I picked up a lovely little secretary for free, but the struts for the drop down desk are broken. I’m thinking of using it to hold my 16lb sewing machine. The desk itself is fair small – 27.5×18. The current struts are 10″. How do I calculate the appropriate weight capacity for struts? If one strut holds, 10lbs, do two hold 20? Or doesn’t it work that way?
TIA.
Replies
You do not need to consider the weight of the sewing machine, it is so small in comparison to the weight of a person leaning on the table or the weight of the impact of dropping the machine on the table. If something has to fail, it will be the screws. Here what struts I have in mind for your secretary : https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/chest-hardware/stays/48641-standard-stays
Thank you gulfstar! That makes my search a heck of a lot easier :)
If your secretary is similar to the one we have and others I've seen, the lit drops down to level for writing and there are no legs under it to provide support from the floor. As such, your 16# machine will likely tip the whole thing over. Test it before you try this.
If it works without tipping over, you can find replacement lid stays on Amazon and many other furniture hardware outlets. Yes, the weight will be distributed between both stays. However, for safety, make sure each alone will hold the weight. 16# isn't much and most stays should hold it.