Schafer Mfg. Co.

Learn About Our Process

     Schafer Manufacturing Company is owned by John R. Schafer and has been in the composites-fabricating business for almost 70 years! We are the developers of the original structural fiberglass steeples.

     Construction in steeples have unitized steel base frames. This is opposed to old fashioned tower frames which are covered with thin skins of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (F.R.P.) and are not load bearing or self supporting. Because of this, they will, in time, droop downward under sunlight and heat over their steel frames which causes cracking and leaking. They also do not withstand high winds or ice loads very well. Thin-Skin F.R.P. Steeples are now being replaced by Structural F.R.P. Composites at an increasing rate.

     Thin-Skin Steeples are usually molded by chopper guns and the clam shell method with a visible flanged seam running down two sides. Many give trouble due to flexing with wind, by hail stones or even just ice building up heavy on one side during ice storms.

     On the contrary, Structural Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Steeples are molded and fabricated with structural panels, angles, channels, I-beams and rods which are lamina-welded into one integral unit and are unitized without joints.  Structural F.R.P. Steeples do not have sectional parts that are bolted together, nor do they have rivets, screws or sealants to wear or rust out over time. Positively no wood parts are used as these will rot away with the twice a day sweating of the interior.

     The Structural F.R.P. Steeple system is achieved by unitizing all elements involved into a single unit. The steeple becomes a box-beam itself and can be made in one piece up to 52 feet long.  Physical properties under ASTM Method Standards show that we average a minimum of 40,000 PSI per .250 thickness in all strengths. This is 5 to 10 times stronger than the old Thin-Skin F.R.P. Systems.