DIY speaker stands

tecmo04

i want to build some speaker stands for my old infinity rs3 speakers i have lying around (for my 3rd piece meal system of left of stuff i dont really use any more). i am concidering just using som 3"4 mdf for tops and bottmes, and a 2x4 for the middle. some wood screws, a little bit of glue and some black paint. i feel like i am missing something though....

so my question is to the higher educated and more experienced will these be fine stands? anything else i should concider?

hoosier21

that sounds rather light weight, beef up the bottom and column, you want a heavy and strong bottom, maybe 4 2x4' making a hollow column that you can then fill with sand.

VR3

I was told wood stands are *not* the way to go. Metal stands filled with sand, etc are the way to go!

tecmo04

why is the weight of the stand so important? how much will the metal cost me?

i want them to be about 3ish feet tall

VR3

Denser stands dont vibrate as much and are harder to knock over...

Metal stands range around 80 shipped.

tecmo04

interesting, wood stands cost me free becuase ive got all that stuff lying around. am i going to loose sound quality? or do i just have to worry about people bumping into them?

VR3

If you can seal the inside up to allow you to dump a pound or two of sand in there, go for it...

But I don't think it would be that stable, especially since 2x4's are very light weight...

tecmo04

what it i put 2x4s in each corner instead of one through the middle? am i solving my problem or creating more?

i dotn have very many tools either, circular saw, sander, drill. man if i had a router this would be so much easier

VR3

If you put one on each corner it would be more stable - but you would still have the whole weight issue.

tecmo04

im not sure if i have enough mdf but how about a cube? i.e. mdf on top and bottem plus all 4 walls, then fill it up with sand? how would that work?

hoosier21

tecmo04 wrote:

what it i put 2x4s in each corner instead of one through the middle? am i solving my problem or creating more?

i dotn have very many tools either, circular saw, sander, drill. man if i had a router this would be so much easier

That will work fine, don't get to hung up on this little project. Basically if you make something anf it holds the speakers up where you want them, you good. Adding weight and stability are bonus.

Go to google.com do a search for DIY speaker stand and get some ideas.

tryrrthg

Use PVC pipe for the columns/supports, they're cheap and can be filled with sand. I built a pair based on the this design. Just modify that design to what you need to it to be. Here are construction pictures of mine. LINK

burdette

At the very least you want to use 2 vertical 2x4s for the column, in a "T" arrangement, or you won't have any stability. I wouldn't put a speaker on top of a 3 foot stand of only one 2x4 ... there simply isn't enough surface area on the end of one 2x4 to attach the top (or the bottom) securely. Using 3 in an "H" would be even better.

A hollow column made of four 2x4s isn't going to create very much internal volume as far as a space to add weight - but I guess any is more than none. Hit some garage sales and find an old box of nuts and bolt and washers and stuff ... that would be heavy.

For sure, don't forget some rubber pads of some sort on the top to ensure the speakers don't migrate to the floor.

I'd also use some spiked feet.. but if you want to keep this cheap, just use screws put in from the top.

tecmo04

i read the tnt stubby and im a little confussed about the threaded rod through the middle. how do you secure it to the base and top?

tecmo04

i like the adea of an H for the middle. i got ideas flowing like a river right now! would creating a "foot" be a better idea? what i mean is a piece of mdf, a sidways 2x4 (the 4 inches becomes the height) and then another peice of mdf. so esencial a small box at the base (filled with sand). then the H middle and another slab of mdf for the top.

sorry about all the random posts. i should have thought them out first but i just got so excited

tryrrthg

tecmo04 wrote:

i read the tnt stubby and im a little confussed about the threaded rod through the middle. how do you secure it to the base and top?

With a washer and nut. A threaded rod is just like a large bolt, with threads on both ends. You have to drill a counter sink hole in the top and bottom for the washer and nut to hide. When you tighten the bolts it clamps everything together.

Pablo

Sounds like you just want something to hold up your speakers (and not necessarily be a piece of furniture). And with that tool list, you may not have much of a choice.

You can do a lot with 2x4s and MDF, but proper weight distribution will be the issue (it will be light, and may tend to tip, and will vibrate a bit).

I can probably draw a couple of things up for you if you are interested (I am really bored at work).

tecmo04

i am more than interested (funny im bored at work too! ) any and all ideas will be concidered and hopefully one will pan out! ive got my camera ready to take all the exciting pics when i get my mind staright and ideas orginized!

michael_w

You could try making something like what I have. When "stock" they were a C shape but I closed off the back and managed to jam about 20 lbs of sand into that little space. They are very stable and could probably be easily made.

Polkersince85

You could go to a plumbing supply, get six 1-1/2 pipe flanges and three 3 foot 1-1/2 nipples (per stand). bolt them to some 2 layer thick plywood at the base and a layer at the top. Paint it all black and have the same stand as costing 3 figures. Just make sure the base is at least 1-1/2 wider than the speaker footprint.

Pablo

Sorry for the late response, I didn't go to work today. I hope this gives you some sort of ideas. You should have no problem with just the circular saw and drill. (If you really want to do something nice, you may want to consider getting a miter saw and table saw. You get decent ones for a little over $100 each and they make much better cuts then anything by hand).

I really don’t have any idea how big your speakers are, so nothing is to scale. In the picture the orange is MDF and the dark red are 2x4s. The pinkish color is another piece being attached.

For the Top, cut an MDF square a little larger than you speakers. Cut 2x4s to run around the edge on the bottom of the top piece. Run them on the flats (the wide side attached to the top) and glue and screw them to the top. (You can screw them from the bottom if you use 2” screws and plenty of glue. I use drywall screws for everything; it’s so much easier). (I also left a little overhang from the top on the picture, but you can run the supports right to the edge).

For the Pillar, 4 pieces of MDF are cut to the same height. The width of the pillar is dependant on the size of your speakers. The width of 2 of the pieces should be cut 1 ½” less than the other 2. The width of the widest pieces should at least 3” smaller then the frame on top piece (see the pink on the picture). Cut up a couple of 2x4s to make a square 1 ½” smaller then the final size of the pillar (make 2 of these, one for the top and one for the bottom). Wrap the MDF around those 2x4 pieces (the 2x4s should be at the very top and bottom of the pillar. This is how the pillar will be attached). Glue ALL contact points (the 2x4s and edges of the MDF). Pre-drill holes on the edges of the MDF and screw together using 1 ½” screws. After the basic pillar is complete, cut 2x4s to wrap around the top and bottom of the pillar (for additional support when attaching to the top and bottom). (I used two 2x4s inside the pillars making it 7”x7”, but you can used one at any length depending on the size and weight of your speakers).

The Bottom is made the same as the top with the exception of the 2x4 frame being placed on edge instead of the on the flat (this makes it 4” high).

Assembly – Attach the pillar to the center of the bottom using glue and screws (the 2x4s should be towards the pillar). Take a measurement of its placement (the top should be in the same location). Additional weight (sand, steel, your neighbors cat) should be added in the spaces between the frame and the pillar. Cut additional MDF to cover the top of the 2x4 frame on the bottom (if you have a scroll saw you can cut 1 piece with a square hole in the middle for the pillar, otherwise you will have to cut 4 pieces). Now glue and screw the top to the pillar and BAM! you’re done (except for the sanding, painting, ect….).

A couple of design ideas:
You can wrap the whole thing in fabric or vinyl.
Wrap molding around the edges of the top and bottom.
Instead of using 2x4s wrapped around the top of the pillar, use a nice molding.

Hope it wasn't to confusing. Please send me a note of you have any questions (I can probably even give you a detail design if you let me know the speaker specs).

Meeks32

I bought some 20" "roman" looking plant colums from Old time pottery for $8 each, filled them with sand & sealed it off & painted them gloss black. For everything I think I paid around $30 including paint & sand. They weigh about 70lbs each & are solid as a rock & they look alot better than 90% of the stands out there. They have different sizes from like 12" to 30". I will try to get some pictures up.

louthewiz

I made these in about an hour and it was easy and tommorrow I am going to paint them they are 30 inches tall which is perfect for me at ear level, your creativity is only limited by your imagination.

LiquidSound

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8947&highlight=diy+speaker+stands

Above is tryrrthg's stands, and below is where I stole the idea. They perform great. Solid, great sound, cheap. If you need any help just PM me and I'll send some ideas.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31050

tecmo04

pablo, are u sugesting to not fill the pilar with sand but another 2x4? pic of speakers,
not sure of the exact size but...

Frequency Response: 40Hz - 20kHz
Sensitivity: 89dB (2.83 volts/1 meter)
Impedance: 8 ohms
Output Level: MAX - 108dB spl
Recommended Power Amplifier Range: 15 - 125 watts
Woofer: 6.5" (125mm)co-injected
Tweeter: 1" (25mm) neodymium magnet soft-dome


to give u an idea

Early B.

I "borrowed" this pic from another audio site, but I like the stands. They appear to be super easy to make. The top and bottom plates are marble, as are the slabs in the middle, but you can substitute a dense wood or MDF. You may even be able to find a couple of marble slabs real cheap for the top plates. The type of wood in the pic is not appealing IMO, but you can choose any kind of wood you like and paint them whatever color suits your decor.

michael_w

Good idea but unless you have patience and time I'd suggest to not use marble. It's really annoying to work with. Very slow and painstaking to cut and drill. MDF would be a whole lot easier and cheaper.

tecmo04

ok so i finaly got around to starting them... heres what im thinking so far. (see pics) im not sure which one i like more. also im thinking, if i have enough mdf that i will make the pillars out of it. obviously it will be filled with sand...

im not really sure how tall i want them to be. any imput would be nice

louthewiz

30 inches is the ideal height from the floor to the base so that the tweeters are at ear level which is critical for the highs,those stands look like car jack stands lol ,all you need to do is raise the speaker to ear level and you should be fine.