I moved into an apartment with a balcony last year and wanted to enclose it so my cat could be outside safely with me. I couldn't find a pre-made catio that was small enough for my space, but big enough so that I could still enjoy the balcony. I am on the fourth floor, so getting on a ladder to install anchors on the bottom of the balcony above was not a good idea. I spend a long time searching for options within my budget and landed on Maker Pipe to make a frame I could put netting around.

I used 3/4" EMT, 4 90˚ connectors, 2 T-connectors, 4 45˚ connectors, and 4 adjustable angle connectors to build a frame and add bracing. I spray painted everything before assembling, but ended up scratching a lot of the paint during assembly.

The frame is wrapped in 3/4" stainless steel reinforced cat netting from CatNets, which is anchored with a combination of zip ties and paracord (folding the netting around the EMT conduit, then weaving paracord in the mesh to secure the free end to the main panel, making a pocket for the conduit).

I miscalculated the amount of conduit I needed, so I had leftovers to make an elevated bed for my cat to use to look over the balcony railings. I was inspired by the elevated dog bed kit, but didn't use it. I got a replacement cover for that style of bed off Chewy, 4 more 90˚ connectors, and used 2 leftover adjustable angle connectors to make something like the bed kit, but with extra long legs, two of which I threw a brace between. It's plenty sturdy for a 12 pound cat.

All together, I can now let Ranger out on the balcony without worrying about him jumping the railing and still fit a hammock stand out there. 

Wanted to share a recent build that I did. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and there was a need for a dog wheelchair for physical therapy. My goals were to make something adjustable w min tools needed, configureable for front/back/both legs assisted, and economical to make. Makerpipe was a perfect fit.

We needed portable stands for our bird cages while traveling. I couldn’t find anything suitable to purchase. The closest was a Folding Cart from Uline, which was very nice, but a bit pricey and would have required a fair amount of modifications to work with our cages.

I ended up making similar stands using Maker Pipe T-Connectors and 3/4” EMT.

The Maker Pipe fittings are very good quality! They are easy to use and worked perfectly for this project.

The only trouble I had was with the clear plastic shims that come installed on the T-Connectors. As this was my first time, I was unfamiliar with what the shims are for, and I couldn’t get the T-Connectors to clamp properly with the shims. I removed the shims and everything clamped nicely.

I did end up drilling holes in the T-Connectors and anchoring them to the EMT with screws, just to be safe. (Some Maker Pipe videos showed adding screws and I think it is a good idea)

This project was super fun and I am very happy with the outcome. I highly recommend the Maker Pipe products!

"This was my first project I did was a Roof on a dog pen. I bolted it on to the kennel top rail by removing a few of the supplied bolts on the tee fittings and drilled through the dog kennel and installing a lag bolt. Held the top of the lag with vice grips. The tarp is reused and why it looks rough I was hoping the customer would have purchased a new one." - Ryan

"Attached is a photo of K9 Dexter, with the setup we had in my previous vehicle." - April

"Perfect fit for making very sturdy perpendicular connections with 3/4” emt conduit." - Lori

"The weathering yard for my hawk was built with 1/2” vertical bars. I really liked that I could buy the 1/2” T connectors and use 3/4” -1” horizontal bars to make my perches." - Jason

“Hello Maker Pipe! My latest MP Build is to make what we call the Beagle Shelf for the truck. We go on long road trips towing a camper, with two very chill beagles. The beagles like to see out the windows (aka “prevents car-sickness”), and we like to put our stuff in the back without getting beagle hair all over it. BUT, we also want to be able to easily clear one seat for a human to sit in the back. AND we want to easily clear out the whole thing if humans need the whole back seat.  The whole frame folds down, in two parts. The “extension” can be either removed or telescoped into the bigger side. The top is in two pieces that overlap when extended and stack together when collapsed. We cover the top with a yoga mat and a couple of blankets. The whole thing is strapped to the car seat anchors, so it moves NONE. Hard to get good photos inside a truck, but I tried!

Parts:

3/4 EMT

1/2 EMT

1 telescoping connector

Rubber feet

Endcaps

6 adjustable angle hinge connectors

3 T connectors

2 1-hole conduit straps

2” carriage bolts with knobs

Cam straps for car seat anchors

2 glued wood panel boards

Marine weatherstripping on the top of the supports

Thanks for making these kinds of projects possible!

” - Hope

David from the Triad SPCA shared photos of a roof rebuild that local scout groups built for their dog kennels. Scroll through the photos to see the plastic tarps transform into a strong steel roof!

I'm contemplating a project to build a teeter totter (see saw) base for dog agility, similar to the one in the attached photo (the second photo shows a teeter with the board attached). The chain at the bottom allows for adjustable height, so my plan would be to attach adjustable angle hinge connectors the legs. Instead of the plate shown in this image, I would probably just use pipe straps to connect the plank to the top bar/fulcrum of the teeter. The entire structure would need to support a 12' 2x4 plank and a 40 lb dog. My question is whether or not EMT conduit is strong enough to use for a project like this, and/or if I should consider adding additional bracing for the fulcrum of the teeter.

What a great build from Nick and Anna!

“I was very excited to find your connectors and I know I will be using them more in the future. We specifically purchased these ones to make a cargo carrier for the back of our Xtracycle cargo bikes. The factory option is very expensive, so I built a couple for the two bikes we have. We’re mainly going to use them for our two dogs on biking trips.”

Check out these elevated dog bowls from Leo! They are secured to a rolling kitchen island and have an angled design so they aren't tripping hazards. Very clever!

I built this for my dogs so they have cover from the rain and snow.
The size is 4' 10" wide by 3'6" deep. It is 3' tall in the front and drops to 2'6" in the back for run off. I have small dogs.
I attached pvc pipe with a curve to it for added tarp support. I just cut a section of the pvc and used my heat gun to form the pvc around the 3/4" EMT.
Then covered it with a 5' x 7' tarp from H.F. using cover clips to hold it in place.
I will be changing the position of the adjustable angle connector with the "T" connector on the top this will help the water from collecting on the tarp.

A project I've had on my "want to do" list good done today. It cost me some materials from a different project, a lot more time than I wanted, and a significant sacrifice of pain.

We have a large kennel for duchess. We suffer a serious lack of surface space. Duchess makes the whole kennel shake when we come home. This table should help provide stability for things on top.

I used Maker Pipe basic desk layout cut to fit (6 90s, 2 T connectors), 3/4" EMT, 4 plastic feet, 4 1 hole pipe straps, scrap deck wood, scrap metal strapping, and random screws.

Building a dog barrier . I need a way to lock the door. Any ideas would greatly appreciated.

Maker pipe making old dogs run fast again

Just thought I’d share the wheelchair I created for my German shorthair pointer. I think it turned out pretty good.

I made this mobile all terrain dog stairs for my 2 guys. My chocolate lab, Bear is 12.5yrs old with weakening rear hips. My Black lab/Mastiff Bo, is 10yrs old and weighs 140lbd. I had bought a $100 "extra wide" set of steps that was 14" wide. Well Bo fell off of them, and after that was afraid to climb them. I decided to go big. 3ft wide, 18" deep. 5.5" rise per step. Pneumatic tires for all Wisconsin weather. Used My old radio flyer wagon as inspiration for the handle. HDPE plastic for the steps wrapped in all season carpet. 5/8" axle provides all the strength it needs. 3/4" conduit does the rest.

Made a portable corral for traveling with my horses :) goes up and comes down in 5 minutes ! Can use alone or connect to the trailer.

Been tested out and is up to My horses standards and mine.

Most of the Endurance rides we attend are primitive camping or all of the stalls have been sold out so most people have their own unique and or expensive corrals.

This is my most recent build using a cheap radiator fan and a stand made with maker pipe to create a dog fan to stand in front of my dog boxes when we are working/training The back is a mesh pizza tray. Good fans that move a lot of air are expensive and the batteries have very low amp hours.

Just used the maker pipe connectors and scraps of pipe.

My old O2 cool fans are dying and I had this from another application. (but small radiator fans are cheap)

Add a simple PWM to control speed and a cheap 12 volt deep cycle battery, a digital multimeter, and I have something cheaper and better than the portable Ryobi fan. With a 2.8 amp draw at full speed I can get a good bit of time on a deep cycle battery .

#MakerPipeBOTM

Dog run for our new puppy

I'm sure Fido appreciated this quick and easy shade project!

Maker Pipe to the rescue! We had an emergency situation with our mini schnauzer. He normally has his nails trimmed every 8 weeks at the vets office, but due to Covid 19, his March visit was cancelled--it was now June and his nails were so long he couldn't walk. He was refused a visit at the vets office due to Covid...they might possibly see him in July. His nails have always been "off-limits" to me in his grooming, and at 13 he was not going to allow a change despite his discomfort.
Putting our heads together we came up with this comfortable (for him and me) sling. It was fashioned with conduit and MP connectors, a towel, a couple dowels, clamps and rope in 20 minutes. He wasn't happy, but he felt secure enough in the sling with his legs hanging beneath through holes cut in the towel to allow me to safely trim his nails...he can now walk. We will be trimming his nails ourselves from now on. We keep a supply of extra conduit and connectors on hand for times like this when you need to take quick action. Thank you, Maker Pipe!