SUPPLIES:

1/2" Copper Pipe
Available at The Home Depot
I used about 22' of 1/2" copper pipe from The Home Depot. I bought it in 10' lengths and had them cut so that they would fit in my car.

1/2" Copper T-Fitting + 90º Elbows
Available at The Home Depot
I bought these in packs of 10 at The Home Depot.

1/2" + 3/4" Copper Pipe Straps
Available at The Home Depot
These copper pipe straps are meant to mount pipes to a wall. I used the 1/2" straps to secure the wood deck to the basket and the 3/2" straps to connect the basket to the bike.

Hardwood Decking
Available at The Home Depot
I used a scrap piece of mahogany decking from The Home Depot to make the bottom of the basket. Cedar or redwood would also be good choices.

Steel Wool
Available at The Home Depot
I used steel wool to polish the copper.

Gorilla 2-Part Epoxy
Available at The Home Depot
If you don’t feel comfortable soldering, I recommend using this 2-part epoxy.

TOOLS:

RYOBI 18 Volt Cordless Drill
Available at Home Depot








RYOBI 4 1/2" Angle Grinder
Available at Home Depot






Rigid Tube Cutter
Available at Home Depot
I used a rigid tube cutter to cut the copper pipes.

Blow Torch
Available at Home Depot
The basic plumber's torch kit was intimdating at first, but actually inexpensive and easy-to-use.

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: Cut the Pieces
I cut the pieces of 1/2" copper pipe for the basket using my Rigid Tube Cutter. Use the diagram below to see the lengths I used. Some of the pieces require filed measurements since the distance of the T-fittings vary.







STEP 2: Dry Fit
Before gluing the pieces together, I recommend doing a dry fit to make sure all the pieces fit correctly.





STEP 3: Glue
Use a 2-part epoxy to glue the basket together. Soldering or mechanical connections like I did with the bike rack are also options.





STEP 4: Clean the Copper
Once the epoxy cures, clean the basket with steel wool. The copper will oxidize and tarnish over time, but I wanted it to start out shiney. I'm looking into coatings that will keep the copper bright and shiney.





STEP 5: Make the Wood Bottom
I cut pieces of the hardwood decking and sanded them with my orbital sander. I finished them with a coat of Danish oil before screwing them together with thin strips of wood.











STEP 6: Install the Basket
I bent 3/4" copper pipe straps around the bottom bars of the basket and then bolted it to the bike rack that came on my Linus Bike. I ended up using 6 straps to secure it nice and tight.







STEP 7: Secure the Bottom
I used 1/2" pipe straps to screw the wood deck to the basket from the bottom of the basket.







Good luck making your own copper bike basket and please email, tweet or hashtag photos to @benuyeda, ben@homemade-modern.com or #homemademodern. For more detailed instructions, dimensioned drawings and different variations of the project, check out our soon-to-be-released book.

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