David Hendley on sun 10 oct 04
I have been using these for many years. "Sonotube" is a brand name
for concrete forms, like "Kleenex" tissues. "Store brands" are often
less expensive.
I have 10, 12, 14, 16, & 18 inch diameter pedestals, 20, 30, and 40
inches tall, plus a few odd ones left over from building my house.
That means that I can transport about 20 pedestals in a very small
space and the whole shebang weighs only 40 or 50 pounds.
The tops are 1/8" clear Plexiglas. (I got this material free - a discarded
5-by-8 foot sign. Berryman B-12, from the auto supply store, removed
the printing, to take it back to clear Plexiglas.) The tops are 2" larger
than the tubes (12, 14, 16, 18, & 20 inch diameters).
I painted the tubes with off-while paint and then rolled a rag dipped
in dark gray paint over it. I wanted it to look like marble. It doesn't
really, but it still looks good.
The bottom sides of the Plexiglas tops are painted with the same
white, but no grey. It's a nice look - better than white Plexiglas.
I was also a little concerned about the stability of these lightweight
pedestals at art fairs, especially the tall skinny ones. The short wide
ones are plenty stable, so I bought some hitch pin clips at the
hardware store and use them on the bottoms of the tubes, to connect
the skinny ones to the wider ones. I end up with a group of 4-to-8
pedestals that is good and stable.
I was also a little concerned about the tops sliding off the bases. I
never did anything about it and have never had any accidents or
close calls, so I have stopped worrying. But, it would be a simple
matter to glue 3 cleats on the bottom side of each top, to fit just
inside the Sonotube base.
The main drawback of Sonotubes is that, even though they are
plastic coated, they are not really waterproof. The cut edges at the
tops and bottoms are especially vulnerable, and should be saturated
with several coats of paint or varnish to protect them.
After several years of hauling my tubes around and the occasional
rain storm, the ends were looking ratty, so a few years ago I cut
an inch off each end and resealed the ends. I also had to touch
up the paint job, especially on the ends.
Here is a great way to cut the tubes with a clean straight cut:
Get 2 dollys (hand trucks) and lay them down, wheel side up, with
the wheel ends close to each other. Lay the tube in the area between
the 2 sets of wheels and you can easily turn the tube. Mark where
you want to cut, then just plunge your circular saw into the cardboard
form, keep it steady and stationary, and rotate the form.
I also used Sonotubes as the forms to make the castable refractory
chimney for my kiln!
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
Ron & Nancy Hughes on mon 11 oct 04
I really love this idea of the sonotubes. I have been using them forever, in
all kind of ways. I use them mostly to create a sagger of sorts in a pit
fire, or curve in a slab for an assemblage. But the idea of pedestals and
lights in the bottom are awesome.bring on the spray paint. It's too late to
use them this coming weekend, but they will have a future place, in my home
gallery & in the next show.
Thanks guys
` Nancy
Kim Lindaberry on mon 11 oct 04
I was a journeyman woodworker for several years and I use sono-tubes
for all kind of furniture construction including pedestals. I used to
cover the outside of the tube with "backing sheet" which is a very thin
form of plastic laminate. That gave me a very smooth and even surface
for a coat of paint. As far as keeping tall thin tubes upright I would
suggest putting a plywood bottom in the tube. (cut a circle of plywood
that fits inside the tube, slip it in with some glue and nail it in
place with finish nails) Then carry around some socks (or pant legs)
full of sand around with you. Put your pedestal where you want it, drop
the socks full of sand down in the tube and put the top on.
cheers
Kim
On Oct 10, 2004, at 10:34 PM, David Hendley wrote:
> I have been using these for many years. "Sonotube" is a brand name
> for concrete forms, like "Kleenex" tissues. "Store brands" are often
> less expensive.
>
> I have 10, 12, 14, 16, & 18 inch diameter pedestals, 20, 30, and 40
> inches tall, plus a few odd ones left over from building my house.
> That means that I can transport about 20 pedestals in a very small
> space and the whole shebang weighs only 40 or 50 pounds.
>
> The tops are 1/8" clear Plexiglas. (I got this material free - a
> discarded
> 5-by-8 foot sign. Berryman B-12, from the auto supply store, removed
> the printing, to take it back to clear Plexiglas.) The tops are 2"
> larger
> than the tubes (12, 14, 16, 18, & 20 inch diameters).
>
> I painted the tubes with off-while paint and then rolled a rag dipped
> in dark gray paint over it. I wanted it to look like marble. It doesn't
> really, but it still looks good.
> The bottom sides of the Plexiglas tops are painted with the same
> white, but no grey. It's a nice look - better than white Plexiglas.
>
> I was also a little concerned about the stability of these lightweight
> pedestals at art fairs, especially the tall skinny ones. The short wide
> ones are plenty stable, so I bought some hitch pin clips at the
> hardware store and use them on the bottoms of the tubes, to connect
> the skinny ones to the wider ones. I end up with a group of 4-to-8
> pedestals that is good and stable.
>
> I was also a little concerned about the tops sliding off the bases. I
> never did anything about it and have never had any accidents or
> close calls, so I have stopped worrying. But, it would be a simple
> matter to glue 3 cleats on the bottom side of each top, to fit just
> inside the Sonotube base.
>
> The main drawback of Sonotubes is that, even though they are
> plastic coated, they are not really waterproof. The cut edges at the
> tops and bottoms are especially vulnerable, and should be saturated
> with several coats of paint or varnish to protect them.
> After several years of hauling my tubes around and the occasional
> rain storm, the ends were looking ratty, so a few years ago I cut
> an inch off each end and resealed the ends. I also had to touch
> up the paint job, especially on the ends.
>
> Here is a great way to cut the tubes with a clean straight cut:
> Get 2 dollys (hand trucks) and lay them down, wheel side up, with
> the wheel ends close to each other. Lay the tube in the area between
> the 2 sets of wheels and you can easily turn the tube. Mark where
> you want to cut, then just plunge your circular saw into the cardboard
> form, keep it steady and stationary, and rotate the form.
>
> I also used Sonotubes as the forms to make the castable refractory
> chimney for my kiln!
>
> David Hendley
> david@farmpots.com
> http://www.farmpots.com
>
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