DIY Awning

[MeHere!]

Been tossing this idea around in my head...

I have sketched out a DIY shower, pressurized 4" PVC was thinking of having a "matching" awning set up

Passenger side has the 4" (painted black) PVC for the shower

Driver Side has another 4" black PVC, this would house the awning

My plan thus far....

TBD Length of 4" PVC = Housing

At the same length of the Housing a 1.5" Dowel
Take that dowel and shave the ends down reducing lightly less then 1.5

I'd take the large PVC and cut it lengthwise, not in half but maybe 10 0'Clock to 3 O'clock and a several inches in (allowing for end caps)?

piano hinges at 11 O'clock

Latches at 3 O'Clock

prior to installing hinges I would insert in one end one of the reducer sets, set in my dowel then cap off with the 2nd reducer (this is why ends are trimmed on dowel)

affix the awning to the dowel

Thinking some sort of crank at one end to reel the awning in??? Maybe something I use a drill for

Other end of awning affixed to another dowel or something rigid...still debating this end

My thought process is this, PVC relatively cheap, I have a nice camping tarp

The reason for the reducers is to keep the "reel" in the middle, the smallest dia will be 1.5, using a 1.5 wood dowel, shaving the ends down keep the middle lined up with the reducers keeping it snug in the middle

This may be all over the place but see where I'm going??

Thoughts????

 

[Billiebob]

pipe/dowel ??
which ever is lighter, probably dowel.

 

[MeHere!]

pipe/dowel ??
which ever is lighter, probably dowel.

I am leaning that way

 

[Prerunner1982]

You could drill one end of the dowel and screw a short lag bolt into it, then you could use your drill idea to real in the tarp though it might be a bit fast unless the drill has speed control.
I like your idea though, it's different. Can't wait to see you build it and how it turns out.
Also instead of the reducers you could just take some 3/4" ply and cut disks to fit inside each end of the PVC with a hole in the middle for the dowel. Could really use any wood you had laying around that is wide enough to get a 4" wide disk out of. Save a few bucks too.

 

[M Rose]

Somewhere I read how to make a clock spring winding mechanism for this really cheap... I wish I could remember where I read it, because it is very similar to what the op describes.

 

[eagle_A40]

Good idea.

 

[MeHere!]

You could drill one end of the dowel and screw a short lag bolt into it, then you could use your drill idea to real in the tarp though it might be a bit fast unless the drill has speed control.
I like your idea though, it's different. Can't wait to see you build it and how it turns out.
Also instead of the reducers you could just take some 3/4" ply and cut disks to fit inside each end of the PVC with a hole in the middle for the dowel. Could really use any wood you had laying around that is wide enough to get a 4" wide disk out of. Save a few bucks too.

I had thought about doing the discs but using the reducers they fit tighter and more precise than my center cutting ;)