A sheet is just a sheet.

I used to think that, but now I know better. Sheets dried in a clothes dryer come out tangled and charged with static electricity and fake fragrance. Sheets hung out to billow in the breeze, on the other hand, boast a naturally fresh scent, an air of nostalgia and sun-bleached softness.

Once you sleep on breeze-dried sheets, you don’t go back. Indeed, a friend of mine takes sheets on her travels and hangs them outside during her stay. When she returns home, her sheets retain the aroma of the area she visited.

For years, I’ve draped sheets to dry — even in winter — on a single 15-ft. line strung between a galvanized pole and my garage wall. But I needed more clotheslines, so I created this trellis. Its design is similar to the trellis I welded two years ago (HANDY, May/June 2007, p. 44), but this one supports three clotheslines (photo 1). Here’s how I did it.

Design

To make the clothesline trellis a companion piece to the existing trellis, I repeated the use of:

• 3/8-in.-dia. steel rods. The clothesline trellis is narrow (16 in. wide), so I couldn’t attach the rods in a “wind-blown reed” fashion as I did on the existing trellis. Instead, I used them as simple stretchers/handles between the uprights. They are 13 in. long so that the rod ends and spot welds provide the carrying strength.

• Square steel tubes. The existing trellis is made of 1-in. square (16-gauge) tubing mitered and welded at the top corners; the clothesline trellis is made of 2-in. square (12-gauge) tubing, also mitered and welded at the top corners. The increased heft makes the structure super secure for holding wet bedding and clothing, and it allows the square tubing uprights to fit over 1-7/8-in.-o.d. galvanized pipe. A 2-ft. length of this pipe slides into the upright square tubing; another 2-ft. length of the pipe is anchored in the ground. That end slides into a sleeve made from a 2-ft. length of galvanized 2-3/8-in.-o.d. pipe buried in the ground.

• Decorative 4-in. square glass tiles, which hang from stainless steel fishing line tied to the rods. The tiles rotate in the wind, flashing color and light.

Tools and materials

Once you’ve determined your design, buy the materials (see Materials and Cutting List) at metalworking/welding supply shops, homes centers, hardware stores and glass companies.

A metal cut-off saw is nice, but you can make do with a hacksaw. You’ll also need a post-hole digger, a shovel, a cordless drill, clamps, a framing square, a wire-feed welder, an angle grinder and perhaps a die grinder for tight spots.

Cutting, welding and grinding

Create the frame from 2-in. square (12-gauge) tubing. Cut 45-degree angles at the top ends of the uprights and at each end of the top rail. Cut the 3/8-in. rods 13 in. long.

To begin assembly, spot-weld each corner of the frame; then use a square to make sure the corners are true before finishing each weld. For the rods, drill three sets of three holes in the inside sides of the uprights, insert rods and spot-weld each of the rods. Grind all welds smooth with an angle grinder; for tight spots, you can use a die grinder (photo 2).

Clotheslines

I find commercial retractable clotheslines to be of questionable quality. I like a line to stay tight, and after checking out several models, I wasn’t satisfied that they could cut it over time.

So I drilled through the sides of top rail of the clothesline trellis, creating three evenly spaced holes for 5/16- x 4-in. eyebolts secured by decorative acorn nuts. The clotheslines are strung between these eyebolts and 5/16- x 4-in. eye screws anchored into the garage wall. The lines are tied (with an overhand knot) to carabiners at each end of the line. When I’m ready to use them, I stretch the lines tight and clip them into the eyebolts and eye screws.

Between washings, I take down the lines for two reasons:

1. Left to the elements, they grow moldy.
2. They are a bit of an eyesore in a small city lot and detract from the look of the trellis.

Finishing touches

Once construction is complete, sand the trellis, wipe it with a rag dampened with mineral spirits and finish it with two coats of exterior-grade spray paint.

The glass tiles I added are optional. The trellis has a simple, classy look without them, but they are a nice touch that makes the structure more interesting.

To hang the tiles, first drill holes in them. Be sure to submerge the tiles in water when drilling. A glass-and-tile bit (in this case, 3/16-in.-dia.) requires water as a lubricant (photo 3). At the midpoint of one side, make a hole large enough that fine stainless-steel fishing line or copper wire can fit through it. For best results, drill slowly. Feed the line through and tie it to the top rail (for the top tile) and rods (for the middle and low tiles).

Laundry time

Once you’ve laundered a load, lower the clothesline trellis over the anchor pipes and string the clotheslines (photo 4). Then sleep well on your breeze-dried sheets.

Materials and Cutting List

• 2 x 2 x 90-in. 12-gauge steel tube uprights (2)
• 2 x 2 x 16-in. 12-gauge steel tube top rail (1)
• 3/8-in.-dia. x 13-in. steel rods (9)
• 1-7/8-in.-o.d. x 48-in. galvanized pipe ground-to-trellis anchors (2)
• 2-3/8-in.-o.d. x 24-in. galvanized pipe ground anchors (2)
• 5/16- x 4-in. eye screws (3)
• 5/16- x 4-in. eyebolts (3)
• Acorn nuts for eyebolts (3)
• Finishing materials (sandpaper, mineral spirits, paint)
• Clothesline (number of feet varies according to design)
• Clothespins
• Carabiners (6)

Optional Materials

• 4 x 4-in. glass tiles (3)
• Stainless steel fishing line or copper wire for tying tiles (12 ft.)
• 3/16-in.-dia. glass-and-tile bit