I need to fabricate a laminate countertop for a lounge in a funeral home. It will be about 10′ long and 2′ deep. One end will be in a corner, with the other end held up with a leg. I plan on having some kind of cleat screwed to the wall to suport the whole length of the back, but I’m concerned about sag along the front. I think a 2×4 or 2×6 on edge would still sag and be too chunky anyway, so I was thinking of 2×2 steel tubing concealed behind some oak trim. Ideas anyone?
Thanks, Mike
Replies
Construct the equivalent of a shelf bracket out of plywood (see crude elevation below)..
Hey,
What's with a "lounge" in a funeral home? Are the customers "lounging" already?
Don't you hate going to a wake and listening to someone saying the deceased "Looks good"
Of course he looks good, he's not here listening to your dumb butt saying a dead guy looks good!
Funy you should say that....as my father in law is a funeral director and the stories I could tell yah..........
Lounge, that sounds great!
It would be a heck of a lot easier if they served then having to have your drink in a bag.
Let's hear some stories.
That was a marketing move by a funeral home in the old country.
Think about your love ones. Die now..Prices are going up.
Edit. Do I need apostrophe on ones? like one's?
Edited 3/1/2005 10:05 pm ET by YCFriend
Prepay your funeral, lock into today's price.
P.S. "ones" is fine, "one's" would be a possessive pronoun.
Remember the movie "Two Weeks Notice"? Should have been "Two Weeks' notice".
I knew that:)
Thanks.
I dunno, it's late at night and I'm not sure if funeral stories fall inot a discussion about countertops. I still want to know why a funeral home has a "lounge." There was the one about the funeral director that fell into the open grave before the funeral.......
The lounge is a resting / hangout area for the family of the deceased. Btw had a relative that was a funeral director , business card said we'll be the last to let you down. When you see him and ask how he's doing, "still riding up front".
hitching southbound...
guy in hearse picks me up...
after a while he suggests that I stretch out in the back... kept nodding off...
sometime latter wake up..
dig out a smoke...
no light...
tap the new passenger on the shoulder and ask him fer a light...
the guy up and left... while we were rolling... just got out of the car..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Well my father in law says.......the day my customers start talking to me is the day I retire.
and my brother in law suggested an advertising slogan......you plug 'em, we plant 'em. Didn't go over too well but one of the local funeral homes had a billboard that said "Don't Get Stoned" with a picture of a gravestone on it. And then there was the casket company van that said on the back, "Don't hurry, we can wait for your business."
I like the idea of the steel tube. You never know what they might throw on a countertop, in a funeral home. ;-)
Try a 3"x3"x 3/16' steel angle, glued and screwed to the bottom of the countertop...face the front as planned with finish goods.
Use the wood bracket idea posted above...but do it with metal...sort of like a giant closet rod bracket that will attach to the 3x3 angle at the center of the span, and attached to the wall stud with lags/anchors.
Did a similar set up for a school computer lab where they spec'd continous counter around the room, all area to be accessible to chairs. Welded up the brackets and front angle. bolted to the block walls, set at ~6+ ft o.c. brackets. No sweat on the sag.
.........Iron Helix
I've done countertops before with invisible brackets. 1/2' flat bar welded to angle bolted to the stud, but this is over some fancy vinyl wall covering on a poured wall. I can't hide the brkts so I'll put in a leg or two.
Why not make it a torsion box? Never sag then.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
How thick would a torsion box need to be for this span?
Jon Blakemore
For ten ft? depends on the actual load..but I am sure 2" would be fine, if constructed properly with 1by core grid and 1/4" skins with laminate of choice on the skins.So basically 1.5" x .75 for the grids. I don't halflap mine, I just staple blocks to the long runners, about every 4". For hollows about 4x4".
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
1/4" skin. Laminate directly to that?
Laminate on a ¼" skin would be full of holes in no time. 5/8" minimum for a laminate substrate, I like the torsion box idea but I'd combine it with the shelf bracket posted in the second or third post. Center the bracket and you only have to deal with 5'-0" spans.
I can't imagine anything but a decorative metal truss spanning 10'-0". It's alot easier to deal with 5'-0" spans.
I'd even talk them into a center post. There's going to be a ton of people leaning on it at a busy funeral.Be Constructive
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
I can't imagine anything but a decorative metal truss spanning 10'-0".
I've got some translucent stress skin panels, 4' wide by almost 10', 2 3/4" thick, weigh maybe 40 lbs, engineered for 75 psf snow load. Only supported at the ends. Skins are fiberglass reinforced plastic.
Stand anywhere you like on them. Sphere's right.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
you'd be surprised..a lot tougher than you think.make a hollow cube with a 4" sq Inside dim. GLUE a 1/4" skin on it..lam a plam to that with CC.Now, slam the point of you elboe into the center as hard as you can..when ya get the cast off your arm, call me collect and tell me I am wrong.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Ow! My elbow!
I'm starting to wrap my head around this, I'm a little slow, old fashioned, don't believe it till I see it, stupid, (pick several). I've used a form of torsion box for mantles but never imagined a 2"X 24" box spanning 10'. Then I looked at the hollow core door behind me and a light is beginning to glow.
OK, so 6 long runners out of .75 material blocked every 4" and skinned both sides with 1/4" ply.
Assembled (stapled) and glued on a flat surface, mebbe some weight here and there to keep it flat till the glue sets. In a couple of hours its good to go?
I have a computer/ office unit to build for wheelchair access. This changes things.
I should have re-read your explanitory post before responding...er...jumping to conclusions.
You got it. A FLAT surface is required ( unless, ya want a camber built in) for the glue up. I used a vacuum bag for most of my stuff, my current rig is not large enough for a 2'x10' box, so I'd use MDF as cover sheets and weight with lumber or blocks, or sand bags or my dog..whatever ya got.For that FLAT table, I just buy solid core Luaun faced 1.75" door slabs and they are my benches, and worktables in my shop. I find a few at their low cost are handy to have for what I do. I lacquer them as soon as I get them, the glue comes off easy and they stay stable.A 3/0x6/8 can be as cheap as 50$..I can't readily build a sturdy bench top that inexpensivly.Your anology to a hollow core door is correct..and they are cardboard cored. I have punched a hole or two in my day..going thru is the easy part, it's getting yer fist back out that hurts..LOL edit to add: Some folks will cross lap the core parts, I have done that when I used 1/4" masonite as the core..less glue surface, but almost as heavy and strong for some reason...think jar dividers in a box...I found dry , pre jointed and straight ripped pine is fine..can even be resawn to about 5/16th and still stapelable.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Edited 3/2/2005 10:33 am ET by SPHERE
Absolutly, when I was making pipeorgans we build many accutrements for the churches that had to fit well with the organ. Being as we were hauling it all, and had to keep weight and strength in mind..that very technique was specced by an instrument architect.We never had any problems using wood venner, and PLam is much more resistant to puncture.Lecturns, Puplpits, you name it...all light and strong.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Go to any dealer that handles modular office furniture.
The modular furniture brackets used under counter tops and desktops are low profile and will hold elephant-like weight. Simply mount one every stud (my choice) or every other stud.
For this application, you will need a piece of "wall track" (1" steel square stock with pre-cut track to accommodate the modular "hooks"). The length of wall track that you will need is 2x (minimum) the length of the wall side of the bracket. This wall track can be easily camouflaged, if the customer wishes.
I have worked with some Steelcase stuff that is pre-owned. A coat of enamel (or a professional powdercoat) and it looks just as good as the new... at about 1/20 of the new pricing. There is a HUGE glut of really high quality modular furniture on the market... and it sells dirt cheap.
In that kind of setting, it is hard to guage what will be set on that counter. Overbuilt is never a bad thing, in this case....IMO. The LAST thing a funeral director would want is a visitor (already in a poor state of mental well-being) to have an unfortunate incident. Especially if a few $$ could have prevented it.