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I am going to be making a Go-Bar deck, but I intend to make the spacing at least 36", and the top will be cantilevered so that three sides are completely open (so that I don't have posts in the way or have to duck down below the top).

So, I would like to know what size diameter of fiberglass rods I should buy.
Anyone using long fiberglass rods like this?
If not, what are the typical diameters of 24" rods?
I assume I'll need to bump up the diameter of the 36" to keep a similar down force.

Thanks!

I use 9.5mm hardwood dowelling on a 1200mm high deck.

If you're lucky, Todd will be along soon with a link to the page he wrote on how to calculate it all out. Or just search on go-bars. It should come up pretty soon.

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

I used 1/8" fiberglass rods, bought from a kite supply place in PA. They were less than a dollar for 48" lengths, and they even cut them in half for me for free. 20 rods for less than $10, can't beat it! For the ends, I just used those little plastic white caps for closet shelving(but had to wrap some electrical tape around the ends just so the caps would have a snug fit).

Mine are 3/16".. I've wanted to build a robust shelf above my bench that could be used as the top half of a large, multi station go-bar deck.

Thanks guys.
I'm mostly going to use vacuum presses, but I want a Go Bar deck as a backup.
The formula is handy; I was going to ask our engineer - but he wasn't at work when I was curious (love forums).

I checked out 'Into the Wind' but they are expensive. For less money, you can buy a set of 24" from BCG, and support a luthier.
Our company gets it's own custom pultrusions made, so I was going to call our vendor in Ohio to see what they had off the shelf.
But then I checked McMaster, and they sell 10' lengths of 1/4" rods for $4.89 - what a deal.

I think I will adjust my Go Bar height to be a little less than 3' tall... that way I can cut the long shaft into three pieces of 40", and have a set of 30 rods for $48.90. (you could also make a set of 30" rods using their 5' pieces; 30 would cost $40.35 - for a few bucks more, I'd rather have the longer ones).
Get a package of 100 rod tips for under $4, and you're styling.

1/4" Rod . . . . . 8543K59 . . $2.69 . . . 8543K21 . . $4.89
Rod Tips (100) . 9753K12 . . $3.52

I don't know if I'll do this, but here is an idea you could try out to make a custom Go Bar workbench.

- Buy one of the cheap Harbor Freight work benches (with coupon, you can get it for $140).
- Buy a sheet of 60"x60" half inch baltic birch plywood.
- Stiffen the back side of the workbench with a 24" piece of the plywood (shear wall).
- Add a couple of 3/4" holes in the middle of the back side, parallel with a couple of existing dog holes.
- Make a 24"x60" plywood box, with 3" side walls (to stiffen and hold tools)
- Thread some 3/3" OD metal pipe into the workbench, and also to the shelf (approximately 34" off table top)

Now you have a custom workbench that can have two gobar decks, plus a small end vice - all for under $200.


http://www.harborfreight.com/workbench- ... 69054.html

1/4" fiberglass is really stiff. I have a few of them where I need extra force. But most of mine are 3/16" which is still plenty strong.

How long are yours?

I've got 50 @ 24"

My deck is 2 thicknesses of 3/4" C-2 maple-ply top and bottom, glued up on my tablesaw deck (flat). I've got 31" between them. I used 36" lengths of 3/8" all-thread with 1/2 EMT and 3/8" washers as the spacers. I also added some white rubber feet to the ends of the all-thread to protect my bench top. I build on a 1-1/2" thick work board that I can adjust up and down using 14" 2x4 blocks between the deck and the work board (they live on top of the deck when not in use). With this setup I can have a flat surface, or I can add a radius dish, I can glue up braces, or glue on a back. It's adjusable.. To maximize clamping preasure, I like to keep my go-bars as straight/un-bent as possible.

Michael

Most of mine are 36" but I also have a set cut about 32" long for attaching plates to rims.

Todd, do you just pull this stuff from rote memory? I'm always amazed at the intricate stuff you post at will. Tools specs, forumulas, etc.



I'm with Filippo. I ordered a few dozen 3/16 fiberglass rods and rubber tips from Into the Wind five or six years ago. They're perfect.

I THOUGHT I recognized your picture - from that movie 'Memento'...

Good tip on source for rods. How do I find "Goodwin"? [Edit - I think it was supposed to be GoodWinds.com]

What length of rods and height of Go Bar setup do others use?