Collapsible pedestal instructions

[colorangel]

Does anyone have ideas on creating a collapsible box-type pedestal? These are for indoor shows and must support bronze sculpture up to 70 pounds. I'd like a clean, square look.

[Merlion]

One solution is to get some square collapsible tables and velvet cloth. Stable the velvet around them. That should look exqusite.

[colorangel]

This would definitely be good for some venues. How about something with a 12" x 12" footprint for juried shows and gallery settings?

[Merlion]

There are collapsable stools, arn't there? Just screw a 12" x 12" wooden board on top before stapling the velvet. I love black velvet. But they have other colors.

Sculptors are creative people.

[Julianna]

I actually had a flash of inspiration (or delusion?) the other day for a way to do that. I'll need to create the diagrams for the setup, though. Did you need it for a specific upcoming show?

[colorangel]

No particular rush on this -- I have a number of wooden pedestals for shows here and there, but my goal is to do shows with 12 - 20 pieces, and it would be lovely to have professional-looking stands that I can transport in one shot. I'd be interested in seeing what you've created.

[Julianna]

I'm having a bit of difficulty working out the details, but what I'm envisioning is 5 or 6 planks which interlock together---4 sides and a top (maybe a bottom---not sure if it's necessary, but it would probably increase stability). You would have to put them together each time, but it would be easy to transport because you would be carrying planks of wood rather than a fully-constructed plinth.

What I'm struggling with is how to design the planks so that they can fit together and:
-be sturdy enough to support a heavy sculpture
-be easy to put together and take apart
-not have joints which will wear too much over time
-not have anything sticking out so that people could catch it and knock over the plinth

Ideas, anyone?

[colorangel]

What about hinges at the corners? Leevalley.com has two-way screen hinges:

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=40465&cat=3,41241,41268&ap=1

Maybe regular hinges could work?

You could have 3/8" MDF or plywood hinged top and bottom at each corner. This should fold flat. But.....there would be open corners with exposed hinges. If you used an L-shaped corner trim it would hide the gap, and could help with stability.

The top (and bottom, if necessary) would be a flat piece with a base that goes into the column. This square would act as a stop to the hinges.

The other question is how thin can you get away with on the sides? I'm making some pedestals now with 3/8" MDF, and they are quite heavy. I like the smoothness of MDF, but maybe 1/4" ply would be strong enough.

[fused]

The simplest collapsable pedistal I can think of is made of three parts. Two identical planks that slot together ( looking at the top they form an X ) to create strong vertical height and a cap (table top) with a rim on the down side that the X fits into to prevent any slippage. These can travel stacked flat and require no hardware to put them together.

[Julianna]

The simplest collapsable pedistal I can think of is made of three parts. Two identical planks that slot together ( looking at the top they form an X ) to create strong vertical height and a cap (table top) with a rim on the down side that the X fits into to prevent any slippage. These can travel stacked flat and require no hardware to put them together.

I think we have a winner! Any woodworkers out there willing to give that a try to see how it works?

[Randa350]

What about hinges at the corners? Leevalley.com has two-way screen hinges:

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=40465&cat=3,41241,41268&ap=1

Maybe regular hinges could work?

You could have 3/8" MDF or plywood hinged top and bottom at each corner. This should fold flat. But.....there would be open corners with exposed hinges. If you used an L-shaped corner trim it would hide the gap, and could help with stability.

The top (and bottom, if necessary) would be a flat piece with a base that goes into the column. This square would act as a stop to the hinges.

The other question is how thin can you get away with on the sides? I'm making some pedestals now with 3/8" MDF, and they are quite heavy. I like the smoothness of MDF, but maybe 1/4" ply would be strong enough.

I just found an example of exactly what you are talking about!

http://www.thebaseshop.com/showpedestals.htm

[EJB]

Cleaning out the shop and found some pedestals that were made in the fashion described by FUSED. I know it's been some time since the original post but figure others may find it helpful. These are made of 5/8" MDF. Some were painted, some left clean and raw. Can also be used with a cloth draping. Plenty strong. The little one in the photo had a 100lb. piece on it with no wobble. MDF works best for smoothness cost and ease of finish. Plywoods tend to warp and create problems unless you get the very pricey, high end cabinet grade and require more finish work to look good.

[EJB]

Here's a photo of the complete assembly (had trouble getting the file size down). Three parts, no hardware required, store and transports flat.

[Merlion]

Thanks EJB for showing us the photos of a good idea.

[Alfred]

EJB, I've thought about using that design before, but the problem I have is that most of my work is smaller and ha to be up higher to be seen. I just don't trust that design when it gets higher than two feet. I use traditional pedestals, but I make them so that they fit together like nesting dolls. I can transport and store them in a small area. I simply use pocket holes to put them together from the inside, They're really strong, but the only draw back is the weight.

Alfred

[EJB]

Have found taht this design is just as stable (or unstable) as a conventional 'box' pedestal. Have used these up to 48"H x 12" sq. Helps to add some 'weight' on the bottom by screwing on layers of MDF squares to the underside. Especially nice to enlarge the footprint for greater stability and establishing a no walk zone around the pedestal.