#snap hooks

Constructing your own flag pole can be cheap and easier than you think. Parts are easy to find if you have a flag supply company near your home, but they are especially easy to find on the Internet. There are a few parts that you will need to get started: galvanized pipe, flag pole halyard, flag pole trucks and pulleys, snap hooks, a cleat box, outdoor lighting, and of course, flag.

Getting Started

The first thing you need to do is decide where you would like to permanently place your new flag pole. Then you need to find out if there are any local laws or Home Owner's Association rules limiting the height of the desired flag pole. Then it is time to dig the hole for the pole's foundation. The hole should be one-fourth of the total length of the flag pole. For example, if your height limit is 12 feet, the total length of the flag pole should be 16 feet long. Four feet of the flag pole (or one-fourth of the pole) will be buried under concrete and dirt. Local laws may require more or less of the flag pole to be buried and these laws should be met or exceeded to pass any possible city inspections.

Assembling the Flag Pole

Secure all of the accessories onto the main pole before setting the pole into the ground. Place a cap style stationary flagpole truck (the top pulley wheel assembly) onto the top of the galvanized pole and secure it into place with the provided set screw. There are single-truck and double-truck models available. If you would like, insert a flag pole ornament into the center hole and secure it with the provided thumb screw. From the bottom of the flag pole, use a tape measure and a permanent marker to mark the amount of the pole that will be buried under ground. Then measure 6 or 7 feet further up the pole and install a rope cleat or a cleat box to wrap the halyard around. Use self-tapping screws to mount the cleat. Run one end of the halyard around the pulley(s) on the top truck assembly and tie a snap hook to the end(s) of the halyard. Then add enough length to the halyard to wrap around the rope cleat. Tie another snap hook to the other end of the halyard. Keeping the flag off of the ground, secure the flag to the halyard with the snap hooks and test the functionality of the trucks and the cleats. Then remove the flag and connect the snap hooks together; wrap the halyard around the cleat and secure it so it will not get in the way while the pole is being set into the ground. Lift the top end of the flag pole up and place the bottom end into the hole and cover the bottom two feet with fast-setting concrete. Use a level to set the pole straight. When the concrete is finished setting, fill in the rest of the hole with regular post mix concrete, leaving a 6-inch gap between top of the concrete and the ground level. When the concrete is dry, place dirt on top of the concrete so grass or flowers can be planted around the flag pole.

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