Need material Suggestion on Flat Panel TV mount

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I built an entertainment center, it is 20 inches deep. I left myself 1 square foot to attach the pad, to the wall, 2 lags into the stud, and 4 drywall anchors.The TV weighs 50 pounds, and I plan to have it swing out 50 inches, by use of an arm to a swivel to another arm to a swivel to the back of the TV. So that it will pull out all the way and turn 90* compared to the face of the entertainment center, but will also fold all the way back to the tile.I want to use 1/4" plate for the pad that mounts to the wall, I think 3/16 would be suitable for the TV pad. What size and thickness arms would you use, and what size bolts and sleeves?EDIT: All steel14' PowerMig 210 MP13'Burntables 5x10 CNC Table14' SAE300 HE on a 12' Ram 4500 60 CA 4x4. Custom bed/bottles/reels.87' SA250d, 78 SA200,11' Ranger 250 GXT AC/DCThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 8112' Lincoln Precision Tig 22508' LN25
Reply:If your using two arms, I'd go with 2" X 2" X 1/8" square tubing. If your just using one arm, I'd go with 4" X 4" X 1/4" square tubing. 3/4" bolts / sleeves. With that much "cantilever", I would bolt all the way through the wall and install a 3/16" plate on the opposite side of the wall... Basically "sandwich" the wall between your mounting plates. You may have to stand up an I-beam in the wall and anchor it to the floor and ceiling joist with base plates and 1/2" anchor bolts.What do you other guy's think?Thanks,HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Most of the store bought units I've installed are probably less than 1/8" in thickness, but usually have some sort of bends in them to add to the rigidity. Heavier steel, equals more weight at the end of your lever arm. 50 lbs out 2' starts to add up quick. A good well supported design with thin steel will probably out perform thicker materials. Thin square tube or channel comes to mind right off the bat.As far as bolts, 1/4" lags are probably plenty, assuming you can get them solidly in the 2x's. Make sure they are at least 2" long, and I'd probably use fender washers to help spread the load.  It's not all that easy to hit the center of a burried 2x however. Usually with something like this, I'll mark the rough location with a stud sensor, then drill small 1/16" holes until I locate both edges of the stud and then determine center. Note most units I've done are often set up so that it's possible to hit 2 studs, especially for heavier sets. The screw type drywall anchors I usually prefer are rated at 50 lbs each in shear, but less in pull out. Toggle bolts are usually a better choice to take pull out forces, though a bigger pain to install. One trick is to put a dab of 5 minute epoxy on the tips of the toggle, then secure them in place. After that you usually can back out the screws if needed and not loose the toggle in the wall.Last option is the one I use when I have a very poor surface to secure heavy objects to walls. Often 3/8" or 1/4" drywall on steel studs. Glue a chunk of plywood to the drywall to increase surface holding strength and to give you a solid material for screws to hold in. I try to get at least 2 or more screws into the steel studs, so the stud is also holding some of the weight, because often there's not a lot of screws in "cheap" installations like this holding the drywall on. A heavy set like that probably would need more than 1 sq ft to support it with this method. I'd go as big as possible, say 4 sq ft so you can also get 2 sets of studs..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW, I like your thinking.. Hobo I would rather stick to 1 inch wide..I will defiantly use toggle bolts(4), and most likely 1/4".Do you think 1x3 16 gauge is up the the task or should I step up to 1/8"?1/2 or 9/16 or even 3/4 bolts are not a huge issue for me but that seems far above the fail point.14' PowerMig 210 MP13'Burntables 5x10 CNC Table14' SAE300 HE on a 12' Ram 4500 60 CA 4x4. Custom bed/bottles/reels.87' SA250d, 78 SA200,11' Ranger 250 GXT AC/DCThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 8112' Lincoln Precision Tig 22508' LN25