links through those holes, and use a guy wire between the eye and the chain links. If you get the angles right you could get away with just 2 wires, with the 4 as shown in the corners.
Personally I'd just put four more lags in the base at a 45 degree angle to the playa.
Or add some lags around the base perimeter with a two chain links, and screw one of the links into the base.
Or I'd add screw eyes or eye bolts halfway (or less) up the 2x4, drill 1" holes into the base, put lags with two chain links through those holes, and use a guy wire between the eye and the chain links. If you get the angles right you could get away with just 2 wires, with the 4 as shown in the corners.