SouthernStitcher....your mom sounds a lot like mine! All the kids wanted to come to our house b/c it was the "fun" house and my mom was always feeding everyone! I have fond memories of the various KoolAid flavors...we each got to choose the "flavor of the day" on a rotating basis...even some of our friends got to pick! My mom also has a SS sink...not quite 50 years old (maybe 30 years...)...but she was just commenting yesterday that when she remodels her kitchen she thinks she'll keep the sink b/c it's in such great shape. I don't know what "brand" it is, but I'm not sure it matters much if you get a sink from a reputable manufacturer. ++++++++++++++ If you do a search, you'll find a lot of threads about sinks...depth, grids, single vs double, SS vs fireclay vs cast iron vs granite composite, etc. Here are some things... If you will be under mounting your sink, the depth will be the depth of the sink + the thickness of your countertop. So, my sink is 9" deep with 3cm (~1-1/4") granite. That means that my sink is approx 10-1/4" deep. The taller you are, the harder a deep sink is on your back b/c you have to lean over farther to get to the bottom of the sink. The larger the ledge in front of the sink, the more you have to lean in to get to the sink. Sink grids will raise the bottom of the sink up an inch or so. They also keep things off the bottom so that it's easier to rinse the sink (items aren't sitting on the bottom blocking access to the drain), they're flat so things don't tilt, you can drain dishes on them w/o re-immersing them in dirty/soapy water, they protect the bottom from scratches, etc. You'll find this information and a lot more if you do a search. Search one of two ways: (1) Directly in GardenWeb. Use the search button on the bottom of the thread list page, not the the top of the page. (2) Using Google or other search engine. If you do it this way, be sure to specify "site=ths.gardenweb.com" as part of the search (at least for Google).

Yikes--no support could be troublesome! We have a 130 lb undermount farmhouse sink. The carpenters built a cradle for the sink. It's probably not too late- maybe you could still add one in. Our gap between the sink is very small and filled with clear/white epoxy. Let me know if you want a picture of the cradle under our sink. We even went one step further and had the carpenters build a support for our garbage disposal so it wouldn't exert too much weight on the sink. That was probably just a super-extra precaution, though.

Amanda: You want the sink to be as far forward as possible and still allow drawer tip-outs to function if you have them; around 4" with a 1 1/2" overhang. 3" if you don't have tip-outs. Mount the sink with a Hercules Universal Sink Harness (Braxton Bragg) or a Sink Strap or two from Regent Stone Products, please. Disregard the manufacturer supplied clips.

If you want a custom sink that is made in the USA, there is Handcrafted Metal made with 14-gauge stainless steel. Also Rachiele sinks are popular on this forum. I think there may still be some of the Kohler stainless steel sinks made in Kohler Wisconsin. The way to tell whether it is made there or in China are (A) the price will be $1200+, or (B) you call their customer service number and ask them.