Terry Spragg wrote:

julien wrote:

Anyone know of a place to buy some dock building
hardware within driving distance of Philadelphia, PA?

I'm planning on building a pipe dock. A lot of the
pipe brackets I've seen on the net do not have a
locking bolt to keep the pipe from sliding through
the sleeve. (For example, the ones sold by West
Marine are like this.) I'd like the ones that DO
have the locking bolt.

This would be for a non floating dock? Salt or fresh water? Tidal? How
deep?

Non floating, fresh, no tides, 3' to 6' deep

I don't mean to be pedantic, but if your dock floated on pipe pilings,
it would not benefit from holes which accelerate rusting. If you want to
raise the dock above where it might float, why not drill holes where you
want them and use pins or bolts and nuts? Set screw type adjustable
height types invariably want at least dimples drilled to stabilize
slippery set screws, or lock bolts so tight they deform the round pipe
to the point where it binds elsewhere. Even if not, a year later
attempts to loosen for re-adjustment may break the bolts, and then what?

I considered the hole drilling/pin idea, but then I'm stuck keeping the
same pole in the same corner, and getting the dock in the exact same
spot each spring. However, the drawbacks you are pointing out may
change my mind. (Especially the rusting of the lock screw)
I was also think of hoseclamps or some such device, but I don't think
they'd be strong enough over a whole summer, maybe some other type of
hardware might do it. Or, just drilling several holes in each pipe
might be simpler.

The price of commercially available dock brackets are silly high, priced
for "marine" users. Go to Joe's welding or a scrap yard, whatever, and
he will cut up some box or angle iron scrap for about 2 bucks that will
replace 20 dollar "dock accessories." New material will not be bright
and shiny for long.

If you don't do as I say, you place yourself amongst that crowd of
aspiring boating snobs who really don't get it. Go ask a commercial
fisherman where he gets his "marine steel bits." He cuts his own, or
his brother does. It's cheaper to buy a grinder / cutter and welder and
learn to use it at a scrap yard and build your own hardware for a dock
than it is to buy the parts, especially if you have to "special order"
ones with holes.

I am a snob, but not that kind of snob. I was considering just
getting my local metal shop to make some parts, maybe I'll just go
ahead and do just that, if I wasn't so lazy. I need to get off
my butt and get moving on this.

Alternatively, scrapped steel staging could be trimmed up to do what you
want, using planks for decking, also much cheaper than instant dock kit
stuff. When I started pricing that junk, I near coughed up a kidney.

Instead, I made floating dock from oil barrels, snugly bevel planked
together with banding into torpedoes with "wet storage" compartments,
and laid deck sections on top. They sit on the bottom when the tide is
out, and float otherwise. 10 by 8 feet cost me about 100 bucks each and
can be disassembled without wading and rolled ashore easily by me and a
mate for winter freeze up. Looks cool, too! The ends can be joined with
dowels through holes in 2 planks each end a few inches longer than the
rest.

I think one float could "do" a mooring. If I cast a concrete plate in
the mud at low tide, I should be able to lift it at high tide.

Then, you have the money left over for a louder stereo, whatever. Oops!
on second thought, be sure to order the stainless steel marine grade
angle bits. They are a little more, but they are so much more,,,
nautical and impressive. What was I thinking;-?

Since there's no electricity where I am, the stereo would be a waste.