Again, thanks for the good ideas. Here are pictures and description of the side board standards that I built yesterday similar to Milkman's:
I bought 2-8 ft. pcs. of 1"aluminum square tubing, 1 1/2"(1/4" dia.) S/S machine screws, S/S nylon lock nuts, 1 1/4" S/S wood screws, and 3- 1x8-12' pressure treated pine boards, all from Home Depot (my favorite place to shop). Total material cost: $94.50
Cut 1 stick of tubing into 4 equal lengths (just shy of 24" to allow for cutoff blade thickness. Cut 6-14" pcs off the other stick of tubing. (Note: could not find 1" channel aluminum) I mounted a 10" abrasive metal cutting blade in my table saw. I carefully ripped out the inside end of each 14" pc. (I had to raise the blade about 5/8" to make it cut better and not generate as much heat, wear gloves). It galled the aluminum a little so I used a 4" angle grinder to smooth it out and round the sharp edges.
I drilled 3 - 1/4" holes to attached each pc. together, 6 holes on the 2 corner standards. Inserted the machine screws from the inside of the channel and installed nylon lock nuts to the outside. The screw end barely stuck out beyond the lock washer and doesn't create a cutting hazard.
I cut the 1x8's 1/2" short of the inside dimension of the channel which allows enough clearance from the screw heads and allows for easy installation. I didn't not attach the boards to the standards because I wanted to be able to remove them quickly, but did screw some small pcs to each side to keep the boards attached to each other.
The aluminum standards should be strong enough for my application, but I can always use at ratchet strap if I need more strength. I'm going to place a pc. of bicycle tubing under the edge of each standard to prevent scratching of the paint until I don't care anymore.
I hope this is helpful.
Fantastic pictures Tribute. Thank you for posting and the great descriptions. You and Milkman certainly have talent. collie