School me on Wardrobe Clothing Rods

[Scorpion]

I'm building some closet cabinets for the master bedroom.  Got the carcasses assembled, LED's installed, and decided to load up one to see how it looked.  I'm using the oval Hafele word robe euro rods that have the 32mm ends (Which fit nicely into the LR32 holes I drilled all down the side of all the cabinets) and the cabinet's are about 42-inches wide.  Loaded up the first one about half full and the rod drooped about 3/8-inch in the middle...well crap.  Looking at it, I'm not at all shocked and I'm more disappointed that I didn't see this coming.  Such a thin aluminum extrusion can't handle the weight of that much clothing.

So the question - what do you guys use?  I know I've seen closet cabinets that had to be about the same width.  Ideally I can take advantage of the 32mm holes but I clearly need something a little heavier duty.  On the upper rod I can use an adjustable but only because the upper rod happens to be 3" from the top which is perfect for the supports.  Rods that end up mid-height won't be supportable using the same method.

An obviously solution would be to narrow up the cabinets to about 24 inches per however that would increase the sides/material by nearly double and since I thought the fab was done, I'd like to see if there's another solution (heavier round rod or something) that doesn't require more fab , more materials, or a different design (more machine work).

Thanks!

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[DoubleL]

A few suggestions. A heavier pipe/rod might be able to support it. Or you wouldn't have to divide the cabinet in two, just add a vertical divider wall in the middle.  You could also use a vertical 1 by 3 with a hole for each rod in the middle.  Another approach might be a thin chain or aircraft cable supporting from the top.  Depends on the aesthetics you are after.

 

[ccmviking]

For round and oval rods there are hangers for the middle, etc. provided you have a shelf above where the rod is mounted.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hafele+closet+pole+hanger&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj19obPyOXOAhUEy2MKHZgYCN0Q_AUICSgC&biw=1120&bih=534#imgdii=ef9NEYzedHTNRM%3A%3Bef9NEYzedHTNRM%3A%3BK2XFbBcAduSO7M%3A&imgrc=ef9NEYzedHTNRM%3A

 

[Bohdan]

A flat piece of steel inserted into the oval rod cut to the inside height of the rod would stop it from sagging.

 

[Cheese]

I've always replaced the swayback wooden closet rods with stainless tubing.

 

[Scorpion]

A few suggestions. A heavier pipe/rod might be able to support it. Or you wouldn't have to divide the cabinet in two, just add a vertical divider wall in the middle.  You could also use a vertical 1 by 3 with a hole for each rod in the middle.  Another approach might be a thin chain or aircraft cable supporting from the top.  Depends on the aesthetics you are after.

Another divider is plan C.  Thin cable is now plan B.

 

[Scorpion]

A flat piece of steel inserted into the oval rod cut to the inside height of the rod would stop it from sagging.

That's an interesting idea.  Even another extrusion inside would increase the registry and help prevent it from sagging.  Great idea.

 

[Scorpion]

I've always replaced the swayback wooden closet rods with stainless tubing.

I could go to round tubing I suppose which would then allow me to get something thicker and more resistant to sagging.  Looked for some stainless in oval...EXPENSIVE!!

 

[Cheese]

Well, i've tried oak doweling and maple doweling for closet rods and both really sag after some time.
Gravity sucks...
Neither one is what I'd consider to be up to the task. I tried some stainless tubing about 20+ years ago and it is my go-to material for the job. The bonus round is that it is now at least 20% cheaper than it was 20 years ago.

 

[Cheese]

I looked for some stainless in oval...EXPENSIVE!!

Stainless in oval will be expensive because it is a non-standard shape...and then there is the size equation that enters in.

Round stainless tubing with a .080-.110 wall is a pretty standard flavor. Inexpensive...not cheap...but relatively inexpensive.  [cool]

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I buy oval rods and brackets from Wurth Wood Group.  I pay $13-14 for 8ft rods and $3 a brackets.  The brackets are 5mm and have 2 pins set at 32mm.  The rods are very heavy duty.  They are made of thick gauge steel.  They will not sag.

[member=27782]Scorpion[/member]

 

[Cheese]

FWIW...I just checked pricing and the 1 1/4" x 16 gauge SST is $6 per foot while the 1 1/2" x 16 gauge SST is $5 per foot. Here are a couple of photos of a walk-in closet I did when I turned the upstairs attic into a master bedroom. I fabbed the brackets and closet rods while the closet rod end covers came from Wagner in Milwaukee.
http://shop.wagnercompanies.com

 

[Michael Kellough]

Super job Cheese!

 

[rvieceli]

Very nice [member=44099]Cheese[/member] !  Did you put a set screw in the bracket to keep the rod from sliding?

Are the brackets stainless too?

Ron

 

[Cheese]

Did you put a set screw in the bracket to keep the rod from sliding?

Are the brackets stainless too?

No I didn't Ron, I just made the hole in the bracket a fairly snug fit and the weight of the clothing does the rest. The rods are 6' and 7' long so that's a lot of clothing weight.  [eek]

I wish the brackets were stainless...[drooling] unfortunately I had just retired when I started this phase of the project and thus I no longer had access to a Bridgeport. I just had what's available downstairs, a drill press and a band saw, so I had to settle on 1/2" thick 6061 plate.

 

[Scorpion]

FWIW...I just checked pricing and the 1 1/4" x 16 gauge SST is $6 per foot while the 1 1/2" x 16 gauge SST is $5 per foot. Here are a couple of photos of a walk-in closet I did when I turned the upstairs attic into a master bedroom. I fabbed the brackets and closet rods while the closet rod end covers came from Wagner in Milwaukee.
http://shop.wagnercompanies.com

Those are awesome!  Wondering now if I should switch tactics and machine my own brackets and run them under shelving.  Is be in completely control of the design in all aspects.  Thanks for sharing!!

 

[mike_aa]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]

Great creativity and design!  Super job!  Thanks for sharing!!

Mike A.

 

[thender]

Where do y'all buy the stainless tube?

A quick check online for an 8' length of 1-1/2" SS tube is $75 plus $20 shipping...

-Tom in SoCal

 

[Cheese]

Well, maybe the midwest does still have a leg-up on the left coast... [poke]...Discount steel which is in my neighborhood sells this stuff for cheap. They also sell drop by the pound which almost equates to free merchandise.

If you have a steel supplier near by, ask them if they are willing to discount their drop material, material which is left over from a previous paid for job and which has already been written off as scrap by the bean counters. Otherwise these steel houses are double dipping. [eek] [popcorn]

 

[Sparktrician]

When I worked in the semi-custom closet industry, we used steel rod that had a profile similar to that of a domino - flat on the vertical sides; rounded top and bottom.  It has almost zero deflection.    The one caution I would issue is that when you spread the pars over 30" or so, you'll have to remember that the weight of the hanging goods will put much higher stress on the attachments that hang the pars, and the par materials at the point where the attachments screw in.  You can expect material failures much sooner than if you space the pars at 24-30", regardless of increased cost for par material.