HO-031 Two-sheave traveling clothesline frame

Bring a lightly clipped dry cloth along an attended 52 in tabletop line frame without carrying a powered dryer or storing the line on a winding drum.

Original bounded component build. Dimensions describe this example, not an approved structural, occupied-building or universal fit design. Unbuilt / untested. US customary dimensions control.

Before cutting

• Read the whole assembly and inspect its receiving space before cutting. Measure actual sheet thickness; nominal lumber labels do not control these joints.
• Set aside straight, clean stock and allow it to acclimate. Keep fingers clear of blades, clamp work and use tool-appropriate eye/hearing protection.
• Dry-fit moving pieces before final fastening; stop if a proposed dimensional substitution changes clearances. Purchased hardware dimensions and hole patterns below must match the actual item.

Materials and actual cuts

Hardware and tools

• 8 x #8 x 2 in wood screw. Two base-to-upright screws each
• 8 x #8 x 1 1/4 in wood screw. Two base-to-cleat screws each
• 16 x #6 x 1 in wood screw. Four per triangular brace
• 8 x #4 x 5/8 in wood screw. Four per glued sheave
• 1 x Compatible wood adhesive. Actual label/full cure for the two sheave laminations
• 2 x Bench clamps. Hold the long base against empty motion
• 2 x Smooth clothespegs. Attended dry-cloth trial only; not structural hardware

Tape, square, pencil; clamped saw setup appropriate to the material; drill/driver and depth stop; countersink for wood fasteners; files/sanding block; clamps. Specific additional tools are noted in the steps.

Measured assembly reference

x=left/right, y=front/rear, z=up; origin is front-left underside unless stated

Retained segments with the same part/instance belong to one machined stock piece, not additional parts. Positions and sizes below are US inches; rotations are degrees.

Numbered assembly

1. Use this small complete frame for attended light dry-cloth handling, not an outdoor tensioned line, a lifeline, a hoist or a child-accessible toy. Keep all loop cord away from children; no safe load, tension or wind rating is supplied.
2. Cut A 52 x 12 x 3/4 in. Mark axle centers x 3 and 47 in, y 4 3/4 in, z 22 3/4 in. The center separation is 44 in; the base datum is its front-left underside.
3. Cut B four 24 x 2 1/2 x 3/4 in uprights. Register pairs and drill 13/32 in holes across their 3/4 in thickness, 22 in above the bottom and centered across 2 1/2 in. All four centers finish z 22 3/4 in.
4. Stand B at x 1 3/4-4 1/4 and 45 3/4-48 1/4 in, y 3 1/2-4 1/4 and 5 1/4-6 in. Use two #8 x 2 in screws up through A into each upright, at x center plus/minus 3/4 in and the upright thickness center. Pilot fully; do not split an axle-bearing post.
5. From four separate 8 in square x 3/8 in blanks cut C four right triangles. Each has two 8 in blank legs; allow actual saw kerf at the diagonal, which is a non-mating brace edge. Do not assume two exact triangles from one 8 in blank.
6. Cut D four 8 x 3/4 x 3/4 in foot cleats. Fit at x 1 3/4-9 3/4 and 40 1/4-48 1/4 in, y 2 3/8-3 1/8 and 6 3/8-7 1/8 in, z 3/4-1 1/2 in. Use two #8 x 1 1/4 in screws up through A into each cleat.
7. Place C between each cleat and the adjacent B face: front y 3 1/8-3 1/2 in, rear y 6-6 3/8 in. Tall legs lie against the outer end of each post group; the slope runs down toward the base middle.
8. Fix each C with four #6 x 1 in screws from its face, two into B at z 3 and 6 in and two into D at z 1 1/8 in. Use x 2 1/8 in at left post screws and 47 7/8 in at right; foot screws lie x 4, 8 and 44, 41 in as the triangle permits. Confirm all points remain buried.
9. Cut E two 3 1/2 in diameter x 1/4 in root discs and F four 4 in diameter x 1/4 in flange discs. Drill registered 13/32 in center bores. Glue F/E/F into two 3/4 in-wide sheaves with actual compatible wood adhesive and full cure.
10. In each sheave drill four clearance/countersinks from one F at 1 1/4 in radius and 45, 135, 225, 315 degrees. Add four #4 x 5/8 in screws through the three-disc stack. They finish 1/8 in short of the far face and stay inside the root, not in the running groove.
11. Cut G two 3 1/2 in axles from 3/8 in dowel, cross-drill 1/8 in at 1/4 in from each end, and make H four 3/4 in retaining pins. Make I four 3/4 in-diameter x 1/8 in washers with 13/32 in bores.
12. Fit each sheave between its two posts, with one I each side. The wheel spans y 4 3/8-5 1/8 in; the root groove spans y 4 5/8-4 7/8 in. Insert G from y 3 to 6 1/2 in and retain with H at y 3 1/4 and 6 1/4 in. Wheels turn without squeezing the washers.
13. Cut J 110 in from 1/8 in braided cord. Route it once around both root discs in the common y 4 3/4 in plane. A nominal center-path length is 2(44)+2*pi(1 13/16)=99.38827 in, before actual sag or the joining knot; this is a setup reference, not a tension specification.
14. Join the two tails on the UPPER straight span with a firm double overhand bend suited to the actual cord. Keep short tails visible. Adjust only enough to seat both spans without preloading the wooden frame. Reject slip or a knot that will not remain outside the sheaves.
15. With the knot centered near x 25 in, mark operating limits on the cord so it never comes within 6 in of either sheave. Move the line only 16 in either way from that centered setup. The joining knot is NOT intended to pass through the 1/4 in-wide groove.
16. Clamp A and turn an empty span slowly by hand. Both wheels must rotate, cord must remain centered and posts must not rack. Stop at a migrating pin, knot slip, side rub or a rising base edge. Do not tighten the cord to conceal an alignment fault.
17. Clip one small dry cloth to the LOWER span with separately supplied clothespegs and hand-shift it within the marked travel. Remove the cloth before leaving the frame. Store the loop dismantled and inaccessible to children; do not suspend a wet load or reach through a moving loop.

Checks

• Axle center spacing is 44 in and all four bores share z 22 3/4 in.
• Each sheave has 3 1/2 in root, 4 in flanges and 1/4 in clear groove width.
• Both 1/8 in washers per wheel leave the sheave free between its posts; cross pins stay outboard.
• The knot remains on the straight upper span at least 6 in from either wheel through all marked travel.

Use and maintenance

No wet-laundry capacity, wind, tension or lifting rating. The knot intentionally limits travel and never enters a sheave.

Accessible loop cord is a strangulation/entanglement hazard. Adult attended use only; remove and store cord after use.

Inspect the actual joints, moving interfaces and fasteners before each use. Stop at splitting, binding, loose retention or an exposed sharp edge.

Brush debris from separated contact faces and follow the actual material/finish supplier cleaning instructions. Dry fully before reassembly; do not conceal damage with coating.

Repeat the empty functional check after humidity or fit changes. Replace damaged parts rather than forcing the mechanism. No physical build, load, impact, safety or service-life performance is certified.

Measured interface notes

This is a traveling circuit, not a cord-storage winder. The entire loop remains on two rotating sheaves rather than accumulating layers on one drum.

Groove root radius 1 3/4 in plus 1/16 in cord radius gives nominal cord-center radius 1 13/16 in. Actual cord sag and joining allowance are set by the unloaded fit.

Primary context

Purdue University Extension: Wood drying: FNR-37 Source

US Consumer Product Safety Commission: Window Covering Cords Source