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I recently had a 25Kg coil of 4mm wire delivered and started to make the hoops yesterday and straight away realised what a hazardous task it is!
The wire has to be uncoiled somewhat to measure and then cut it. Wire that has been happily coiled up in a warehouse does not take kindly to this process and when cut , the cut end( especially ) and the coil react like a bullet out of a gun while trying to regain their coiled shape.
Wear full face protection, the helmet and visor kind, gloves and strong clothing ( not a T shirt ) !
You need a small pair of bolt cutters ( Wickes )
I decided to cut 2.5 metre lengths.
I nailed 2.5 M of old baton along the top edge of the pallet sides of the compost heaps as a measure. Working from left to right, I made a
” tunnel ” of 4 inch nails to hold the end of the wire. ( could have used staples but didn’t have any ) Then about every 18 inches banged in a pair of nails about 5 mm apart to hold the wire in a fairly straight line.I used a paving stone to hold the wire while I cut it. I will make some sort of clamp or use mole grips in future!
The cut wire naturally assumes a hoop shape so no template is needed for this .
To make the loops I banged a cluster of 3 nails into the baton and bent the wire round them about 30 cm from the end, the loose end being held by one of the pairs of nails. The second loop is a repeat process.
The loops are not very ” tight ” . I then held the hoops on a block of wood and gave each loop a goodly belt with a large hammer.
The ends then need bending slightly to a vertical position.
Fits a 4ft bed nicely
Finally think SAFETY !!!!!
It is a dangerous job!Haha, yes it is a dangerous job! I made a hoop template and then worked to that, on the floor using my knee to pin things down so wire didn’t fly about!
I will say after this windy and wet winter that 4mm wire didn’t work for me, they bent out of shape and fell over in the wind and under weight of rain
i will try next year with 5mm or even 6mm. 6mm will be hard to bend, but worth the work i think
Perhaps with 4mm you will want to double the amount of hoops in the bed (every 1/2 metre) to provide extra strength, and stick the wire in the ground for 1ft at least, possibly more – but i found the 4mm wire bent at the ground
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