Curved brackets to support a big long quarter pipe?
November 29, 2020 11:43 AM Subscribe
I have a very large quarter pipe that will be installed along the ceiling of my bedroom projecting out 12” (imagine a pie cut in quarters to get an idea of the shape I mean). Obviously a pipe strap or similar would be the easiest way to secure it. I’m hoping for something more attractive, ideally something that looks antique but anything non-industrial will do. Any advice?
I think you are going to need to provide more information to get any useful answers. I had a very different interpretation than bricoleur did.
What is the purpose of this installation? What will be the orientation of the quarter-pipe (bottom, side, top, in-between)? Which orientation is it relative to the wall (parallel or perpendicular)? How large is "very large" -- 6 inches, or 6 feet? (I assume that the 12" projection is the distance of the farthest point of the pipe to the wall?) What is the weight of the pipe? What forces will be applied to the pipe (stuff on the pipe, hanging from the pipe, etc.)? How much movement will be acceptable? What material is the pipe made of? How far will it be from the ceiling? What material is the wall and ceiling made of? What will be underneath the pipe -- what are the consequences if it falls? (Not all questions are applicable to every scenario...)
One possible answer is that you should consult a structural engineer, because your ceiling may not be designed to support a load that heavy. Another answer is to use some super-thin fishing line and thumbtacks. I suspect that the true answer is somewhere in between, but we don't have nearly enough information to tell.
posted by yuwtze at 12:50 PM on November 29, 2020 [3 favorites]
What is the purpose of this installation? What will be the orientation of the quarter-pipe (bottom, side, top, in-between)? Which orientation is it relative to the wall (parallel or perpendicular)? How large is "very large" -- 6 inches, or 6 feet? (I assume that the 12" projection is the distance of the farthest point of the pipe to the wall?) What is the weight of the pipe? What forces will be applied to the pipe (stuff on the pipe, hanging from the pipe, etc.)? How much movement will be acceptable? What material is the pipe made of? How far will it be from the ceiling? What material is the wall and ceiling made of? What will be underneath the pipe -- what are the consequences if it falls? (Not all questions are applicable to every scenario...)
One possible answer is that you should consult a structural engineer, because your ceiling may not be designed to support a load that heavy. Another answer is to use some super-thin fishing line and thumbtacks. I suspect that the true answer is somewhere in between, but we don't have nearly enough information to tell.
posted by yuwtze at 12:50 PM on November 29, 2020 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: This is as with many other projects cat-related. I’ll happily share cat tax should this ever get built. Assume for the purposes of the question that the wall and ceiling can bear the weight, but the quarter pipe will be made of acrylic and be about 6’ long. Bricoleur is correct in shape but the size of the pie slice at its largest will be 12”
posted by arnicae at 2:35 PM on November 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by arnicae at 2:35 PM on November 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
This depends on how rigid the pipe is, but a couple of 6' pieces of molding from the lumberyard, applied to the wall and ceiling where the pipe touches each (on the outside of the pipe) should be enough to hold the weight of even a romping cat provided the contact area between the pipe and the molding is wide enough. Nail into studs with finish nails. You could stain/varnish/antique/distress them first if you felt that would improve the overall effect. (The molding strips, not the cats.)
posted by bricoleur at 3:27 PM on November 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bricoleur at 3:27 PM on November 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
bricoleur's solution will work and look good, but only if the plastic is rigid enough that it won't deform and slip out of the trim molding with your kitty inside. You might consider a couple of angle brackets at the ends for safety.
Or you could attach the pipe to the two pieces of trim from the inside of the pipe with a few countersunk flathead wood screws on the ground and then attach the whole thing, pipe and trim, to the wall and ceiling, as a unit. That will make sure the pipe can't slip out.
posted by JackFlash at 4:16 PM on November 29, 2020 [4 favorites]
Or you could attach the pipe to the two pieces of trim from the inside of the pipe with a few countersunk flathead wood screws on the ground and then attach the whole thing, pipe and trim, to the wall and ceiling, as a unit. That will make sure the pipe can't slip out.
posted by JackFlash at 4:16 PM on November 29, 2020 [4 favorites]
I would suggest you look at gutter brackets for half-round gutters, but the largest I can find are for 8 inch diameter gutters. :(
posted by misterbrandt at 5:38 PM on November 29, 2020
posted by misterbrandt at 5:38 PM on November 29, 2020
these look antique: Floating Wall Shelf. 30 inches long, so... 2 of 'em?
posted by at at 11:11 PM on November 29, 2020
posted by at at 11:11 PM on November 29, 2020
Depending on your general aesthetic, some worn leather belts could be used as straps to hold it up, and would look better than pipe strapping.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:21 AM on November 30, 2020
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:21 AM on November 30, 2020
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posted by bricoleur at 12:31 PM on November 29, 2020