Length of legs of diy privacy screen

Question

I’m building a wood privacy screen and working on making it freeing standing. My screen is 70 inches tall by 48 inches long. I would like to do a triangle support for the legs but need to know how big to make them. Any help is appreciated! This is what type of support I would like. My privacy screen is basically a big wood pallet. It is going to be used outside. I do have an area in the back to put bricks in it to help weigh it down as well

Answer 1

Many privacy screens were made of 3 panels so they became free standing as either an "z" shape or "c" shape usually chosen on where they were placed - corner etc.

As for calculating a base, feet of 6" may be sufficient if nothing will touch it. However, if it needs to be more stable then 12" would work. The bigger the feet then more stability, but this may then impinge on the usability of the working area.

Answer 2

Partial answer: Not how long the feet should be but 1st step, the design goals.

You either have to make it light and collapsible enough to fold up and put away between uses, or strong enough to withstand the strongest winds you experience even every 5 years or so.

Let's say, 90mph?

Plug it in here: https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/wind-load You get about 2000N. What's that? VERY roughly, get eight (8) average guys and offer them $100 each if they (together) can push it over. That's your design goal for a 24 sq ft sail in 90mph winds. Maybe a bit less if it has holes, EG actual pallets.

So the answer is mainly in the weights and construction, not the length of the legs. You'll be using hundreds of pounds of weight, so it's up to you, you can shorten the legs and use more. Better yet, use concrete foundations (like a fence) or, use lightweight materials and put it away when you're not using it.