Replies

1. 
   johnhardy | Sep 15, 2003 08:28pm | #1

   I'd check with a glass guy, but 3/8ths glass, supporting *only* stemware, wouldn't have much of a load. You might even be able to go to 1/4 inch glass.

   I can think of two options to give you more support. Wood stiffeners (which you already mentioned), and verticals front and back in the middle. Most armoires have two doors, so a vertical in the middle would be somewhat hidden by the armoire itself.

   John

2. 
   IanC | Sep 16, 2003 03:02am | #2

   I think you'll find that 1/4" tempered glass is actually a fat  3/16th".  Sort of like plywood.   It'll  hold stemware with no problem but might look a bit wimpy in a 42" span.  I'd go with the 3/8"  for visual reasons if nothing else.  I worked with 1/4" glass shelves in retail for several years, and I've seen them hold tremendous weights.  Never saw weight break one but tapping two together edge to edge can break them in a million pieces. 

   Ian

3. 
   kgetch | Sep 16, 2003 03:17pm | #3

   Thanks Guys!

   I agree with you Ian re: the "wimpy"-ness of the 1/4" glass. The armoire is quite large and a beefier shelf would stay in synch with the rest of the piece.

   Again Thanks for the comments!

4. 
   davamoore | Sep 17, 2003 09:58pm | #4

   Wouldn't you know it -- I just happened to be at one of my local custom glass dealers this morning and he gave me an info sheet from the Libby-Owens-Ford Company entitled "ATS-115:  Permissible Load for Glass Shelves." 

   Re: tempered glass, it says:

   "LOF does NOT recommend the use of monolithic tempered glass for shelves because of the slight possibility of spontaneous breakages from small inclusions."

   It goes on to say that if the possibility of shelf breakage must be kept to a minimum, it's better to go with laminated shelves where the minimum width of ONE ply is capable of supporting the design load by itself.

   Finally, they suggest the following permissible loads, in pounds per square foot, for various thicknesses of glass and distance between supports.  I'll type their table like this:

   Nominal glass thickness: (distance between supports), lbs. per sq. foot; repeated

   3/16":  (1 foot) 49.4 lbs; (2 feet) 10.5 lbs; (3 feet) 3.3 lbs; (4 feet) 0.8 lbs; (5 feet) NO

   1/4":  (1 foot) 73.5 lbs; (2 feet) 15.9 lbs; (3 feet) 5.3 lbs; (4 feet) 1.5 lbs; (5 feet) NO

   5/16":  (1 foot) 132.3lbs; (2 feet) 30.0 lbs; (3 feet) 11.7lbs; (4 feet) 4.4lbs; (5 feet) 1.4 lbs

   3/8":  (1 foot) 196.7lbs; (2 feet) 45,5lbs; (3 feet) 17.5 lbs; (4 feet) 7.7lbs; (5 feet) 3.2 lbs

   1/2":  (1 foot) 345.4 lbs; (2 feet) 81.4 lbs; (3 feet) 32.6 lbs; (4 feet) 15.4 lbs; (5 feet) 7.5 lbs

   5/8":  (1 foot) 556.4 lbs; (2 feet) 133.0 lbs; (3 feet) 54.5 lbs; (4 feet) 27.1 lbs; (5 feet) 14.4

   3/4":  (1 foot) 817.3 lbs; (2 feet) 197.0 lbs; (3 feet) 82.1 lbs; (4 feet) 41.9 lbs; (5 feet) 23.3 lbs.

   I hope that helps with your planning.  Of course, I'd suggest you run your final decisions past whoever your own glass source is, just to make sure.

   David

   "The world that was not made is not won by what is done" -- Mundaka Upanishad