# Calling All DIYers



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

The suggestion on another thread on how to make your own clatter stick was very helpful. Anyone else have any methods they like for making their own training equipment? Tugs, bite pillows, whatever you can think of. And where you got your supplies.


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## Woody Taylor (Mar 28, 2006)

where was the clatter stick suggestion?


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Towards the bottom of this thread: http://www.workingdogforum.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=864


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## Woody Taylor (Mar 28, 2006)

Thanks! I'm still behind on posts from my vacation. But now I have found a new use for bad furniture from Pier 1.

I think Jerry sells tugs he makes out of firehose. I'm fresh out of firehose so I may be a future customer.

If I remember correctly, Hil had some uses for old jeans.

I can't find these posts right now...this site is young but already it has a wonderful collection of off-topic sidebars within threads...it's a a real enigma in a contradictory burrito, let me tell you. Searching the archives is like trying to reconstruct specific conversations from a very drunk prom night.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

One of the gals on our club has her own business making high end curtains. She's made us some fantastic bite tugs out of old sleeve covers. She also took home one of our portable blinds to make copys.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

*Calling all DIYers....*

While some of the equipment most people would want requires an industrial sewing machine, some stuff particularily leather and webbing stuff can be done by hand and some stuff like tracking lines, long lines, leashes and stuff can be done by hand with an awl. Harness shops are great places to get heavy duty hardware - I get my hardware from a Mennonite place and the prices and quality are very, very good. For industrial fabrics (canvas, cordura, herculite, webbings,bungge cord) try an industrial supplier like J.Ennis. If you are looking for smaller quantities of outdoor fabrics or webbing try www.peakfabrics.com www.justmakeit.com www.rockywoods.com those last three have heavy duty fabrics like ripstop cordura, lots of camo and blaze orange stuff, reflective, webbing etc and also have a good supply of outdoor patterns (even some dog ones) that can be adapted or altered to other uses. I make most of my own equipment and some of my own clothing for dog stuff. Heck, I even make all my own kennels and doghouses.
There is alot of satisfaction in making your own stuff as you can do it the way you want it and alter it to your needs and tastes.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

*Outside lights*

Bob Scott made me jealous when he said that his club had outside lights. (We have headlights.....  .)

We have a shed/barn with wiring inside ..... no outlets outside.

Does anyone have any ideas for something to rig up outside (with extension cords) to light up maybe a 25x25' area? It's not beside the shed, so not floodlights hanging on the shed wall. There are no trees close by, but there are aluminum poles that hold up the shade-awning.

It would have to be set up and taken down each time, but it's only once a week or less that we are there after dusk.

Just a suggestion of what words to Google ............


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

*Outside Lights....*

Connie I have a neat outside light setup that is very cheap but works very well. Basically it is a cheap floodlight mounted on a wooden pole with an adjustable arm. Mine is a bit heavy to transport put it could be made lighter(mine stays set up all the time in the kennel). I will take a picture tonight and post it. It lights up a good size area at night and makes working outside a lot easier.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

*Re: Outside Lights....*



Lynn Cheffins said:


> Connie I have a neat outside light setup that is very cheap but works very well. Basically it is a cheap floodlight mounted on a wooden pole with an adjustable arm. Mine is a bit heavy to transport put it could be made lighter(mine stays set up all the time in the kennel). I will take a picture tonight and post it. It lights up a good size area at night and makes working outside a lot easier.


OK, I would REALLY appreciate it........ just so I have an idea of what I'm aiming for!  Thanks!!!!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

We won't have to transport -- just from the shed to the outside, about 20 feet away.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

*DIY light*

Hi Connie - I didn't get the best of pictures but they at least show the idea of the thing
this shows the cheap and dirty floodlight









this kinda shows(with a branch in the way) the light when it is up








also shows my shedding dogs  

this one shows the light folded








this is great cause you can change the light bulb without a ladder

what I would do in your case is take a car tire rim and fill it with cement (mortar mix works good) and leave a hole big enough for 2 inch ABS pipe. I would make the upright standard out of the ABS pipe and the off-set arm out of something light - like 1 X 2's and just drill a hole thru the ABS and put a bolt and washers. then just use another piece of 1 X 2 for the arm brace with a strap hinge and some method to secure it in place(like an eye-bolt and snap). this way you can fold it down, pull the ABS out of the tire rim and just roll it away to store it. Then you just need an extension cord. I find with the light elevated it lights up a good sized area quite well. I am going to make one with the ABS as I made another running yard for the dogs and I will take a picture of it when it is done.
The wood one I have is great but darn heavy! Handy plce to hang the kennel hose out of dog reach, though :wink:


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Lynn, not to derail my own thread, but the sled dog is gorgeous! The huskies were my first love. I've got two husky mixes and I'm fostering a silver sable GSD/husky mix that is a real beauty. He's only 40 lbs, though, so a teeny bit on the small side. If he was like 60 lbs, I'd think about adopting him myself. Smart as a whip, other than howling in his crate until 3 AM the first night I was fostering him. Didn't make waking up for Schutzhund the next morning very easy. :roll:


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

*DIYers*

Hi Maren - tha is a nice looking boy! - I wouldn't worry about size - most competitive huskies are aroudn 45 -50 lbs on average. I have a little female (one of my manin leaders) that is around 36 lbs. Better a small smart dg that pulls than a big one that sandbags!


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

*nods* I know what you mean. It seems like I always have to explain to everyone that Siberians should top out at about 60 lbs, most Alaskans are 50ish or less, but it's the Malamutes that are typically the big ones. Everyone thinks my husky/Rott mix is like 80-90 lbs, but he's only 60. I blame all the fur and his big wide Rottweiler girth.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

Size can depend on what lines the dog is from,too - limited sprint dogs (smaller teams like 4, 6...) tend to be a bigger dog than unlimited sprint(the big teams you see in races like ONAC, Fur Rondy) dogs. Then there are freight dogs - being a "purpose bred" breed(s) size can vary to suit the purpose. Most of the racing/working line Siberians do tend to be a taller dog with more leg under them and conformation better suited to speed than the specialty show type Siberian(who are generally kinda legless)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

*Re: DIY light*



Lynn Cheffins said:


> ........what I would do in your case is take a car tire rim and fill it with cement (mortar mix works good) and leave a hole big enough for 2 inch ABS pipe. I would make the upright standard out of the ABS pipe and the off-set arm out of something light - like 1 X 2's and just drill a hole thru the ABS and put a bolt and washers. then just use another piece of 1 X 2 for the arm brace with a strap hinge and some method to secure it in place(like an eye-bolt and snap). this way you can fold it down, pull the ABS out of the tire rim and just roll it away to store it. Then you just need an extension cord. I find with the light elevated it lights up a good sized area quite well. I am going to make one with the ABS as I made another running yard for the dogs and I will take a picture of it when it is done......The wood one I have is great but darn heavy! Handy plce to hang the kennel hose out of dog reach, though :wink:


I had problems viewing the pictures, but I get the instructions. This will be perfect. THANKS for writing it all up --- I actually understand it! :lol:


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

We started this today. (That's the royal "we;" I stood there and read your instructions.)

First one guy said "Why an old tire for the base? Why not one of thse planter boxes?" so it was lucky you had mentioned that the tire made it easy to roll it away to store it. Otherwise I'm sure we would have ended up with a nice square base that no one could lift.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Connie Sutherland said:


> We started this today. (That's the royal "we;" I stood there and read your instructions.)
> 
> First one guy said "Why an old tire for the base? Why not one of thse planter boxes?" so it was lucky you had mentioned that the tire made it easy to roll it away to store it. Otherwise I'm sure we would have ended up with a nice square base that no one could lift.


Lynn, this is done and it worked out GREAT! Thanks so much for the detailed instructions!


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

Awesome! - I'm glad it worked out, now you can post us some pics of the night training....


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Lynn Cheffins said:


> Awesome! - I'm glad it worked out, now you can post us some pics of the night training....


I gather you already know about my digital camera retardedness.

I couldn't even have an avatar here until I got my neighbor to take digital pictures of my dogs, then get Woody to turn them from .JPGs into some other kind of file.

That reminds me that poor Leo-the-Pug hasn't been my avatar for weeks! His turn now!

I will learn, though. I've been told that my computer (an iMac) is the easiest of all to "do" digital photography on.  And I have the digital camera (in the box). Gettin' there!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Connie Sutherland said:
> 
> 
> > We started this today. (That's the royal "we;" I stood there and read your instructions.)
> ...


   You sure don't fool around when you decide on something. :lol:


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Actually, it may give more light than we know so far. All we did today was test it inside the dark shed. It lit up a 20 x 20' area very well.


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