Building Speaker Stands

[natronforever]

Has anybody out there built their own speaker stands? I don't know about everybody else, but good speaker stands at reasonable prices seem hard to come by. I just don't feel comfortable about putting 20 pound bookshelf speakers on a 5 inch plate supported by an unattractive, unstable metal pillar. I'd like to make my own custom speaker stands out of hardwood and was wondering if anybody out there has done likewise. I'll be making a TV stand as well, and I think it will look great to have everything looking the same. If anybody has pictures of their projects, please post them. Thanks a million.

[kexodusc]

Has anybody out there built their own speaker stands? I don't know about everybody else, but good speaker stands at reasonable prices seem hard to come by. I just don't feel comfortable about putting 20 pound bookshelf speakers on a 5 inch plate supported by an unattractive, unstable metal pillar. I'd like to make my own custom speaker stands out of hardwood and was wondering if anybody out there has done likewise. I'll be making a TV stand as well, and I think it will look great to have everything looking the same. If anybody has pictures of their projects, please post them. Thanks a million.

I've built my own stands and an audio rack out of 3/4" MDF, and finished them in veneer to match the speakers I built.
Some people use Oak or birch plywood...those are nice and easy to cut and finish.
MDF is a great choice because of its weight and cost. Easy to work with too.

I don't have any pics of my stands (I still need to buy a digital camera) but I do have one of my audio rack partially completed... I was going to veneer it, but I got lazy and just painted it a glossy black. I did some router work to roundover all the corners/edges and fancy it up a bit, but that's pretty much it.

You're right, most a/v gear I've seen is quite pricey unfortunately, or ridiculously overdone.
For stands I just use 2 pieces of 3/4" MDF as a base, glued together, then I made a 4 inch square piller about 25" tall or so, and maybe a 6 inch top plate for the speaker to rest on. Painted the base and top plate matching black to my rack

Kind of like this:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res6vgmm/danspage/id8.html

[grasshopper]

sorry no pictures but i made mine out of 3/4 in plywood for the base and top,used a 4by 4 for the pillar.i measured the top plate so it was the same size as my speaker base,made the bottom same size as the top.used some screws and attached the speaker to the top plate, painted it all glossy black.just figure out how high you want the top of your speakers.don't forget to add the 1and 1/2 inches the thickness of your plywood and there you go.hope this helps.

[natronforever]

Thanks guys for the information. I'm kind of excited to get going on my projects. I'll be sure to post pictures of my stands when I finish them, unless I mess them up to the point of being too ashamed of letting people see them. In the meantime, I invite anybody who feels so inclined to describe their projects and/or post pictures.

By the way, Kex, that's quite the AV stand! Heaven help you if you actually need all that shelf space!

[natronforever]

Well, what began as a project to build speaker stands became a project to build a TV stand. It's been easier to buy something satisfactory to put speakers on than it has been to find a TV stand I wanted. My time was limited, so I wasn't able to build both a TV stand and speaker stands. This was my first woodworking project, but I'm pleased with the results. It's all white pine (soft, but attractive and inexpensive) with poplar legs. I stained it using two coats of ebony colored stain. I was worried the stain would cover all the nice grain, but it didn't. It's not very elaborate, but it's exactly what I wanted. It supports a 27" TV, a DVD and VCR (which fit nicely side-by-side on the second shelf), and my AV Receiver which sits on the bottom, reinforced shelf. I made it wide enough to fit most modern widescreen TVs, in case I actually come across a decent sum of money after I finish med school and want to upgrade. As it is, it works great, looks pleasing without being distracting, and is incredibly uncomplicated in its functionality. I think the materials ran about $50-60 or so at Home Depot. Not too bad. Of course, I used my uncle's professional-grade workshop, which helped. If anybody is wanting to begin a similar project, I'd be happy to go into more detail about what I did. However, I suspect many of you are better at these things than I. Well, that's all.

[emorphien]

For speaker stands I've been really happy with the Wood Technology TMT series (i'm on a budget and they're stable and affordable).

I have build my own 3 shelf rack for my audio components. It was was better to build that for $50 than spend $200 on a bigger rack than I needed with exactly the same design (3/4" MDF suspended on threaded rods).

[dvboy]

I just finished building a set of stands for my B&W 602 S3's.They turned out very well,made it out of 1" mdf,and covered it with a woodgrain finnish.They are filled with sand and are ROCK SOLID and had a very positive effect on the sound.

[jrhymeammo]

Nice work DVBoy!!

I have read that using speaker stands with same Width and Depth as your speakers is said to define bass more than using regular hollowed stands.

-JRA

[MCH]

DVboy
With the sand in your stands wouldn't the speakers sound a little Grainy?! LOL
Just kidding. Those stands look good with those speakers.

[kexodusc]

Nice work DVBoy!!

I have read that using speaker stands with same Width and Depth as your speakers is said to define bass more than using regular hollowed stands.

-JRA

I seriously hope this is a joke, it's kinda funny. The depth would be irrelevant, the width would be largely negligible, though could introduce unwanted reflections and perhaps a bit of boominess in bass. Not better, just different.

Most stands are skinny little things, most standmounts assume they'll be placed on small skinny stands. Otherwise, buy a tower and save yourself the money if you're just going to put a standmount on a big boxy stand.

[spasticteapot]

Sand-filled PVC pipe is supposed to work very well. 10' of 3" PVC pipe is about 10$, a 2'x4' piece of MDF (for the base) is about 7$, and sand is very, very cheap.

[jrhymeammo]

http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/soundstage5.htm

I re-read the article, and this time around I can see why I misunderstood and came to that conclusion in my head. But I do remember reading another article on the Coincident stands somewhere else. This article seems to be worded differently than the one remembered(or created...who knows). If I can find it, I'll defiently be sure to post it.

JRA

[emorphien]

http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/soundstage5.htm

I re-read the article, and this time around I can see why I misunderstood and came to that conclusion in my head. But I do remember reading another article on the Coincident stands somewhere else. This article seems to be worded differently than the one remembered(or created...who knows). If I can find it, I'll defiently be sure to post it.

JRA

Am I to understand he changed speakers midway through that review?

[jrhymeammo]

Am I to understand he changed speakers midway through that review?

The reviewer swtiched between Triumph and Triumph Signature(not UHS or Extreme)
You know what Emorph? That review just simply sucks. This must be what it's like to read what I write.

[KaiWinters]

Nice looking tv stand.
Well done.
I too am thinking about building my own tv stand. I just can't find one that fits my needs and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Enjoy.

[natronforever]

Kai,
Thanks for the compliment. If you ever decide to get started on your TV stand, I'd be happy to go into more detail regarding my own project, should you request it. Good luck!

[emorphien]

Now that I've got my system relocated and tidied up I'll get some pictures of the stand I built for my components.

[jrhymeammo]

Now that I've got my system relocated and tidied up I'll get some pictures of the stand I built for my components.

That'll be cool, man. I've been want'n to see that for a while.

JRA

[natronforever]

It occurs to me I haven't posted a follow-up picture of my TV stand in use. Not that anybody's dying to see it, but I started this thread, and so I just as well see it through. Forgive the blank walls. I'm just renting this house during medical school and didn't want to put lots of holes in the walls. I'd love to upgrade the TV, but my schooling has effectively robbed me of what I used to know as "disposable income". But my couch is close enough to the screen to still be enjoyable. Having a house to myself has made my place a popular spot among my classmates for those days that we are so burned out with school that we just have to veg out with a good movie. The hardwood floors and bare walls don't help the sound any, but the large carpet in helps dampen things down a bit. It's been great to see all of your projects. Hopefully someday I'll have some more time for such things.

[emorphien]

Looks like my TV

I'd love to upgrade my TV too, it's a 27" Sony Wega but I think I'll just ditch it in a few years when I finish my PhD and move. In fact I'm hoping everything in my home theater lasts that long, because a lot of it might not move with me in favor of some newer, better stuff.

My stereo gets all the attention now, as it should!