Date:         Sun, 20 May 2018 09:02:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Steve Williams <sbw@SBW.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Williams <sbw@SBW.ORG>
Subject:      Material Source for Custom Table Leg
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

Can any of you tell me where to buy steel tube material to make a custom
rear table leg?  I measured it at 1.375 inch OD and 0.1 inch wall thickness.

My '84 Wolfsburg: https://sbw.org/sbwsty/

My idea is to extend the vertical tube about 12 inches taller and weld
the horizontal tube in the original position, forming a T.

I'm in Los Angeles, where you'd think you can get anything.  But I've
visited a local distributor, and they only have expensive DOM stock in
that size:

https://www.mkmetal.net/

They recommended a bigger distributor who list it in CDSR in their
catalog, but who don't actually have it available:

https://www.tubeservice.com/

A local welder says he can do the job, but he doesn't have the stock.

Why a custom table leg?  Because I want to add a mount for a monitor, so
I can work on the computer more easily in the van.  It turns out the
table leg is the same OD as the tube in the monitor mount I'm looking at.

https://urlzr.mp/fmb (Amazon)

I've checked the geometry: If the tube extends above the top of the
stove, the arm of the mount can reach toward the front of the van,
around the back of a 27-inch monitor, and hold the monitor in a
comfortable position to work with a keyboard and mouse on the table.

In that position, the arm would interfere with opening or closing the
kitchen top.  And I certainly wouldn't use the aft burner of the stove
with the monitor deployed!

But it'll be easy to swing the monitor around to stow flat against the
side window forward of the closet door.  I plan to rig tie downs to hold
the monitor securely against the window while driving.  And probably
some sort of cover with a pad to protect the face of the monitor when
stowed.

My van has the clunky old-style table mounting plate.  I would probably
flatten the end of the horizontal tube to fit the newer-style mounting
plate:

https://urlzr.mp/emb (GoWesty)