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Greetings Everyone, I am thinking of replacing our current work tables in our office
area and object carts for transporting ceramics and wondered if anyone has any
recommendations. To give you an idea of our needs I’ll tell you what we
are using: Work Tables: Our current work tables are
portable, folding banquet tables which measure 29H x 96L x 18W with a plastic
top that we cover with foam and tissue. They are slightly longer and
considerably narrower than the standard folding banquet tables you find at
Office Depot but they are made of the same materials. They are very light and rather
flimsy and we often will put two tables together to make them wider, cover the
surfaces with a thin foam and tissue, and then tape the legs together to help
with stability. It probably goes without saying that I am eager to replace
these as soon as possible. We use these tables primarily for
condition reporting, packing objects, and sometimes for assembling mounts for
exhibitions. Our collection is primarily made up of Chinese ceramics, small
statues, scroll paintings, and a few textiles and robes. Our office space is
small and I am looking for tables that have casters with breaks so that they
can be moved around the room as needed but stable when the breaks are applied. One of my Chinese co-workers told me
that in Asia most museums use examination tables that are very low to the
ground so that if a ceramic fell it would not fall far and might not be as
damaged (our floors are industrial laminate over concrete). I have never had a
problem with the height of tables before when examining ceramics as we usually
take precautions to make sure they are stabilized on a table. I thought that a
high table was actually preferable so that one can stand without bending over
to examine the object or bending too far down to place the object on the table.
Any opinions on this issue are also welcomed. Object Carts:
We currently use a small Rubbermaid utility cart to transport small ceramics
and statues (see office depot: http://www.officedepot.com/browse.do?Ne=14+5&Nr=200000&N=201709+4294967185+4294967160
) and we add foam to the top shelf and hold our tools and mounting supplies on
the bottom shelf. For larger objects, we transport them in crates or Chinese
boxes on four-wheel dollies. I would love to replace our current
tables and carts with better equipment. At a previous museum where I worked the
tables and carts were all built in-house but that is not an option for us as we
have no fabrication department. We may be able to find a fabricator in the area
to build these for us, but before I go that route, I thought I would check in
to see what my colleagues recommend (or what they had built in-house). Any input or opinions are greatly appreciated! Sincerely, Holly C. Chase Museum Coordinator SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL Email: holly.chase@sunrider.com www.chenartgallery.org (Los Angeles, CA area) |