Found a sweet China Cabinet: Can I stack chips on the glass? (1 Viewer)

[ImCrossland]

Long story short-ish:

My lady found a pretty unbelievable deal on Facebook marketplace for a really nice China Cabinet. With lighting already installed toward the top, we think it would be a great place to store and display chips but don’t know how many racks can be safely placed on each glass pane.

Before I start moving more chips to the cabinet, I’d like to have a better idea of what I can safely place on the glass.

Any advice would be appreciated! All chips are unleaded. Haven’t measured the glass and there weren’t any specifics offered by the sellers other than they were moving out Friday and needed to get rid of everything (so the house is likely now haunted).

Here’s a pic for reference:

 

[Steppenwolf]

Don't do it Triston.

 

[ImCrossland]

@Steppenwolf Really? None at all?

Sad but some can still be stored on the bottom and plenty of storage space hidden below.

 

[Mongoose]

It’s a beautiful cabinet. However, I don’t think stocking chips on glass shelves would be advisable.

Storing chips on the bottom shelf (wood) still lets you display some chips. Storing below is of course no problem but there’s no “eye candy” for chips if that’s what you’re looking for. Still a cool find whatever you decide.

 

[ImCrossland]

It’s a beautiful cabinet. However, I don’t think stocking chips on glass shelves would be advisable.

Storing chips on the bottom shelf (wood) still lets you display some chips. Storing below is of course no problem but there’s no “eye candy” for chips if that’s what you’re looking for. Still a cool find whatever you decide.

And I won’t even attempt to convince the Mrs. to add wood shelves instead. Oh well, I’ll take the bottom area.

Appreciate the advice!

 

[Mongoose]

Tell her you’ll use the glass shelves for singles and sample sets! Lol. Just not racks of chips!

 

[ArielVer18]

You can prob do one row of chips per glass shelf, which is about 20lb, but don't stack any chips. There used to be a thread in a different forum of chips collapsing onto the ground from the weight. It wasn't pretty.

 

[FDLmold]

If that is tempered glass, it is very strong. I guessed it was 1/4" thick, 8" deep, and 24" across. That piece of glass (I found a calculator) will hold over 80 pounds. If it's 36" across, it will hold about 40 pounds.

Rack em and stack em!

 

[AlbinoDragon]

I agree with the comments above. Honestly, my bigger concern is less the glass and more that each shelf is supported in the cabinet by four little plastic clips/shelves/whatever you call those things. With enough weight on the shelves, I'd start to worry those as the point of failure and not the glass.

 

[Steppenwolf]

@Steppenwolf Really? None at all?

Sad but some can still be stored on the bottom and plenty of storage space hidden below.

I would echo what was said by others. No stacking of chips. Really pretty cabinet. Just not for deep stacks of chippies.

 

[ImCrossland]

Well it appears the consensus is chips on the bottom, pics of family on top.

What a shame… such a waste of space…

Just kidding honey!

 

[Machine]

how many racks can be safely placed on each glass pane.

Where is that out of context thread?

 

[Highli99]

If that is tempered glass, it is very strong. I guessed it was 1/4" thick, 8" deep, and 24" across. That piece of glass (I found a calculator) will hold over 80 pounds. If it's 36" across, it will hold about 40 pounds.

Rack em and stack em!

This is sound advice. If tempered glass I’d be less concerned about the glass and more worried about the support pegs which look pretty small and there are not many of them. I have thousands of chips on tempered glass of similar size but the glass sits inside a metal frame fully supported on all sides.

 

[ImCrossland]

This is sound advice. If tempered glass I’d be less concerned about the glass and more worried about the support pegs which look pretty small and there are not many of them. I have thousands of chips on tempered glass of similar size but the glass sits inside a metal frame fully supported on all sides.

Is there a simple way for a less knowledgeable person such as myself to easily tell whether the glass is tempered or not?

 

[philhut]

Considering what my mother has stacked on the shelves in her china cabinet I don't think poker chips stacked in a reasonable number would be much of a problem for this shelving. Many people would use these for displaying/storing plates, booze etc... all of that stuff is fairly heavy as well.

6-8 racks per shelf should be no problem.

 

[Machine]

I doubt it would hold anything with that span if it wasn't tempered glass. I think the greenish tint and smooth edges shows its tempered.

To be safe, relocate one of the panes to the bottom and then leave the chips on it over night. If it breaks you'll want tempered glass anyway =D

 

[ImCrossland]

In case a more experienced eye can tell

 

[CrazyEddie]

Here you go:

https://www.dullesglassandmirror.com/glass-weight-load-calculator

https://elitecustomglass.com/glass-weight-calculator/

Use both calculators and see if they give you the same answer.

 

[CrazyEddie]

Those supports look pretty sturdy. They've got a large flat area that the shelf rests on and a large flat area up against the wall with a long extension downwards, which means they'll support more weight without digging into the wood. The bracket body is thick with a curved support at the bottom extension, which means that the bracket itself is less likely to snap or crack.

If the load calculators I linked to say the glass can handle the weight, then I'd bet the brackets can handle it as well.

 

[Irish]

Even with tempered glass, I wouldn't risk it. There was a user back in the CT days who had a cabinet very similar to this (@EmptyPocs I believe). The CT thread is dead now and I can't find a picture, but suffice to say it did not end well for the chippies.

 

[ekricket]

Those supports look pretty sturdy. They've got a large flat area that the shelf rests on and a large flat area up against the wall with a long extension downwards, which means they'll support more weight without digging into the wood. The bracket body is thick with a curved support at the bottom extension, which means that the bracket itself is less likely to snap or crack.

If the load calculators I linked to say the glass can handle the weight, then I'd bet the brackets can handle it as well.

Glass is flexible and will bend long before it breaks. I’d worry about weight in the middle bowing the glass enough to slip off the pegs, or change the angle of support enough so the pegs actually deform the holes they are in and slip out.

 

[Highli99]

Glass is flexible and will bend long before it breaks. I’d worry about weight in the middle bowing the glass enough to slip off the pegs, or change the angle of support enough so the pegs actually deform the holes they are in and slip out.

This is exactly what I’d worry about. I am someone who currently has 3,200 Matsuis and 600 CPCs on a one 3 foot piece of well supported tempered glass.

 

[JMC9389]

On the bottom shelf with anything wood underneath should be ok, but I would not put anything heavy on the glass shelves.

 

[John Conor]

Aren’t these made for heavy plates and china sets?I have something similar and have had it loaded for over a year with no issues. I have barrister bookcases too but this thing is solid and easier to look at and grab chips you use more often.

I even have complete confidence in the small shelves on the sides:

I would suggest swapping out the plastic pins for a stronger metal. Can find easily.

 

[CrazyEddie]

I'd have more confidence in the plastic brackets than that metal one. The metal one could bend at its shoulder. Also, given where the load sits on each of the two, the metal one is more likely to have its pin dig into the hole and weaken the connection.

Regardless, practical experience is always the best guide, and @John Conor 's post shows pretty clearly what can be expected.

 

[BigChief]

You also could get new, thicker pieces of glass cut to increase the strength.

 

[ATLarchip]

In case a more experienced eye can tell
View attachment 728944View attachment 728945View attachment 728946

Those look to be tempered as they have a more finished edge, something that helps distinguish tempered vs plate glass. But please check me on that. Another way to help if you’re concerned is to add a piece of laminate film on top or bottom. It can be clear, frosted, or have a pattern. This adds an extra level of protection in case it breaks, the glass is contained/stuck to the film.

 

[Pinesol13]

Many people are under selling the strength of glass shelves. Although the "better safe than sorry" is sound advice when it comes to your beloved chips. I've seen 4 foot long glass shelves hold an incredible amount of weight, to the point that they're bowed significantly in the middle, held up by four small metal pegs in the wood.

 

[Payback]

Even with tempered glass, I wouldn't risk it. There was a user back in the CT days who had a cabinet very similar to this (@EmptyPocs I believe). The CT thread is dead now and I can't find a picture, but suffice to say it did not end well for the chippies.

This is exactly what came to mind when I saw the thread title. I'd never put chips on glass after seeing that but that's me.

 

[Irish]

Many people are under selling the strength of glass shelves. Although the "better safe than sorry" is sound advice when it comes to your beloved chips. I've seen 4 foot long glass shelves hold an incredible amount of weight, to the point that they're bowed significantly in the middle, held up by four small metal pegs in the wood.

If I bought this unit, firsthand, from a place that I knew made the product with the intention of supporting substantial weights...... then maybe. And if I was storing china clays or lower end chips, sure what the hell. But getting what looks to be a very nice china cabinet (there is an order of magnitude difference in weights between displaying a few china place settings and birdcages of chips) - bought second hand - there is zero chance I'm placing thousands of dollars worth of chips on that glass shelf. I really wish I had the pictures from that CT thread, it was horrible. And it wasn't just damage to the cabinet, IIRC a good number of the chips were damaged/destroyed in the incident. It was bad enough that I had it saved as a bookmark lol (CT link no longer works and unfortunately this wasn't archived by the wayback machine) : https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/storage-of-all-your-chips.8874/post-119955

Display some singles, maybe even a rack or two - OK. There's just no way I'd move the racks of Aurora Star hot stamped chips shown in the first picture up to either glass shelf. Just my 2¢ worth.