Replies

1. 
   tom77 | Apr 18, 2007 04:44pm | #1

   Larry,

   I can think of two ways. First, build a mockup using shop scraps. Put a coat hook on it and try it out. Your judgment will answer the question.
   Another way is to determine how far off center the coat will hang on the rack. Look at the size of your center stem and the coat hook. Project this load straight down. It should intersect the floor inside of a line between the two closest feet. (This keeps it from tipping)
   So, for example, if the distance from the center of the rack to the tip of the coat hook is 4 inches, each leg must be at least 5.6 inches from center to the point at which the leg contacts the floor.
   I hope this helps. Good luck.

   Tom.

1. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 18, 2007 07:54pm | #2

   Well thank you very much. The "plumb line" measuring approach seems like a solid way to do it and gives me lots of flexibility. Looks like I can have shorter legs than I was afraid that I needed. This will look a whole lot better and probably save visitors from quite a few clumsy trip-ups from kicking or stepping on the legs.Thank you very much for your help.

2. 
   Pascanale | Apr 18, 2007 10:02pm | #3

   Larry,

   I read your post while waiting for my own to be ansered. Your question can be approached from an engineering perspective but, in the end its your decision of stabillity versus convenience/obstruction of the base diameter. I've built very similar ice hockey trees on casters. They, too, were 6 feet tall and the base was a "cross" of 2 feet across and they are stable. For your coat tree, think about the "center of gravity of all the coats that may be hung on the hooks and how far out this mass may become. Ideally, the weight must be inside the footprint of the base for reasonable stability without external forces pushing against the coats. In your situation the CG is very close to the center pole--my hockey gear extended considerably further out so, in later designs I increased the bases to 28 inches. In your case you could have a base at possibly 14 inches.  At this point it becomes a style question rather than functional design question.

   Pascanale

1. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 19, 2007 03:51am | #4

   Thanks for the details and the benefit of your hockey tree experiment. Your center of gravity approach fits right in with the "plumb line" analogy. I've settled on 20 inches for the base which will be plenty wide to cover the Center of Gravity of many coats piled on the coat tree.

3. 
   woodrae | Apr 20, 2007 07:30am | #5

   There are some great ideas and procedures in this discussion, Larry, and I think you’re generally on track in your dimensions. I’ve designed and built several coat racks, and studied many, and it’s always fun to see what they look like, since there are so many forms they can take. If it’s not too much trouble, please post some photos here when you’re done so we can all see what you come up with.

   In addition to solving the stability issue, one of the challenges with designing coat racks is to make ‘em look elegant as they stand there bare naked (most of the time). The overall shape and the relative visual weight of the various parts plays a key role in this to be successful. With your 20-in.-long feet, you might just have the right proportion and relative weight to your rather hefty 3-in.-sq. post. But I would still strive for the smallest-possible footprint to keep the base from the feet of passersby. In this regard, I think 18 in. would work just as well to keep the rack from tipping, and Pascanal’s 14 in. sounds good, too. In other words, any of these dimensions can be made to work; it’s more a matter of how you want the rack to look.

   On the functional front, there are two primary issues to consider: ‘Hangability,’ or how easy it is to drape coats; how secure they are once hung; how easy they are to remove (all of which is mostly a function of how the peg or hook is shaped, and where it’s placed in regard to its neighbor) and stability, which encompasses a rigid post-to-base joint that resists racking, and a base design that’s resistant to tipping, especially when loaded. For your piece, I would probably mock up a base from scrap that’s a bit larger than you think you need, and temporarily attach it to the post to see what it looks like and how stable it is. Keep trimming the legs until you get what you need functionally and visually. When you’re happy, build the real base.

   A few thoughts: You can make the base less obtrusive while maintaining stability by building the ‘legs’ from wide but relatively thin boards laid horizontally, providing a lower profile so it’s more friendly to errant toes. I’m guessing you’re already thinking along these lines with your base design. The four added feet sound good, and I assume you’re using them in part to reduce the point of contact to the floor, which prevents rocking, and also to spread the contact points out as far as possible for stability. You could also project the feet 1/2 in. or so from the ends of the legs to provide a nice stepped area and shadow line while widening the stance a bit more. Again, you probably already have this in mind, but I wanted to point them out as important design considerations.

   Make sure the post-to-base joinery is stout. The long, heavy (even when unloaded) post will strain against the base, so a strong connection here is crucial. A glued and sometimes-screwed half lap is one traditional solution, as long as you strengthen the joint with wooden braces that run up the post. If you want to forgo the braces and keep things looking a bit more spare, you might consider shouldering your half laps by housing them into each adjacent leg 1/4 in. or so deep. For even more strength, you can mortise the post into or through (with a wedge or two) the base with one or two tenons, which will really beef up the connection.

   Have fun with selecting or making the pegs or hooks.

   —Andy

1. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 23, 2007 01:57am | #6

   Some very good ideas. Thank you, Andy.Attached are photos of my mock-up. The coat tree will be in walnut that will be oiled and waxed. It's headed for our son's house in Pasadena to reside in a long entry way next to a living room with contemporary textures and decor.As suggested, I'm going to try to reduce the length of the legs and will make the final decision based on looks. And I'm going to reduce the thickness of the small feet from 1 inch to 3/4 inch so that the legs hug the floor more closely but still leave sufficient open area to give the post some lift. I'm toying with putting a collar around the base of the post. The collar also would have a round-over, but I haven't been happy with any of the sizes I've tried so far. I'm guessing maybe that idea will die but I'm going to want until I build it now before deciding. The hook will be the one visible on the left. The top of the post may be trimmed to a pyramid with a small flat on the very top.

   
1. 
   woodrae | Apr 24, 2007 03:14pm | #7

   Larry—That's a nice rack. (Couldn't resist.)One thing to watch for is short-grain weakness, and your hanger (yup: I'm looking at the one on the left) has some short grain right at the lower junction where the lower arm protrudes. I think it would be subject to splitting at the inside corner, even if you made it from a dense wood such as rosewood and carefully picked the grain so it was straight along the joint. Remember: Baseball jackets, leather motorcycle jackets, etc. can get very heavy, and will put some stress on that area. You might want to think about introducing a simple edge-to-edge glue joint right at that point, which will be stronger than any possible wayward grain.Lookin' good so far. Keep us visually posted.—Andy

1. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 24, 2007 04:12pm | #8

   I was concerned abut that posibility and was hoping that the lighter weight jackets and coats in Pasadena would save me. I did notunderstand your suggestion about adding edge-to-edge glue joint at this point. The grain in the hook runs parallel to the length of the upper protrusion of the hook arm.

1. 
   woodrae | Apr 24, 2007 04:30pm | #9

   Larry—I realize that the grain runs parallel, but it's so short that there's a great risk of snapping the grain at this juncture, even if it's nice and straight and made from a strong wood. A well-prepared edge-to-edge glue joint will be stronger than natural wood fibers running (mostly) parallel in this area. I've attached a simple drawing to help show you what I'm talking about.—Andy

2. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 25, 2007 05:55am | #12

   I hadn't seen this when I just replied, Andy -- sorry -- but when I opened it -- it opened in Excel which was a surprise since it is a drawing -- all I got was a couple of pages of computer code followed by a page or two of symbols. I am on a Mac if that helps at all. Sorry for the trouble.

3. 
   woodrae | Apr 25, 2007 07:17am | #13

   Larry—I, too, am posting from a Mac, so it shouldn't be a problem. The 'drawing' is actually a .jpg (I made a quick sketch on paper, then saved it in Photoshop as a .jpg so it would be easy to upload onto the site), so you should be able to easily see it. Perhaps you have a setting on your computer that defaults to Excel when a .jpg comes up. (I'm stretching here, but it's possible.)Why not try to download it to your desktop, and then open it from there with the standard picture viewer you routinely use? Should work.If you still can't see it, I can try again in another format. Let me know how it goes...—Andy

4. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 25, 2007 07:26am | #14

   I'll give that a try. Thanks.p.s. what are you doing keeping such late hours?

5. 
   woodrae | Apr 24, 2007 04:36pm | #10

   Oh... and that bit about Pasadena coats if pretty weak, pal. What if I come visit you from North Carolina on my bike? Exactly where am I going to hang my heavy leather jacket? Or, what happens when you turn 90 and hand the coat rack down to your family, who now happen to live in Alberta because they fell in love with snowmobiles? : )No call-backs is my woodworking policy. This means making all your wood furniture as strong as you can possibly make it, and planning on it living in the dry outback of Australia one year and in the steamy jungles of Burma the next.

   Edited 4/24/2007 9:36 am ET by woodrae

6. 
   LarryMartin | Apr 25, 2007 05:48am | #11

   Touche' -- I don't have a comeback for that one.So how do I go about your recommended edge-to-edge glue joint? What gets glued and where? Thanks.