Last weekend my dad had a little chainsaw vs tree vs greenhouse incident......


long story short my mum would like her greenhouse fixed, but a handful of the of the steel bars that make up the frame are damaged beyond repair
unfortunately this greenhouse is about 40 years old and no parts are available

but all we really need is a few lengths of 0.5mm steel strip with a profile/section similar to this:


steel_section

any ideas on how to make these / buy something close enough ?

[Edited on 5/3/2014 by mcerd1]

Take a sample to your local sheet metal fabrication shop and have a slab of beer under your arm. They should be able to fold you the bits you need.

Try your local AALCO branch, as they do formed metals....

#Sounds like an urban myth worthy of an episode of Myth Buster.

Chainsaw Tree Glasshouse myth confirmed.;-)

What about T-section? you can get it in 25mm wide.

http://www.themetalstore.co.uk/products/steel-t-section

Presumably you'll want the strips to be galvanised as well?

You may be able to fabricate the section from pressed steel right angle strip with a minimum of bending, though you obviously need to weld.

Are you sure it's not aluminium. Have a look on greenhouse people to see if they have any profile in that you could adapt.

Domestic greenhouses are usually made from Alloy extrusion.

Similar thing happened to me. I removed all the glass from my greenhouse and moved the frame as far away as possible from the tree, about 18" dia, being felled. The bulk of the branches were cut off then a heavy rope attached to the top so my son could help pull it in the right direction (away from the neighbours / fence). The trunk was carefully and slowly cut until it started to fall. It then promptly somersaulted and landed on the greenhouse ! Must have weighed over a ton as no way could we move it and had to cut up into section in situ on top of the crushed frame. Luckily somebody on Freecycle had a greenhouse which the glass had been smashed by vandals who gave it to me so I managed to make one out of the two.

Paul H

cheers guys
the link to the little T- sections is looking good (I didn't know you could get them that small)


and yes its 100% defiantly steel - its an early 'solardome' that came in steel or alloy circa 1973 (we have one of each type)
unfortunately they don't make bits for these old ones any more

like a steel version of this:


galvanised would be great, but I can always paint it so its not critical

[Edited on 11/3/2014 by mcerd1]

Use something close and machine some end points to suit? Straighten the old ones as best you can and brace them with something more findable?

[Edited on 11/3/14 by coyoteboy]