Hangin' around the lab Your ferret will undoubtedly be grateful for a convenient place to take a quick snooze during a vigorous play time. Nest boxes help fill the need, but sometimes it's just nice to kick back in a hammock for a little gentle swaying. So, how do you keep a hammock handy wherever your ferret is allowed to roam? One way is to sling it beneath a chair, if you have one that's suited to the task, or some other suitable piece of furniture. But, those of us who aren't so lucky need to turn to the free-standing hammock frame, made from PVC pipe and fittings. These are light, portable, and quite sturdy. The design used here is adequate for most standard hammocks or hanging hideaways equipped with spring hooks, and no sewing or special mounting is required. The downside to the design is that the height and width of the frame are related, as the end pieces form a square, so it may be difficult to position the hammock close enough to the floor for an injured or older ferret's use. See the bottom of the hammock page at Sleepyferret's Place (link valid as of 2006.5.7) for another design idea, allowing the height and width to be determined independantly. Materials and tools
Each frame requires the following materials (pictured at right, with three of the side pieces already assembled):
The total material cost (including "leftover" pieces that can be used on other projects) is about $13.00, not counting the cost of the hammock. The tools required include:
As with the frame for the soft-sided carrier, this frame is not glued. Since these pipes do not have to hold water under pressure, the pipes will insert tightly enough into the fittings to hold the frame together if you apply some force. I dislike using the PVC cleaner, primer, and cement if they are not really needed, because they are highly toxic. If you do decide to glue the frame, make sure that you do the job in a well-ventilated area, and do not expose your ferret to the frame until the cement has had plenty of time to cure and stop outgassing toxic fumes. If you decide to paint the frame, you will need to use acetone to thoroughly clean the pipe and remove the manufacturer's markings, and then roughen the surface a bit with a piece of fine sandpaper. Apply a coat of plastic primer paint suitable for PVC pipe, followed by a spray paint formulated for plastic and PVC. The cleaning should be done before the frame is assembled. Again, all of these activities should be done in a well-ventilated area, with appropriate safety gear (goggles and rubber gloves). Constructing the frame
The frame illustrated for this project was constructed for a small "Cozy Cabooze" hanging tent purchased from For Ferrets Only (link valid as of 2006.5.7). The cabooze is 17" long, 11" wide, and about 8" deep. Begin by cutting four 19" lengths of pipe for the sides of the frame, and insert each end of each side into an elbow fitting, ensuring that each pair of elbows faces in the same direction. With the elbows attached, each side piece will be about 23.5" long. The Sharpie pen is needed to mark the cutting points, since an ordinary pen or pencil will not mark PVC. Next, cut eight 9.5" lengths of pipe, and insert four of them into each cross fitting. These will form the diagonals of a square, and each diagonal will be about 23.5", allowing for the cross fitting and the elbows that will attach at each end. If you remember your high-school geometry, the length of the side of a square is the length of the diagonal divided by the square root of two. So, in this case, the assembled frame will be about 17" tall and 17" wide at the ends. At this point your project should look like the first photograph. Now get out your drill and put a 3/32" pilot hole in each end of two of the 19" side pieces. Drill the hole parallel to the open end of the elbow, drilling through the elbow and one side of the pipe, as shown in the second photograph. (If you've never drilled PVC before, don't apply a lot of force to the drill! It drills surprisingly easily, and you don't want to accidentally drill all the way through the pipe.) Insert a screw eye into each pilot hole, as shown in the third photograph, making the eye parallel to the length of the pipe. It will be easier to screw in the eyes with the help of a small screwdriver or other small rod inserted through the eye, once the screw is finger tight. Finally, mate the side pieces to the end pieces, ensuring that the pieces with the screw eyes are on adjacent sides. Snap on your hammock, then stand back and admire your skill.
I'll bet it only took about an hour to make this frame. Since you have lots more time on your hands than you thought, I hope you bought enough pipe and fittings to make more. Just be sure to measure your hammock carefully and allow for some slack, since you want it to sway, not bounce your fuzzie like a trampoline. But, remember to allow for the weight of the ferret, because you don't want the hammock to bottom out on the floor the second your furball climbs on board. If you make a frame that's a little too big, that's no problem. It's easy to trim down the diagonal or side pipes until the hammock hangs just right. Keep your hammock near by and test the pieces against it before the final assembly so you can make any necessary adjustments. If you need to trim the diagonals, make sure you take the same amount off of all eight pipes! Applying the Fizzbin Test Fizzbin enjoys his new Cozy Cabooze.
Hey, pappy, I'm tryin' ta sleep here! Quit it with the flashie thingie! [Fizzbin] | ||||||||
| ||||||||
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
