Table Top Lantern Holder with adjustable clamp

Here is a quick project to fabricate a Lantern Hanger.  It also has an adjustable clamp to adapt to a variety of table tops from wood to concrete.  This project assumes you have some metal working skills and able to gas weld (Braze) or wire weld....and know all the hazards and safety precautions that go along with welding.  It can be broke down by unscrewing 2 wing nuts, then unscrewing the conduit tube from the clamp.  Detached, the clamp can be used for other purposes if need be.

Beef up this design and make a couple.  With a piece of cross tubing you would have a great support for a tarp over your table.  Add 4 vertical adjustable tent supports out at the corners, with tie downs.   You are set to camp in the rain.

I used hardware I had on hand.  Threaded rod, Thumb bolts, bolts, wing nuts, a closet pole support bracket, EMT Conduit, and a adjustable clamp.

My bolts and threaded rod size are all ¼ inch.  If I were to do it again I would use 3/8 for the added strength. EMT is 1/2 inch, but 3/4 or 1 inch could be used.  Adjust the fender washer diameter accordingly.

We start the fabrication by first brazing a nut to a fender washer.  Screw a bolt in the threads before brazing.  This protects the threads from splattering metal.  Carefully braze to avoid brazing the bolt to the nut or washer.  Braze on the nut side of the washer only.  Once the nut is brazed over the hole of the fender washer, remove the bolt. 

Cut a length of EMT conduit to whatever length you want above the average table height. 

Place the washer with the brazed nut, nut side up.  Place the EMT over the nut so the nut is up inside the EMT.  Braze the washer to the end of the EMT.  All brazing done on the conduit side of the washer.

Next braze the threaded rod onto the end of your clamp.  Add a fender washer and support the clamp/washer so it is perpendicular to the threaded rod attached to the clamp.  Do all the brazing on the back side of that washer toward the clamp side.  The tip of this camp bolt will thread into the end of the EMT with the brazed in nut.

Screw these pieces together until snug. 

Hold your Closet Pole support up against the EMT and mark where you will drill holes.  I attach the clamp to a table first.  Screw the EMT on snug to the clamp bolt.  Then position the Closet Pole support to hang over the table, rather to either side.  This will insure it will support the maximum weight.  I drill two sets of holes (total of 4 holes) so that I can adjust the height if I wish to.

 

Drill the holes through the EMT at the Closet support hole locations.  Attach using ¼ x 20 Thumb Bolts, and ¼ x 20 Wing nuts. (Shown here with 1 1/2 inch length Thumb Bolts)

Clean up the brazing points and give it a coat of paint.   

This project took 45 minutes start to completion including one coat of white spray paint.