A little while back, a dear friend asked me to build a bookstand to
support an atlas which she uses pretty much on a daily basis. After
talking with her and her family to gather all requirements and make
measurements, I cobbled up a
quick (for me) prototype outta tuba4's and assorted scrap which I
quickly shellacked to glue the dust down and presented for approval of
the dimensions, etc. *And* I told her that it was just a prototype and
she couldn't keep it because it pains me greatly to see this collection
of soon-to-be kindling in her home. Unfortunately, she loved it, but...
(Now since we all understand the relationship between good deeds and
punishment, I figure you'll relate when I mention that this is the
part of the story where feature creep rears its ugly head.)
... she has a need to sometimes walk around the house and sometimes let
her wheelchair do the walking. So the added requirement is that this
bookstand be adjustable in height. Now I've scratched my head over this
for a while, been to the library, DAGS (several actually), and have to
admit that I'm stuck. The deal is that it's gotta be rigid and stable.
And effortless (or at least easy) to move from one position to the
other. And look like furniture. (That's *my* requirement.) I've thought
of cantilevering/counterbalancing, coil springs, gas springs, scissors
jack, screw lifts, but nothing feels *right*.
So I fling my plea to the farthest reaches of the wreck. Any ideas? I
don't reject the above mentioned methods out of hand, but I just haven't
figured out how to incorporate them into something that I want to look
like it belongs in a living room or study.
The range of the movement is approx. 12 inches. It will only rest in
the two extreme positions. The weight of the atlas is 8-10 lbs. Did I
mention that it has to be rigid and stable?
Would it help if I posted pictures of the prototype on abpf/w?
Hopefully,
Steve Stripling
Huntsville, AL
On Sun, 19 Oct 2003, Steve Stripling <[email protected]> wrote:
>admit that I'm stuck. The deal is that it's gotta be rigid and stable.
>And effortless (or at least easy) to move from one position to the
>other. And look like furniture. (That's *my* requirement.) I've thought
>of cantilevering/counterbalancing, coil springs, gas springs, scissors
>jack, screw lifts, but nothing feels *right*.
How about a pedistal stand with an internal counter ballance and pully
mechanism similar to the way old windows use to operate? Make the pedistal
in two hollow concentric pieces, round or square as you choose, suspend a
pully near the top of the lower pedistal section, attach one end of a
rope/chain to the bottom of the upper section, and a window weight to the
other end of the rope/chain so that the upper section slid up and down
inside the lower, balanced by the weight/pully . Some sort of friction
device on the pully like a felt pad could be used to "dampen" the action.
The lower pedistal section could have a decorative molding or such at the
top to "hide" the difference in pedistal dimensions, and the two sections
would have to be long enough to still be stable at fully extended. A felt
"bushing" between the surfaces of the two pedistal pieces would also help
stabilize the unit, and protect finish. The bottom could be left open for
"maintenance". ;)
Hope you're using a fixed pitch font, and can decypher my rambling and poor
attempt to represent my idea with ASCII...
| | - Top/inside section of pedistal
| |
|| /0\ ||
|| || \|| The pully is the '0', and the weight is
|| || || the two '*'. The rope is attached to the
|| || || top section, runs over the pully which
|| || || is suspended off the bottom on a rod or
| || | such...
| *| |
| *| | - Bottom/outside section of pedistal
| | |
------|------
\
Center rod to suspend pully
Thanks to all y'all what responded. Got sidetracked soon after I
posted the request. SWMBO's mom is coming from SA to visit for a
couple of months (this is not a bad thing) and my honey-do list
suddenly gained a new floor in the kitchen, dining room, foyer, and
parlor. I've outsourced most of the installation, but the demolition
of the '60's linoleum (orange, black, and brown) and ceramic tile
(yellow, gray, and red) was all mine. 600 square feet of joy. Habitat
Re-Store got everything I didn't destroy (a considerable amount since
I pulled every last nail out of the Doug Fir tuba4s), and the landfill
got the half ton of mortar and tile, except tor the bit that spilled
out of the wheelbarrow when the tire perf'd.
I'm still considering all the suggestions, but it will most likely be
after the first of the year before I can get back to this project. I
feel that the woodworking gods are smiling on me since T. graced me
with a google seach string (unfortunately I cannot at this time return
the favor with a brunette of the specified requirements, but the debt
is acknowledged). On the other hand, last Saturday my 12" contractor's
saw decided to smoke the arbor bearings and melt the linkbelt. But the
good side of that is that I've got an opportunity to send the WWII in
for sharpening.
Again, thanks, and I'll post the results when done.
Steve (do I use too many parentheses?) Stripling
Huntsville, AL
Check out the automated sewing machine cabinets at a sewing center. Use
their electric designs. My wife has one and it is pretty innovative.
"Steve Stripling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A little while back, a dear friend asked me to build a bookstand to
> support an atlas which she uses pretty much on a daily basis. After
> talking with her and her family to gather all requirements and make
> measurements, I cobbled up a
> quick (for me) prototype outta tuba4's and assorted scrap which I
> quickly shellacked to glue the dust down and presented for approval of
> the dimensions, etc. *And* I told her that it was just a prototype and
> she couldn't keep it because it pains me greatly to see this collection
> of soon-to-be kindling in her home. Unfortunately, she loved it, but...
>
> (Now since we all understand the relationship between good deeds and
> punishment, I figure you'll relate when I mention that this is the
> part of the story where feature creep rears its ugly head.)
>
> ... she has a need to sometimes walk around the house and sometimes let
> her wheelchair do the walking. So the added requirement is that this
> bookstand be adjustable in height. Now I've scratched my head over this
> for a while, been to the library, DAGS (several actually), and have to
> admit that I'm stuck. The deal is that it's gotta be rigid and stable.
> And effortless (or at least easy) to move from one position to the
> other. And look like furniture. (That's *my* requirement.) I've thought
> of cantilevering/counterbalancing, coil springs, gas springs, scissors
> jack, screw lifts, but nothing feels *right*.
>
> So I fling my plea to the farthest reaches of the wreck. Any ideas? I
> don't reject the above mentioned methods out of hand, but I just haven't
> figured out how to incorporate them into something that I want to look
> like it belongs in a living room or study.
>
> The range of the movement is approx. 12 inches. It will only rest in
> the two extreme positions. The weight of the atlas is 8-10 lbs. Did I
> mention that it has to be rigid and stable?
>
> Would it help if I posted pictures of the prototype on abpf/w?
>
> Hopefully,
>
> Steve Stripling
> Huntsville, AL
>
Mount it on a drill press table
JUST KIDDING!
Seriously, how about cannabalizing some parts from a camera tripod?
--
Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]
Oh, Hell, here. This is what you shoulda done in the first place.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22ADJUSTABLE+BOOKSTAND%22
JOAT
I'd be happy to help you out. Which way did you come in?
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 19 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
How about just putting 2 book rests on the stand.
1 at normal height and 1 at the wheelchair height - on the other side of the
stand.
"Steve Stripling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A little while back, a dear friend asked me to build a bookstand to
> support an atlas which she uses pretty much on a daily basis. After
> talking with her and her family to gather all requirements and make
> measurements, I cobbled up a
> quick (for me) prototype outta tuba4's and assorted scrap which I
> quickly shellacked to glue the dust down and presented for approval of
> the dimensions, etc. *And* I told her that it was just a prototype and
> she couldn't keep it because it pains me greatly to see this collection
> of soon-to-be kindling in her home. Unfortunately, she loved it, but...
>
> (Now since we all understand the relationship between good deeds and
> punishment, I figure you'll relate when I mention that this is the
> part of the story where feature creep rears its ugly head.)
>
> ... she has a need to sometimes walk around the house and sometimes let
> her wheelchair do the walking. So the added requirement is that this
> bookstand be adjustable in height. Now I've scratched my head over this
> for a while, been to the library, DAGS (several actually), and have to
> admit that I'm stuck. The deal is that it's gotta be rigid and stable.
> And effortless (or at least easy) to move from one position to the
> other. And look like furniture. (That's *my* requirement.) I've thought
> of cantilevering/counterbalancing, coil springs, gas springs, scissors
> jack, screw lifts, but nothing feels *right*.
>
> So I fling my plea to the farthest reaches of the wreck. Any ideas? I
> don't reject the above mentioned methods out of hand, but I just haven't
> figured out how to incorporate them into something that I want to look
> like it belongs in a living room or study.
>
> The range of the movement is approx. 12 inches. It will only rest in
> the two extreme positions. The weight of the atlas is 8-10 lbs. Did I
> mention that it has to be rigid and stable?
>
> Would it help if I posted pictures of the prototype on abpf/w?
>
> Hopefully,
>
> Steve Stripling
> Huntsville, AL
Mon, Oct 20, 2003, 12:29pm (EDT+4) [email protected]
(Rob=A0V) says:
How about just putting 2 book rests on the stand.
1 at normal height and 1 at the wheelchair height - on the other side of
the stand.
My first thought was two stands, identical except for height, and
two books.
Second thought was a hollow post, fitting over an inner post, lift
the top, and use a dowel, or catch, to hold it at the top level.
Third thought was a tilt top, to conceal a handle, with a screw
running down the post to raise and lower.
Fourth thought was to take a shower to cool my brain off.
JOAT
I'd be happy to help you out. Which way did you come in?
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 19 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 23:19:08 -0500, Steve Stripling
<[email protected]> wrote:
>And effortless (or at least easy) to move from one position to the
>other.
First question - when does it get adjusted ? Is the book on it at
this time ? (I think I know, but a "two uses" stand is much easier)
> And look like furniture. (That's *my* requirement.) I've thought
>of cantilevering/counterbalancing, coil springs, gas springs, scissors
>jack, screw lifts, but nothing feels *right*.
My feeling would be a straight screwthread. Then disguise the lack of
fixed orientation by calling it an "extra swivel feature". If you
have (or buy) a wood screw cutting box then you can make a "piano
stool" mechanism.
The other way (how I'd do it) is to hit the scrap yards. On the
shelves and floor here I've got an ejector seat backrest adjust
(perfect, but it needs 400Hz power), a dentist's chair (screw tilt and
hydraulic lift) and a couple of other unrecognised screwjack
arrangements.
I wouldn't do it with a pivoted arm. 10lbs is too heavy to do that
conveniently. Maybe if you got the geometry right and used a strong
spring in a toggle arrangement, you could make it usefully stable in
the up or down positions - I'd worry about it catapulting the book
upwards though.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
"Steve Stripling" rot
snp> So I fling my plea< snp
Thanks for giving us an outlet for all the excess gray matter to go.
Three ideas come to mind.
One: a foot pedal / lever mechanism with a push to release mechanism. Step
on the peddle to raise the 'table' and lock when it gets to the raised
position. Step on it again to release the lock and lower it down to resting
position. Kinda Roy Underhill'ish...
Two: Compression springs in each of the legs to negate the weight. With each
of the springs (say, 4 for 4 legs) holding 1/4 of the weight (roughly 15
lbs. / 4) around 3-3/4 lbs.each. The locking mechanism... perhaps something
related to a large knob to friction lock the legs??
Three: Push button controlling a 'linear actuator(s)'.
I searched through "American Science & Surplus" http://www.sciplus.com/ and
found a possible item of use. It's item # 31355 ($29.50ea). Would require
actuators, relays and limit switches built into it somewhere.
Number three might be a little too Rube Goldburg'ish, but I dono..
Whew, got to stop befor gay mater uns o . . .8-o
Lurker Jon