Non-Standard uses for EMT

[akalian]

I recently moved into a new place, and garage was really prepped nicely and I didn’t want to make a mess of the walls hanging up stuff. While at Home Depot I spotted some hangers/standoffs for EMT, or at least that’s that I thought they were for.

Anyway I picked up a handful of them and some 1/2" EMT and got to work. I mounted the brackets on a ½” x3” board and then used a stud finder to locate the studs on the one wall in the garage. I then screwed the board to the studs and slid the EMT into the brackets and got some “S” hooks and started hanging stuff.

It worked out sweet. Easy to move things around, pretty much hang anything, and it didn’t take up hardly any room at all.

Since I was into EMT, I got the idea to make a leaf bag holder. It took me a while to figure out where to bend the EMT so as to come out to the dimension I wanted.

Anyway after a few failed attempts and some botched tubing I got something I could live with. It works well, but to be honest the radius bends are too big, but it works just fine, and it for sure is better than nothing.

Another thing I could try on Version 2 would be to put the sections in a vise and flatten the EMT where the bends are now, and then wrap the EMT around maybe some 1" stock to form the 90 degree bend. That way I could lay it out very accurately and there would be much more of a straight section to attach the bag to.

Or I could just duplicate what I did at the bottom. A straight piece of pipe bolted together with some all thread, and then round over the square ends with a grinder to match the radius of the EMT. But I'm thinking that might be a bit wiggly being just bolted together, compared to being one piece of tubing.

.

.

 

[Aldochina]

I use emt for all kinds of stuff! Recently bent up some kyak racks out of 3/4 for my trailer. I'll grab a pic tomorrow. Your rack and bag holder came out nice. Heres a handle on a sweet cart I fabbed up out of shelves and a frame.

 

[sberry]

I was showing my date at the time. my appt. She said,, lots of creative uses for conduit. Probably should have kept her?
I have built a lot, welded a lot of it.

 

[BukitCase]

Looks good; FWIW, the square sided hole in those brackets is so you can use carriage bolts - if you care, those would look a little smoother... Steve

 

[Bondo]

I was showing my date at the time. my appt. She said,, lots of creative uses for conduit. Probably should have kept her?
I have built a lot, welded a lot of it.

Ayuh,..... Emt is kinda like duct tape,......

It's only limitation is yer imagination,.....

 

[jdepiero]

Very nice clean look!

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Previous owner of my home was a commercial electrician.

Every shelf bracket or support in this place is made out of emt with the ends hammered flat and holes drilled in them.

I assume they were all drops.

 

[MushCreek]

Any tips for painting EMT? I have a project I want to use it on, but it needs to be painted black, and I know galvanize doesn't generally like to be painted.

 

[Aldochina]

Body paint stands I made. The kayak racks. Paint sticks pretty good. Obviously a little prep will go along way, but In a commercial/industrial setting it gets painted all the time with no prep, even sprayed ceilings doesnt come off. Obviously it doesnt see any abrasion there.

 

[Aldochina]

Forgot the images

 

[67CarGuy]

I've been thinking about using some EMT to mock up some gravity racer frames, cycle car body shapes, etc. Probably not stiff enough to be used for a go-kart style chassis though...

 

[aka Larry]

Any tips for painting EMT? I have a project I want to use it on, but it needs to be painted black, and I know galvanize doesn't generally like to be painted.

I built this gate for my deck using 1" square tube for the frame and 1/2" EMT for the pickets. I shot it with self-etching primer, hen used Rustoleum satin black for the top coat. It's been there 6 years now and the paint is still there. No peeling at all.

 

[aka Larry]

I also used EMT (and superstrut) to build this tire rack in my shop:

 

[matt_i]

I made a concrete placing tool for footing-forms. Some 16ga I bent on the finger brake.

Screwy Photobucket still has that one trapped....grrr.....

https://s122.photobucket.com/user/matt_of_vinings/media/IMG_20150821_140040_zps7nabfb0l.jpg.html

 

[Aldochina]

Nice Larry, I want to use 3/4 emt for all the spindles on my deck railing painted black. With wood for the top and bottom rail. Heres some HF tent garage roof ties! 1 1/4"

 

[Aldochina]

If anybody is within driving distance and wants some EMT for projects, or it's original intended use hit me up. Most of it's got compression couplings already, which is alot more costly than the pipe! I'll never use it all! This is just but a fraction of what we've thrown out. Unfortunately I cant take it all, or use it all, everyone thinks I'm nuts! I like to barter and drink beer!

 

[Gummi Bear]

I built a bowhunting blind out of 1” EMT.


I dug the EMT out of a dumpster at work, and bent and welded it up, then skinned it with tin.

It’s nice to hunt pigs, and not get eaten up with mosquitoes. 8 years trouble free: the only maintenance is replacing shoot thru screens, and a fresh coat of paint, it’s still holding up strong.

It sits on retired scaffold frames, and a platform that I built out of treated lumber.








I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[Monza Harry]

I recently moved into a new place, and garage was really prepped nicely and I didn’t want to make a mess of the walls hanging up stuff. While at Home Depot I spotted some hangers/standoffs for EMT, or at least that’s that I thought they were for.

Anyway I picked up a handful of them and some 1/2" EMT and got to work. I mounted the brackets on a ½” x3” board and then used a stud finder to locate the studs on the one wall in the garage. I then screwed the board to the studs and slid the EMT into the brackets and got some “S” hooks and started hanging stuff.

It worked out sweet. Easy to move things around, pretty much hang anything, and it didn’t take up hardly any room at all.

Since I was into EMT, I got the idea to make a leaf bag holder. It took me a while to figure out where to bend the EMT so as to come out to the dimension I wanted.

Anyway after a few failed attempts and some botched tubing I got something I could live with. It works well, but to be honest the radius bends are too big, but it works just fine, and it for sure is better than nothing.

Another thing I could try on Version 2 would be to put the sections in a vise and flatten the EMT where the bends are now, and then wrap the EMT around maybe some 1" stock to form the 90 degree bend. That way I could lay it out very accurately and there would be much more of a straight section to attach the bag to.

Or I could just duplicate what I did at the bottom. A straight piece of pipe bolted together with some all thread, and then round over the square ends with a grinder to match the radius of the EMT. But I'm thinking that might be a bit wiggly being just bolted together, compared to being one piece of tubing.
.

I would try them out flipped over, you can also buy a quick set up table that uses frames very much like those. Just cut a plywood top with a couple of 1 X 2's [strapping] as stops and you have a nice little table for many uses that folds up to ~nothing for storage. Harry

 

[Bert_]

I have curtain rods made out of emt painted black.

 

[MushCreek]

I have curtain rods made out of emt painted black.

That's what I'm going to use. I'm trying to come up with some kind of finial to finish them.

 

[brianh]

I always have some in the shop comes in handy.

I bend large hooks for the wall for hoses and extension cords, canopy awning for my art show trailer. Small green house.

BBQ Legs and air intake pipes wood forced air fired burns my hardwood scraps. I have since painted it black.

 

[akalian]

I would try them out flipped over, you can also buy a quick set up table that uses frames very much like those. Just cut a plywood top with a couple of 1 X 2's [strapping] as stops and you have a nice little table for many uses that folds up to ~nothing for storage. Harry

When I first read your suggestion it didn't register right away what you meant. I never considered doing that. Having the bends as the base and the base as the top. It was a great suggestion, and solved a couple problems. First was the bags were easier to attach to the straight bars, and were held more securely. When it was "upside down" so to speak, I could confirm that the all thread and nuts securing the legs to the cross member would be plenty strong. And to fab up a table top was brilliant, something I never even considered.

Unfortunately my rookie bending didn't bend exactly 90 degrees and the legs weren't even, so with the bent pieces as the base it was pretty unstable. And to be honest I don't think I would ever be able to bend the pieces exactly at 90 degrees, and exactly the correct dimensions. But once the bag gets some debris in it, it seems to work fine and is stable enough to get the job done.

But I've pretty much decided that Version 2 will be all straight pieces. That way I can measure the width exactly so one set of legs fits neatly inside the other. Now the inside is a touch wider than the outside, and that hampers them closing nicely.

So for now I'm going to use what I got, and see which way I like best. Bends up, or bends down. And maybe in the future if a couple pieces of EMT find their way into my car, I might put together Version 2.


Appreciate the suggestions.

.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Poles for a wall tent. Wall tents are also called prospectors tent. Saves cutting small pines for an A-frame . Wall tents are used for hunting camps.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Made some adjustable rifle mounts for the back wall of a Hilux we are working on. Closed end nutserts go through the back wall to bolt the brackets to.

 

[mrjaw14]

you guys that have welded EMT, what settings does it like as far as the ballparks for gauge?

 

[sberry]

Easiest is a low setting with 023/c25

 

[Chevota Guy]

I used EMT to build a simple swivel boom arm for hanging dust collection hoses over a multifunction table. Works great.

 

[travisn1]

@akalian, link to those hooks?

 

[wolfhawk73]

That's what I'm going to use. I'm trying to come up with some kind of finial to finish them.

I used 3/4" EMT to make a 14' long curtain rod. Joined in the middle with a wood dowel epoxied in place. Painted black like the previous poster did. Works like a charm, and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying one that long and prefabricated.

I bought two antique brass and crystal doorknobs for $20 at a local flea market for the finials. They screwed directly into more wood dowels epoxied into the ends.

 

[mytimeyet]

In my younger/poorer days I used some scrap EMT to replace long sections of heater hose in my 66 Econoline.

 

[akalian]

@akalian, link to those hooks?

I got them off eBay from this seller:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/S-HOOK-10-...140006?hash=item487080e226:g:6ecAAOSwYlJW2~v9

.

 

[nadogail]

2" EMT makes great fence posts.

Atomic Zombie (on another forum) uses 3/4" EMT for bicycle frames. He welds them with 6013 electrode.

 

[sberry]

It seems to go with light fixtures.

 

[1MtnGoat]

Any tips for painting EMT? I have a project I want to use it on, but it needs to be painted black, and I know galvanize doesn't generally like to be painted.

If remember correctly galvanized needs to be pickled to hold paint well. When I was young (long time ago) gutters were galvanized and we would wash them with vinegar prior to painting to pickle them then rinse off using a sponge and soapy water then spray off with hose. Ive pickled a few items since and paint seems holds well.

 

[gtae07]

I have probably 60+ sticks of 1/2 EMT and no idea what to do with it. Picked it up for $20 or so and it's been sitting in my shop for years. I'll keep looking in here and see if maybe I can get a few ideas...

 

[Gotcha640]

Not my project, but I did something similar to this, canopy poles:

https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...wning-poles-from-emt-conduit-a-how-to.155034/

 

[Bopbop]

When I was installing the rapid air compressed air piping in my shop I used the offset EMT conduit clamps like shown in the original post. I installed the steel panels with 3/4" ribs on the interior walls of the shop. With the offset clamps it placed the air piping about 1/8" from the ribs. I also install a rubber shield in the clamps. It was real easy and a very clean install.

 

[CoogarXR]

When I was a pizza guy, the boss gave me a few extra car-top sign magnets (rubber coated magnets with a bolt-hole in the center, kinda like a CB antenna magnet but easier on the paint). I made a removable light bar with a stick of EMT. Bent it like (____) and put 4 magnets on the bottom, and 4 halogen lights across the top. No pictures unfortunately, this was pre-digital era, lol.

 

[Firebrick43]

Atomic Zombie (on another forum) uses 3/4" EMT for bicycle frames. He welds them with 6013 electrode.

Sounds like a nice cheap way to knock all your front teeth out.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Subscribed. Love this thread.