I’ve a project I’d appreciate comments/ideas. It’s a prototype; a tree branch 12’ long that will support 930 lbs. It’s essentially an art sculpture that in its final form will be a tree with three branches with ‘leaves’ at the end of the branches.
The core structure is a hollow steel beam 4” x 12” that tapers at 6’ to 4” x 3” the remaining 6’. It is to be covered in wood. Wood choices are Mexican tropical woods, each have interlocked grain.
The environment is in a semi-arid steppe climate, where the temperature during the day can swing from 50 – 105 degrees F, and RH can swing from 32 – 90%.
I’m working from the architect’s specs on the steel beam, the size of which was calculated by a structural engineer. Ultimately, they don’t care for the overall size of the ‘branch’ as they think it’s out of proportion. I’ve played with the ideas of carbon fiber, which I have some limited experience with, and considered a core structure of aluminum constructed with internal ribs as in an airplane wing. For the moment though, the architect wants a prototype on the above steel beam.
My main concern are the swings in temperature and RH. My idea is as follows:
1. Attach 5/8” birch ply to the steel with rivets;
2. Attach 1/4” veneer using West System epoxy. The veneer would have 1/8” gaps.
3. The finish would be a WB impregnated finish as Milesi, Klima or Solrac.
All comments appreciated.