How to Make 3- Sided Shade Sails

Protect yourself from the sun in style! This tutorial video will walk you through creating your own shade sails for any outdoor living area, enhancing your property and helping you to beat the heat. Sailrite carries a variety of high-quality shade fabrics for this task, including Parasol™ and Polytex® fabrics by Polyfab™. These knitted shade cloth fabrics are made of polyethylene and are highly abrasion resistant, durable and will protect you from up to 95 percent of UV radiation.

HOW TO MAKE SHADE SAILS CHAPTER LIST:
Intro - 0:00
Determining Shade Sail Positioning – 0:58
Lofting Shade Fabric – 4:05
Basting Panels Together – 12:04
Sewing Seams – 14:43 min
Creating Hollow on Sides – 16:19
Cutting Corner Patches – 20:41
Hemming Sides – 22:39
Basting Patches – 24:47
Basting & Sewing Webbing on Sides – 26:27
Sewing Corner Rings – 32:06
Planning Elevation for Attachment Points – 36:50
Attaching Hardware to Posts – 39:12
Installing Shade Sail – 41:15
Tensioning Shade Sail – 48:24
Installing a Guy Wire for Extra Strength – 50:30
Materials List – 58:43

MATERIALS LIST:
Shade Sail Fabric from Sailrite we used Polytex 150" Shadecloth - Item # 120467
Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas - Item # 129
Profilen PTFE Lifetime Thread Clear 4oz Cone - Item # 107128 or Polyester Thread
Webbing Polyester 2" 4720# from Sailrite we used - Item # 120262
Polyfab Pro Triangle 5/16" (8mm) - Item # 120272
Polyfab Pro Eye Bolt With Nut & Washer 3/8" (10mm) - Item # 120271
Jaw & Jaw With Nut Turnbuckle 3/8" (10mm) - Item # 121206
Polyfab Pro Dee Shackle With Bolt 5/16" (8mm) - Item # 120269

TOOLS LIST:
Marking Chalk for Fabrics - Item # 102464
Gingher 8" Scissors Right Handed - Item # 19104
Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" - Item # 102400
Sailrite Canvas Patterning Ruler - Item # 107040
Sailrite Ultrafeed LS 1 PLUS Walking Foot Sewing Machine - Item # 300502
Sailrite Edge Hotknife Package (110V) - Item # 103800
Deluxe 5 1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide - Item # 103597
Rope, Stakes, Tape Measures, Marking Spray Paint, String, Cement Blocks,
½” PVC Pipe & Pipe Connectors, Sharpie Marker, Straight Edge, Ladder, Pencil, Extra Long
Drill Bit & Drill, Adjustable Wrench, 5/16” Coil Chain Zinc Plated, Bolt Cutters, Anti-seize
Compound, Channel Lock Pliers
* Materials and tools for installation of posts is not included in this list, since it can be done in a variety of ways.

MATERIALS LIST FOR ONE GUY WIRE INSTALLATION:
36" Penetrator (PE36) & Tie-Off 3/8" x 19" (PE46-TC) - Available from: American Earth Anchors
2” Socket, Impact Wrench or Ratchet Wrench with Pipe, 3/16” Wire Rope Galvanized
Eye Bolt with Nut & Washer 5/16" x 6" - Item # 120766
Quick Link 5/16" (8mm) - Item # 120764
Thimble Stainless Steel 3/16" - Item # 26202
Wire Rope Clamp 3/16" (5mm) - Item # 120771
Turnbuckle Eye & Eye with Nut 5/16" (8mm) - Item # 121163

DIY SAIL SHADE NOTES - - - - - - - -
a) Determine attachment points. These may include a pergola, a large tree, post or building fascia. Connections must be structurally sound, get independent advice from an structural engineer.
b) Sail shades of 25 feet or less per side may be supported with 2” polyester webbing sewn along the sides. Larger sails should be supported with wire rope in sleeves, which is not covered in this video.
c) A properly mounted and tensioned shade sail will have approximately 150-400 pounds of edge tension. Wind loads from 5 to 15 lbs. per square foot are typical. Loading is divisible by the number of corners.
d) Flat sails must be canted adequately, 1:4 gradient slope is recommended. (about 14 degrees or 25%)
e) Remove shade sail(s) in harsh weather. Shade sails are not intended to support snow loads.
f) Prior to installation, check with local authorities for any relevant building codes or permits that may be required.

INSTALLING POSTS:
a) We recommend the use of 4 inch, schedule 40 steel pipe or 6 x 6 inch wood intended for outdoors use. Obtaining independent advice from a builder is recommended.
b) Posts should slope away from the center of the sail at an angle of about 5 to 10 degrees.
c) A conservative guide to burying the posts would be one third in the ground and two thirds above ground. This will vary depending on how many sails are attached to the post, soil conditions, size of the sails, etc. Posts are usually embedded in a concrete footing, 3 ft. to 6 ft. deep and 1 ft. to 1.5 ft. in diameter.
d) The use of a guy wire to help support posts where two or more sails are attached is recommended, especially for a 6 x 6 inch wood post.
e) Always call local authorities before you dig.

EXISTING STRUCTURES:
a) Diamond Pad Eyes, Corner Brackets or Eyebolts can be used to secure connectors to an existing structure. Use appropriate screws/bolts.
b) If attachments are secured to fascia the use of a fascia support is required.