I am helping a very rural church with their construction. They have a limited budget and many churches promised that if they could come up with the money for the material, they/we could supply the labor (most are licensed contractors with different areas of expertise.).
They paid for, ordered and received the major structure and frame items a year and a half before Covid 19 hit. The building frame, wall, roof and roofing, outside doors and windows installed, then covid hit. It was to have 4 columns under the portico. Well, only two came, but we were not far enough along to put the columns up before Covid. We Got started back in January of this year, and had to pour the walkway and portico base - 3 months ago. At that time (3 months ago) I asked the lumber / hard ware company why we only received 2 columns. I was told and shown that we only paid for two because at the time, the columns we wanted were on a long back order and we only got 2.
HOWEVER - BUT with covid and the extra items still inside the building that had not been used, and volunteer workers not available, we never not noticed that we did not receive the purely aesthetic base and top for the columns. By this time, it was too late to put in a claim for not having received the 2 bases and 2 tops to the columns. Again they were not for structural, but only for aesthetics. Below are what was NOT shipped with the first two column almost 4 years ago.
So 2 months ago, we ordered two more columns with same dimensions as the original 2. The new ones came with bases and with tops. So here are pictures of them (Below the pictures I have questions for you):
We are not able to order replacement appointments for the first two columns. I started to make copies out of wood but figured it would be too heavy, and I was afraid to turn something that large out of wood on my lathe. The large one is 16" square, the small one is 14" square. The small one is 5 inches high, the large one is 8" high. The holes in the center are 12" and 10"
MY SECOND thoughts was /is to make them out of some kind of styrofoam. This is where I need your help. The above is a dense styrofoam covered with a hard shell of some kind of paint or epoxy paint. I need a Styrofoam without open pores, if that makes sense. If it is dense enough styrofoam, I can turn it on my Grizzly lathe, as I "can" turn 18" if needed. I can slow the lathe down to just under 600 RPM.
1. WHAT Kind of foam do I look for and where can I find it?
2. What kind of hard finish can I put on it that won't eat up the styrofoam, AND be weather proof?
Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to make 2 of each out of wood.
Thanks.
They paid for, ordered and received the major structure and frame items a year and a half before Covid 19 hit. The building frame, wall, roof and roofing, outside doors and windows installed, then covid hit. It was to have 4 columns under the portico. Well, only two came, but we were not far enough along to put the columns up before Covid. We Got started back in January of this year, and had to pour the walkway and portico base - 3 months ago. At that time (3 months ago) I asked the lumber / hard ware company why we only received 2 columns. I was told and shown that we only paid for two because at the time, the columns we wanted were on a long back order and we only got 2.
HOWEVER - BUT with covid and the extra items still inside the building that had not been used, and volunteer workers not available, we never not noticed that we did not receive the purely aesthetic base and top for the columns. By this time, it was too late to put in a claim for not having received the 2 bases and 2 tops to the columns. Again they were not for structural, but only for aesthetics. Below are what was NOT shipped with the first two column almost 4 years ago.
So 2 months ago, we ordered two more columns with same dimensions as the original 2. The new ones came with bases and with tops. So here are pictures of them (Below the pictures I have questions for you):
We are not able to order replacement appointments for the first two columns. I started to make copies out of wood but figured it would be too heavy, and I was afraid to turn something that large out of wood on my lathe. The large one is 16" square, the small one is 14" square. The small one is 5 inches high, the large one is 8" high. The holes in the center are 12" and 10"
MY SECOND thoughts was /is to make them out of some kind of styrofoam. This is where I need your help. The above is a dense styrofoam covered with a hard shell of some kind of paint or epoxy paint. I need a Styrofoam without open pores, if that makes sense. If it is dense enough styrofoam, I can turn it on my Grizzly lathe, as I "can" turn 18" if needed. I can slow the lathe down to just under 600 RPM.
1. WHAT Kind of foam do I look for and where can I find it?
2. What kind of hard finish can I put on it that won't eat up the styrofoam, AND be weather proof?
Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to make 2 of each out of wood.
Thanks.
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