Chum Lee, I'm not embarrassed -- I'm ignorant, and cheerfully admit it! There are things I know (barbecue, for example) and things I don't (working with metal). That's why I am asking all of these questions. And I am getting a lot of interesting answers from folks who have a wide variety of technical backgrounds.
I would bet that there are lots of non-expert "lurkers" who read the postings on the Tech Forum, hoping to glean pearls of wisdom from the mouths of experts. I certainly do that, much more often than I post.
In answer to your question about the chassis, I am pretty sure that the metal of the steel beams is around an eighth of an inch thick, maybe a little more. But not a quarter of an inch.
Based on what I have read, I will have to experiment on some scrap metal to find my comfort zone.
