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I want to create my own clothes hanger trolley with these objectives:

I don't care how it looks, its for temporary use in fact and all I really care is that its 1) sturdy, 2) cheap, 3) easy to build.

I'm visualizing it like this:

The bikini belongs to my new girlfriend that I am sure to land once I've completed it.

I thought of using black PVC pipe for the bars on top, and I'm not sure what to use for the parts on the side, and I don't know how I should best join them together.

How can I complete this little project w/ the objectives above?

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    You'll probably want to add a bottom bar to that sketch up for lateral bracing.
    – Doresoom
    Mar 16, 2011 at 13:34
  • FWIW, this Apt Therapy article has a bunch of links to similar DIY solutions: apartmenttherapy.com/…
    – Amanda
    Jan 13, 2013 at 20:03

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PVC bends easily when not supported, so using it will limit the length of the stand you'll be able to build, and the number of bikinis it will be able to hold. If you're looking for something longer than 6 feet and that will be full of clothing, I'd recommend metal pipe or a wooden dowel.

For the sides, PVR would work fine. I'm a photographer, and my 10-foot-wide, 8.5-foot-tall paper stand is made entirely from 2" PVC with some small pieces of wood at the bottom. Here's a photo of one of the feet:

enter image description here

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  • +1. PVC for the vertical, and then buy a wood curtain rod for the horizontal. I like your ghetto feet, too. ;)
    – Alex Feinman
    Mar 16, 2011 at 14:25
  • There are different types of PVC pipe ... for a given fitting size, there are generally three types (white, orange, grey (might be in electrical, used for conduit)) If memory serves me correctly, the orange stuff is the stiffest one of the bunch, although it might clash with the clothing on it.
    – Joe
    Mar 17, 2011 at 2:15
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    Also, the tube for a roll of paper is quite stiff, so it won't cause the pipe to flex as much as a bunch of individual point loads, like you would get from coat hangers.; I've been able to stiffen PVC pipe by finding another size pipe that fits inside, and sort of doubling it up.
    – Joe
    Mar 17, 2011 at 2:17
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I have seen a similar item made completely out of pvc pipe, with the pipes joined together with pvc cement. You make a couple of rectangles (instead of triangles) of pvc for the bottom of each side, say 1 ft high by 2ft wide. Then from the top middle of each rectangle (the 2ft long side), have a tee in the middle to a pipe going up, and then the topbar between the ends of these uprights. Of course, if you have the scrap wood already on hand, that is probably cheaper. You can still use a pvc top piece, just cut a hole in the wood to fit and put a bolt through the pvc on either side of the end piece to keep it in position. Hope this helps.

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