In the interest of saving space, I'd like to have a stool that can double as a table. I'd like the height to be adjustable from 16 inches to 32 inches.
But I can't find any pneumatic/spring piston with such a long travel (10" at most). It seems the problem with long travel pistons is that the amount of weight that can be held when fully extended is low due to piston bore volume being so big, allowing the air to be easily compressed. Likewise, an unreasonably large force will be needed to completely compress the spring when you want to retract the piston all the way. While it would be nice to have an extra tall stool to sit on, most of the time it will only be used as a table when extended that high.
I don't want this to be another shopping list question, so please also discuss any principles and about why this is or isn't practical, or propose alternate solutions
