Planning stages - copper tubing side table

[ault]

I want a small tray-table to go next to my chair in the front room. Nothing I've seen in the shops fits the bill. So I'm contemplating the DIY route. I really like the warm colour of copper pipe/tubing, but I've never worked with it before.

My current thinking is to make a stand onto which I can place a tray, rather than to attach a permanent table top.

One simple idea would be to use some coiled copper tubing. I envisage a single loop, lying flat on the floor as the base, then rising, still looping, through 360 degrees, and then finishing with another flat loop - serving as the tray support.

I imagine that this would not bear much of a load (or even stand?) on it's own - that the tubing would require some sort internal support.

I wonder: is there is something that I can pour into the tube that will then set to provide that support? (I've never worked with the stuff, but my lazy side wonders if expanding foam would do the trick... Google is singularly unhelpful on this.)

Any thoughts or top tips appreciated.

 

[dilalio]

Your first problem would be forming the "Spring", I have no idea how you'd achieve that without access to some heavy duty machine shop equipment.

The coil inside a hot water cylinder springs to mind (scuze pun etc)...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...d=0CCsQMygOMA5qFQoTCOrpvPGo9sgCFclUFAodEQQDbw

And, even in 22mm copper, it will act like a "Spring"!

 

[geraldthehamster]

It could work if the tube remained in contact all the way up, as a solid cylinder. Otherwise, as said, it would act like a spring. And forming it would be problematic.

Expanding foam wouldn't stop it acting as a spring, but you wouldn't be able to fill it with foam in any case. It would just stick to the sides near the opening and no more would go in.

Cheers
Richard