Question regarding laminated frames?

Thanks Gonzo. This has been quite a process so far
I'm not out of the woods yet with this little project, but without the help and expertise of yourself, PAR and the other great people here on the forum, I wouldn't have made it this far.

Thanks again for your help!
Dave

 

It seems to me you just need to test the structural element as it was intended and as you've modified it. This can be as simple as a test rig with a floor jack and a bathroom scale. See how much defection you get at a specific weight on both. It's likely you'll need to increase the sided dimension (limited molded height issues) a fair bit, but I could see something as simple as skinning each side with 1/4" plywood (of course maybe thicker, depending on test results) to get a similar deflection rate as the stock version at the same target weight.

 

Hi PAR,

I'll do that. It will be a little while before I can get to building and testing (with all the other commitments that I keep getting myself into), but I'll let you know how it goes and the results I come up with as soon as I do.

Thanks again for your help and advice!
Dave

 

A bathroom scale can easily take 200 - 250 pounds, so jack 'er up to this weight and see how much defection you get. Make the modified piece match this deflection and Bob's your brother . . .