Thread: Overdue project done

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I brought back 2 flags from Moms' when I made the trip back there a couple of months ago. The first is a 48 star flag that was my Great Granddads'. He flew it from his front porch on holidays and thru most of World War II until he sold the dairy and moved in with my Grandmother in 1944.

The other flag is the one my Dad flew every day until he passed away and then mom continued to fly it every day until she could no longer go up and down the porch steps to put it up and take it down. I would raise and lower it daily when I went back for visits.

I've been meaning to put up a flag pole for years but just never seemed to get around to it. I vowed that I would have one up by Veterans Day this year so I could fly Dad and Moms' flag.

I couldn't find any flagpoles locally that I liked and checking on line I only came up with poles that either looked too spindly or way over what I wanted to pay for one. I decided to just go ahead and build one and went out to the driveshaft pile and found some I figured I could do something with. Seven shafts and some cutting a welding later I had a 20 foot flag pole (plus the 4' length to go in the ground). I think it came out pretty good, it tappers from 3 1/2" at the bottom to a bit over 2" at the top and is straight. I ended up with a bit over $100 in it including the concrete I used to set the casing the pole slides into. The biggest part of the outlay was for the halyard and a 3" chrome ball bearing for the top. Even if nobody else does, Cade and Austin were pretty impressed that Grandpa built his own flag pole

I twisted my back a week ago so putting the pole up waited until yesterday when my friend Dave (69Bee) and his wife could come over and help getting the pole slid into the casing.

flag Pole by M Patterson, on Flickr


I am really pleased to be able to fly my folks flag on special occasions (I have another flag for daily use). The other reason I've wanted to do this is the Grandkids. I know they get a little bit of it at school but by golly my Grandkids will all know how to properly raise, lower and fold an American Flag. Hopefully some of the meaning and importance of the flag will also get instilled in them along the way.



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Good on ya', Mike.

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Pretty ingenious use of driveshafts.

I have a 25 ft pole and fly Old Glory and the Gadsden flag 24/7 and yes I have a solar light on top Ya can see it on my facebook page

Inside the ball of a brigade flag pole:
A razor to cut the stars off the flag
A match to burn the flag
A bullet to take your life

To be used if the enemy overtakes the post.

Or so legend says.

Nice welding, it's straight!

I'd thought about a light and doing the 24/7 thing Ted and at some point might look at it again. Right now, I like the ceremony of putting it up and taking it down, especially if the Grandkids are there. Yesterday afternoon both Grandsons helped me take it down and the youngest (Austin) was the one who got to help me fold it.

"....Inside the ball of a brigade flag pole......"

Firebird I've heard that off and on (or variations of it) over the years. I've never actually heard of it being proven as true.......I know I wouldn't be brave enough to explain to the Sergeant Major why I had taken the truck off the flag pole and pried it apart.

The welding was pretty easy, I clamped the sections of pipe into a piece of angle iron to keep them straight when I tacked them together. The taper was achieved by using a drive shaft that had the taper built into it (with enough length after the taper that the next section (the same smaller diameter) could be clamped into the angle iron.



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You are a great influence for your Grandsons.
I have always enjoyed and appreciated your times with them.

Great job Mike, that is awesome! When you have the 48 star flag out again could you snap some pics of it please? That is pretty neat you were able to get those flags that have so much history in your family. I doubt any flags made today would be able to be used again in 50 or more years. Do you have any idea what the tapered driveshafts came out of?

When we went to CA for my brother's marine graduation ceremony, I remember them playing a video before hand and it talked about the ball on the brigade flag pole. I can't remember the details but maybe he does.

Ryan I'll try to remember to get G Granddads flag out the next time the Grandkids are here......it will give me an excuse to unfold it and show them what it looks like, it will also give me the second pair of hands I need to re-fold it. I'm guessing all three will have to count the stars for themselves to make sure Grandpa isn't pulling a fast one on them


"......Do you have any idea what the tapered driveshafts came out ........"

Actually I do

They were from 472 Powered early 70s Sedan Devilles. I parted a couple out for the engines years ago and kept the driveshafts too. Always knew which ones they were because of the big CV joint They used to connect the shaft to the differential. It actually tapers down for about 12-18" on both ends.

I didn't actually measure the OD on the shafts, but the center of the shaft id approximately 3" and both ends taper to about 2 1/4"-2 1/2" .

It worked out pretty slick as the OD of the bulge was the same OD as the shaft I was I was adding it to (so clamping in into the angle Iron kept that straight) and the tapered end was the same diameter of the smaller shafts I used for the top. Basically it got me out of figuring how to clamp 2 different sized shafts together straight and true while I welded them.


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Thanks Mike. I'm going to keep an eye out for a couple. These would be cool to have laying around for some weird metal project I'm sure.

Awesome pole, what and influence your leaving on your kids and grand kids.