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tufaenough

Constructing a multilevel lantern?

tufaenough
18 years ago

Has anyone made a multi level pagoda lantern?

Are any of the ones you purchase made of concrete?

If so how do they fasten the levels together.

I've started on a 4 foot plus 3 level pagoda but haven't decided how to join the pieces.

I want to be able to disassembe it later if the need comes up.

It will be heavy. That's the plan, to make it hard to steal.:)

Comments (3)

  • Herb
    18 years ago

    If a pagoda consists only of a series of roofs stacked one above the other, I think fastening the levels together would be easy enough if you have a hole in the centre of each roof and insert a length of rebar down the centre of the pagoda. On the other hand if the pagoda has a light box at each level, it would be a lot more difficult.

    I don't like to be discouraging, but (because I once tried it & gave up) - I forsee these difficulties -

    1. You'll need a separate mold for each roof (and if it also has light boxes, a separate mold for each light box). These, starting from the lowest level get progressively smaller as you go up - and the size of each one needs to be very exactly proportioned, otherwise you won't be satisfied with them after they're stacked together.

    2. Each roof usually (I think) has a precisely curved, concave upper surface. This must be very hard to achieve for one roof, let alone for several roofs.

    Here are a couple of pictures of pagodas. In the case of one, I reckon that you'd need to have 17 different, highly accurate and correctly proportioned molds to make one like it, and in the case of the other, you'd need 9 such molds......

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  • tufaenough
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Hi Herb
    I already started the lantern.
    It's going up in two inch increments.
    Bottom light box 16x16 inches, then 13, then 10 with the option for a 7 if I go 4 levels
    This is a BIG lantern, or it can be like the three bears.:)
    The first 3 boxes are already half made.
    As are the windows, a real pain those.
    The roofs will be hand shaped not molded and they will narrow and thin on the same scale as the light boxes.
    My inspiration for the round roofs is a oriental straw coolie hat with rings representing the straw. Could be tricky with my lack artistic skills
    I have not decided on a base yet. I like the idea of four legs but they will have to be very strong. I may opt for a solid base.

    This pagoda will stack with no fastening at all, but then pieces could be knocked off. I would like to bolt them together. I was just wondering how commercial concrete ones are put together.

    BTW Herb, total number of molds is 3. :)
    You will have to wait and see. I will try to get a picture when I can start to assemble

  • tufaenough
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Duh
    THREE inch increments.:)

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