Get a plan, materials list, and step-by-step instructions for building an easy-to-manage, self-venting cold frame lid.
Cold frames are like time machines . They give up you to start plant weeks earlier in the spring and to extend the declension harvest past the hard freezes that would bring an ending to crops in unprotected bed . When I design these stale frame cover I had several goal in judgement . They had to be lightweight , because I wanted to employ automatonlike venting controls ( I used a Univent ) to protect the plant from overheat . They had to be economical and easy to make — the entire cost ( in 2000 ) , including all computer hardware but not the Univent , was less than $ 25 per screening . The covers also had to be easy to remove and set aside for work in the beds . In this case I was building covers for an be cold physique , but if you involve a base , here ’s a invention that ’s simple to make .
I build these frame out of ordinary 3/4 - inch white pine , but cedar would serve as well . You do n’t require to vex about decay because the wood dries out too quickly for bunk to develop . Choose direct - grained boards with no more than a few small knots , if any . Large grayback will dampen the frame and cause warp . The 3 - foot by 6 - foot frames I built are about the maximal practical size for a single cover . This size can be built from three 6 - foot duration of 3 - 1/2 - in - wide by 3/4 - column inch - duncical timber , called “ one by four ” ( 1×4 ) at the lumberyard .
A couple of tricks will streamline construction
The frame are incubate with percipient , 8 - mil vinyl , available at hardware stores in 3 - base by 25 - metrical foot rolls . I use these covers from former bounce through late fall and store them in the barn during the worst of the wintertime . If you require a cover that can withstand the weight of big snowfall , utilise sturdier but more expensive fiberglass or polycarbonate sheets to breed your frames and add an extra arched traverse for support . The slight arch in the crosspieces is n’t just for esthetic ; it create the skeleton and cover up more stiff and prevents rainfall from pooling on the plastic . The vinyl wo n’t last forever , but with a little tutelage it should last two or three years , at least . If , as is potential , you wo n’t be using the covers in midsummer , store them out of direct sunlight . It will keep up the life of the glazing .
There is no fancy cabinetmaking involved in building the frames . The crosspieces are orient with the arced bound at the top , against the plastic . They butt up against the longer sides of the frame and are attached at each joint with a couplet of 2 - inch - long erosion - resistant screw meant for building wooden deck .
Build the cover with ribs and battens
To build these covers you will need a tablesaw , a scroll saw , and basic hand tools , let in a heavy - tariff stapling machine . With a tabular array saw , rive a 1⁄8 - inch - compact while off the honest ( greyback - free ) long border of each 6 - foot 1×4 to make thin strips called batten . These will reinforce the edge of the vinyl blanket on the ruined systema skeletale . Once you have rationalize the batten , take the now slenderly narrow 6 - foot lengths of 1×4 and slew four arched rib with a jigsaw . A simple way to draw the curve is to defer one of the battens to the demand arch ( which is 1 - 1⁄2 inch at the ending to 2 - 1⁄2 column inch at the heart ) and then pull along its border . With the arch completed , cut back the side composition to size ( 1 - 1⁄2 inch wide ) from the remaining piece of 1×4 . Once all the woods is cut , soft touch and practise the piece of tail muddle and foregather the figure . Drill hole that reset the screws in the side man and drill smaller pilot holes in the crosspieces to ensure a tight paroxysm when you attach the crosspiece to the frame .
If you are endure to apply aUniventopener , add a small Sir Henry Wood block cut from a 2×4 to the interior of the figure for the bracket .
How to assemble a cold frame with a lightweight cover
If you want a cold build radix , the design included here is simple to make . make the corner out of 2×6 and 2×1 2 baseball bat , adding additional board to the sides to make the box deep if needed . The top gameboard are tapered to slant the cover for drain and improved lite assemblage . Assemble the boxful with corrosion - resistant screws threaded into the straight recession posts . Make the posts from the rubbish left over from sharpen the incline . The concluding particular is to contribute modest moldings along the longsighted edge to run along up the cover when it is closed .
Cover materials list
This leaning will provide you with enough materials to make one 3 - foot by 6 - pes cover . you’re able to adjust the materials for covers of different sizes if you are building one to fit out an existing cold frame .
To get a smooth , crinkle - complimentary fit for the vinyl glazing , first attach it to the ruined frame with short pieces of masking mag tape every foot or so all around the edge . Once you have conform the vinyl radical to a smooth , tight fit , staple fiber all around the perimeter with 3⁄8 - inch staples , spacing the staples about 3 inches apart . Staple the vinyl group to the two destruction archway and the side musical composition only , not to the center arches . The treetop of staple throw the vinyl should extend with the distance of the frame piece . Remove the tape .
Now cut two length of the batten to meet the long sides of the figure , put them in place , and staple fiber through the battens and the vinyl into the frame itself . These staples should be crosswise to the battens so they miss the staples below , and should be space about 3 inches apart . Any staples that are n’t in full seated should be tapped wealthy with a power hammer . Once the recollective battens are attached , cut and staple shorter secure onto the two arcuate close art object , then trim away the excess vinyl with a sharp-worded tongue .
Hitching up the spring clip
The covers can be hinged on either their long or short edge . The hinges I designed are unconventional , but they work well . The heart of each flexible joint is a simple U - influence spring clipping intend for hanging ling or swab on the wall . The clips are attached to the stale material body cover and rupture over bracket made from easy - to - assemble plastic pipage . Removing and replacing the natural covering is simple ; it snaps on and off with a easy tug .
The spring clip should be attached to the corners of the cover with the same case of 2 - inch - longsighted screws you used to build the cover itself . If needed , line up the tautness of the spring cartridge holder with a pair of pliers for a good paroxysm over the pipe brackets . The mounting bracket are made from 3⁄4 - column inch CPVC plastic pipe , which is used for home plumbing . The pipe edit very easily with a metal saw and is simply glued together with PVC tube gum . To set the pipe angle bracket on the base share of the frigid frame , clip the glue - up square bracket onto the book binding and place the whole cover meeting place in its right position on the base . Attach the bracket to the humble unit with screwing through predrilled holes in the pipework .
Automatic venting controls free up your time
To control the temperature in the cold-blooded frames , I decide to attach Univents ( made bySolar Vent Works ; it can also be purched fromCharley ’s Greenhouse Supply ) to the covers . Univents are odd - looking aluminum linkages powered by a temperature - raw piston chamber that leaven one end of the screening about a animal foot to prevent the frame from overheating . The covers need to be lightweight because the vent can face-lift only 15 pounds . The reward of the reflex blowhole is dual : they give you exemption to be away from the garden and , by constantly monitoring and command the temperature in the shape , they give your industrial plant a stable surroundings for their best growth . There is a straightaway - dismission catch that come off the Univent for easy removal of the entire cold frame cover . Univents be around $ 40 apiece and are well worth the investment funds . If you have one great cold frame with several cover song , you may economise by installing a Univent on every other cover .
The only rest task is to tie the Univent to the cover charge , a simple Book of Job that is explained well in the instructions included with the command . Be mindful that the Univent responds tardily to temperature changes , so be patient before you adjudicate if it is adjusted by rights . Then plant some seeds and enjoy your new longer growing time of year .
Sources
The following mail - order catalogs carry Univent automatonlike blowhole control units .
Charley ’s Greenhouse Supply
17979 State Rt . 536
Mount Vernon , WA 98273
800/322 - 4707
Gardener ’s Supply party
128 lntervale Rd . ,
Burlington , VT 0540 1
800/863 - 1 700
— John White is a woodworker , Jurniture intriguer , and nurseryman in Newtown , Connecticut .
photo except where noted : Marc Vassallo .
October 2000
FromKitchen Gardener # 29
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When making the crosspieces, use one of the battens you have already cut to draw the arch. Cut out the arch using a jigsaw.
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To get a smooth fit with the vinyl covering, tape the edges to the frame with masking tape before stapling the vinyl in place (left). Use 3/8-inch staples spaced about every 3 inches around the outside of the frame to secure the vinyl (right). Do not staple the vinyl to the two crosspieces in the center of the frame.
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A simple hinge design makes maneuvering these covers effortless. Two U-shaped adjustable spring clips are attached to the frame of the cover at one end (left). These clips easily pivot on and a l so snap on and off the CPVC pipe that is attached to the base (right).
A Univent will automatically open and close the cold frame cover in response to temperature changes. It allows you the freedom to be away from the garden and not worry about the plants in your cold frame.
