Old manhole cover...ideas?

[pieceofwork]

A city worker gave me a sewer manhole cover they were discarding. He said it was almost 100yrs old, but I have no idea. It is heavy as ****. I thought I might be able to make a vice stand out of it by welding pipe w/ plate on the top to what was the underside of the cover?
Anyone else recycled one and/or do's or don'ts with this? Seems a shame to scrap it.

 

[Krodad]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

that thing is way too cool to turn into a vise base...maybe have it bead blasted, clean it up, and make a table out of it. Put a piece of glass over the top, make a table base that attaches to that center hole in the middle, and you have a perfect man cave bar table. Maybe make legs that would bolt into the floor since that would be a little top heavy.

Great find!

 

[Zeke]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

^^^This. It's already got a boss on the bottom for a post. If not a man cave thing, how about yard art? Put a bird bath on it. I'd love to have that.

You're pretty clever how you blotted out the city's name.

 

[laser3kw]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

(you said mancave)

 

[rlitman]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I'd frame out the flooring in a room so I could cut out a hole to drop it in, then sandblast it, and urethane it right into my floor.
Probably inset it right behind my front door. You know, like some people inset a stone medallion into the floor.

 

[draglink]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I'd frame out the flooring in a room so I could cut out a hole to drop it in, then sandblast it, and urethane it right into my floor.
Probably inset it right behind my front door. You know, like some people inset a stone medallion into the floor.

^^^^ my thoughts as well. Don't know what your home is like, it would look cool in a foyer, hall, powder room, even a kitchen

 

[Arps]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Wall clock

 

[astroracer]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

The title really threw me off... You wrote "Old man hole cover" I was thinking "depends"...
That is a kool "manhole" cover though. I would make a table out of it.

 

[kbs2244]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would use it outside as a path peice before I brought it indoors.

 

[Always_Thinkin]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Like others have said, it would make a good table. However if you make it a pub table it would be really top heavy.

 

[psychob0b1977]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would set it in a concrete slab right in front of the garage man door.

A table would be awesome too, but i would be afraid that even if its bolted down it could fall over and hurt someone or damage something.

 

[Zeke]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Well, if a table, a base made from a big *** brake drum might make it pretty stable. But the whole of that would be a beast. Worse if you put ballast in the drum.

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Set in the floor right in front of the toilet.

 

[Garage Coffee Roaster]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would set it in a concrete slab right in front of the garage man door.

this
But i would leave a space and create a garage safe for your gold bars



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[ptschram]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

They make great anvils and welding tables.

I had one that said "SEWER" on it but my son scrapped it while I was in Oregon working...

 

[G_P]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would media blast it and either use it to make a badass table or clock.

As to blurring out the city's name, why?

 

[rsanter]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Stepping stone

Bob

 

[marty_p]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would media blast it and either use it to make a badass table or clock.

Times two, and enjoy!

 

[galute]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would find out what kind of steel it is before I go welding on it. It's cast of some sort and it might require special welding methods. Cool lid though. I've got one too.

 

[-Brent-]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

The folks suggesting this as a piece of a table have never lifted one up. They range from 100# to 300#.

I'd say seal the bottom with epoxy and put it in the yard somewhere. I went to a party once where the hosts had a 6 or 8 vintage N.Y.C. covers placed in their patio.

 

[rlitman]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

The folks suggesting this as a piece of a table have never lifted one up. They range from 100# to 300#.

So? My kitchen table is a circle I cut out of a pool table slate.

 

[55chevy]

I have one on the patio, made it a table top. Would send a picture but it is covered with snow.

 

[road]

I havnt read anything before this .
Send it to the Dominican Republic , they are missing a few on the main hwy way lmao !

ok read em all
I vote patio table, cool piece.

 

[6768rogues]

Around here they are getting stolen for scrap. The county has to buy dozens per year to replace stolen covers. Displaying it publicly here would get you arrested.

 

[carcajou]

It would be a great sump cover for your house or garage.

 

[plow]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

^^^^ my thoughts as well. Don't know what your home is like, it would look cool in a foyer, hall, powder room, even a kitchen

LOL. You must not be married. No way in hell would most wives let that happen.

 

[DanarchyCustoms]

I love the idea of using it as a table ... BUT use it as the foot rest instead. Make some circular hardwood top obviously larger than this and attach a pipe to both pieces. Your choice if you wanted to have the manhole attached to some legs so its off the ground a bit like in a real bar.

 

[pieceofwork]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I would media blast it and either use it to make a badass table or clock.

As to blurring out the city's name, why?

Thanks for the ideas all.

Blurred out b/c it was given to me by a friend, I don't know if that is proper protocol or not for city employees - I would just as soon keep the city's name out of the discussion.

 

[pieceofwork]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

LOL. You must not be married. No way in hell would most wives let that happen.

X2 and my wife's dad owned a sheet metal shop!

 

[pieceofwork]

Around here they are getting stolen for scrap. The county has to buy dozens per year to replace stolen covers. Displaying it publicly here would get you arrested.

Scrap yards here will not buy them from the public, but the city has a program to recycle them.

 

[Krodad]

^^^^^ good idea. Would look pretty cool set inside a rustic wood ottoman height coffee table. And I'm guessing it would hold up just fine to the "foot traffic"

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[Krodad]

Oh, I see what you're saying...my mistake. That would be goid too.

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[draglink]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

LOL. You must not be married. No way in hell would most wives let that happen.

happily married for 20 years this past April. Why ask, just do it.

I learned this about 19 years ago. I don't ask my wife about things like this(buying toys especially)...I just do it, if she gets upset, its once and done. If I "ask" her before hand, I'll have to hear about it right then, if I bring it up again, it will be another "discussion", then when I do it anyway, it will be more BS to listen to. Just do it, buy it, what ever, bring it home, one time listening to her complain until I convince her its awesome, then its over.

 

[mobilus]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

I don't ask my wife about things like this(buying toys especially)...I just do it, if she gets upset, its once and done. If I "ask" her before hand, I'll have to hear about it right then, if I bring it up again, it will be another "discussion", then when I do it anyway, it will be more BS to listen to. Just do it, buy it, what ever, bring it home, one time listening to her complain until I convince her its awesome, then its over.

Never have truer words been written. Amen, brother!

 

[nicksnothereman]

A city worker gave me a sewer manhole cover they were discarding. He said it was almost 100yrs old, but I have no idea. It is heavy as ****. I thought I might be able to make a vice stand out of it by welding pipe w/ plate on the top to what was the underside of the cover?
Anyone else recycled one and/or do's or don'ts with this? Seems a shame to scrap it.

I would use it as a table top (pedestal table?) but I'd clean it then (probably) have someone powder coat it before using it. Would be slightly tough to clean due to the weight will end up having to use a dremel w/ wire brush (it will take over 5 brushes to do it; those wear out real quick) for most of the top.

I'm sure the vise stand would work but might not be a great idea if the "stand" (bottom) weighs less than the top portion. Might need a WIDE 4 "prong" base to prevent tipping. I'm not an engineer but "top heavy" comes to mind.

 

[BFBOB]

Melt it down and cast yourself a BIG vise.

 

[G_P]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

Blurred out b/c it was given to me by a friend, I don't know if that is proper protocol or not for city employees - I would just as soon keep the city's name out of the discussion.

That makes sense. In that case make sure that it is not used outdoors! You dont want a city worker driving by and seeing that manhole cover and sending the cops after you thinking you pried it up and stole it.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Very cool! Too bad that one little piece is broken off the edge there near the pry-up opening, but it would still be fun to customize. Hanging it up to cure in my oven would be interesting though ... probably three times my weight ... but I'd still try.

Embed it into your bar top and cover it with a couple hundred coats of polyurethane.

 

[eastbaysubaru]

Re: Old man hole cover...ideas?

happily married for 20 years this past April. Why ask, just do it.

I learned this about 19 years ago. I don't ask my wife about things like this(buying toys especially)...I just do it, if she gets upset, its once and done. If I "ask" her before hand, I'll have to hear about it right then, if I bring it up again, it will be another "discussion", then when I do it anyway, it will be more BS to listen to. Just do it, buy it, what ever, bring it home, one time listening to her complain until I convince her its awesome, then its over.

As as Grace Hopper reportedly once said "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission".

-Brian

 

[eastbaysubaru]

Also, I wouldn't coat it or media blast it as that would destroy the patina and the vintage-ness of it. I think it's perfect as is and really like the idea of setting it into concrete outside a man-door to the garage, FWIW.

-Brian