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This is a project I did for the local cub scout pack. The pack has a
"pack flag" that they bring to ceremonies, but all they had for a
stand was two 2x4s nailed together with a hole drilled in it, and it
fell over often.
The requirements were that the stand had to be able to hold a 1 1/4
inch diameter pole without tipping, yet be able to reduce in size for
storage.
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Here you can see how the stand starts to "unfold". When folded, it's
about 10 by 14 inches, and about 3 inches thick. The hinges started
as a single 1" by 30" piano hinge that I cut in thirds with a Dremel
tool. The orange squares in the previous pictures are rubber gasket
scraps which become rubber feet when unfolded.
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Here's a closeup of the hinges at work. Note the dados that each leg
will eventually seat in. I had to sand the "far" side of each dado
(the side closest to the edge of the board) back at an angle, else the
plywood veneer would get plucked off each time you fold the stand.
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It's almost open all the way. Each leg fits into the dado to take
some of the stress off the hinges. What you don't see is four 1/4"
diameter by 1" long dowels at the bottom of the hole, one in each leg,
which prevent the flag pole from hitting the floor. I wanted the
weight of the flag to hold the stand down.
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Here it is completely unfolded and latched. At this point, it's ready for
the flag and has a footprint of about two feet.
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Closeup of the interlocked legs. The dado is only 1/8 inch deep; just
enough to hold the legs in position. You can also see how one edge of
the closest dado is angled back a bit to protect the veneer. The
actual opening is 1 5/16, so it should be a close fit - again, to
reduce tipping.
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