Glass Tables?

[DocJr]

Hey fellas,

I got a place of my own finally, but the place I'll be renting is too big for a single person.....I have an "Art Room" now!!

So yea, the main subject at hand... a few years ago I salvaged a piece of glass that was dumped off at the local dumpster, looks to be coffee table glass, it's 1/2 inch thick, about 3 feet by 4 feet. Beings that it wasn't cracked or even chipped, I hauled it off...(Pretty heavy for a guy only weighing 95 lbs haha) My plan was to make it my new drawing table, but I don't know anything about mounting it to anything, or even if it would be safe to work on (Is coffee table glass tempered??)

When you see some professional glass tables it looks like they rest on them metal supports, does the glass mount to these somehow, or does it just rest? If it just rests, it won't be sufficient for me, I need an angle. I was thinking about laying the glass within a channel. (It would take away the floating glass coolness factor) Dad has access to metal, lazers, and a welding department so yea, I'm really not limited to materials.

What do you guys think? Do you know anything about glass tables? Anyone have an really cool ones?

Thanks in advance!
Nelson

[MarkM66]

Yeah, glass tables mount to their metal legs with an adhesive.

I would think that glue you use to mount your rear veiw mirror to your windshield would work just fine.

[LateNight72]

Silicone works good too and is cheaper.

[wmhjr]

Some glass tables simply have the glass resting on rubber/silicone coated stands. Like anything else, it all depends.

They sell small clear "dots" (feel like silicone to me) at glass shops for this. I have a coffee table that I wanted a glass top/cover on, and that's what we used. Works great. You could make a tilted kind of frame and use them between the frame and glass.

[DocJr]

Thanks for the replies guys. I thought it was some kind of adhesive they used.....but yea, It probably won't work for my application. I'm gonna need this thing at a workable angle, and it's pretty heavy, which might result in a severed lap LOL

I was also thinking of having a glass guy drill it in all 4 corners and lay it within dowel pins, like when you place a set of heads on a block....I dunno. I'll figure something out...the all great and powerful designer that I am....(Sarcasm) I just wanted to do some good research first.

Thanks again,
Nelson

[DocJr]

So yea....just read another article saying you can't do anything to glass after it's tempered....looks like I'll be laying it in a channel haha

[LateNight72]

They use silicone make fish tanks. I have a 240 gallon, that uses silicone to keep the seams together. I think 2000lbs of water is a bit more tedious a job then holding up a piece of glass.


I do like your dowel idea though. Whoops just saw that it was tempered. Def. can't drill it now

[DocJr]

I was just reading that too, most aquariums are "Glued", and yea, water is definitely heavier than what I need, so I think I would be safe to do that.

And yes, I would assume it's tempered, I'm pretty sure it came out of a coffee table/living quarters/entertainment yea. lol I think most of those are tempered.

Looked up glass "drawing tables" too, they're also tempered, so I think all will be good. Maybe glued to the legs/supports, then also have a "backing" for the front (for reinforcement) it would look like the the pencil catcher for most drawing tables (Which I can't stand.) I would have it even with the glass though.

[Nessumsar]

Pull a "Top Gear" and put it on an empty engine block. Then put light bulbs in each cylinder, might work good for a drawing table...

Edit:

Found this:


Pretty freaking sweet!

[mc84_zz4]

If you get a metal base from another draft table, you can make a lower perimeter frame channel, and hang off that a pencil channel, then in an upside down T, make some legs to hold to the top.
Make sure the base has enough weight to support the glass and not topple.

[Mathius]

I was going to suggest making a frame for it as well. No glue necessary.

Mathius