How to build your own budget speaker stands

[dwil80]

Originally Posted by yellowblanket

i must be the only one who think this design is rather rubish?

sorry, just my personal opinion, first of all, it's just look trashy with the pvp pipe especially with the spray paint on it, secondly *sand*? *cat litter*? i'm sorry but that is rather sound very unattractive nor effective. I love DIY project and respect every aspect of it but custom DIY project gotta have class, it's first intention should not be about saving money but oughta be about "Hey man, look, i built that, do you think you could do that?"
The other guy then say "Ummm yeah, i could spend 25 bucks and buy a pair of stand that would look far more elegant and classy and IS THAT CAT LITTER you filled in?" *mind the joke, the cat litter was not the OP's idea, someone said it and made me laugh*

So before you built any DIY project, just look at what is out there? if you think you could do better and your custom works are to have more effeciency then by all mean, do the damn thing. The people that design those stand that sell across the country/world are by far one of best in what they do.

LOL, with all due respect, my intention was not to diss the OP, it's just purely contructed critism, tough one at best. Contructed as in, you should prime first before paint, spikes for leg, great for carpet or wood floor and does make a diffences in sound, you could have hide the wire withing the stand, ect... *attention to detail is what make DIY custom works so great*

but here is the estimate price for the whole project *i went to LOWES earlier to buy some dirt for my landscaping job*
(2) 12"x12" plank, 1.5" thick - $ 11.95
(2) 10"x10" plank, 1.5" thick - free since you can just use the one above
(2) 3" wide 2' tall PVC pipes - $ 9.97
(1) Can of wood stain (finish, color choice is up to you, I chose Colonial Maple 223) -$5.97 (smaller one is more than you need really $2.97)
(1) Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint, semi-gloss black - $3.95
(4) Washers - $0.48 for 4
(4) Nuts, size depends on rod size of choice -$.60 for 4
(1) Threaded rod - $3.95
i won't price the sand nor the cat litter =) if you need cat litter, i can send you some, it's used but it have the same weight!

it should be around $30 bucks in total, price may vary in different states.


this one is 31 american dollars

CONGRADUATION, for one more extra dollar, you will save yourself hours and hours of spraying, screwing, cutting, staining, ect...

*stand back and put on the flame shield* lol i'll get burn for this

I bought those stands and they look alright but they are by no means the sturdiest speaker stands out there. Good for saving money but thats about it.

I like the speaker stand you built here. I think with a router and some round edges put on the corners and top it would look even better. Also if anyone is doing this yourselves I don't think he mentioned in the step-by-step but to find the center of the wood you just draw a line from one corner to the other and repeat for the other two corners to form on X. at the center of the X is the center point for your boards.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by yellowblanket

i must be the only one who think this design is rather rubish?

sorry, just my personal opinion, first of all, it's just look trashy with the pvp pipe especially with the spray paint on it, secondly *sand*? *cat litter*? i'm sorry but that is rather sound very unattractive nor effective. I love DIY project and respect every aspect of it but custom DIY project gotta have class, it's first intention should not be about saving money but oughta be about "Hey man, look, i built that, do you think you could do that?"
The other guy then say "Ummm yeah, i could spend 25 bucks and buy a pair of stand that would look far more elegant and classy and IS THAT CAT LITTER you filled in?"

I considered using cat litter (and was the one who gave the advice to go that direction)

Couple things....

1) my local HT shop suggested it to me as an option.

2) I didn't feel the need to do it because the stands were sturdy/heavy enough

3) these are my speaker stands.....

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/B_W_...ds_p/fs700.htm

I got them for $350 for the pair, and I don't think filling them with kitty-litter (had I gone that route) would have ever come up in conversation.... and if It had, who cares??? and if I had stands that weren't as heavy, and constructed of PVC/Wood I'd probably fill them with cat-litter.

[gmrankin]

here is a website dedicated to the art of the home made speaker stand.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html



Also, I have those Sanus stands and they are very unstable if you are using a heavy speaker. I wouldnt use them around small children or animals. Something will end up broken, either your kid or your speaker.

[syncguy]

Yes, safety is paramount and therefore the stands should be stable. Otherwise it could become a safety hazard for the family members and/or visitors.

[GotToyota?]

For those questioning the sturdiness of the stands, these are VERY sturdy. I couldn't imagine what they would be like with the extra weight of added sand or something of the like.

-Matt

[quest88]

great job awesome post. How long did it take to make them.

[Drew664]

Very nice!

This makes me want to try something very similar to what you have done. With some differences:

- Use silica sand to fill the tubes (seal pvc pipe with caulk)
- Have either thick rounded glass tops or inlaid mirror tops instead of wood

I am no Bob Vila, so if anyone sees any problems with this let me know.

How else would someone give these things a sharper look/better performance?

[GotToyota?]

Originally Posted by quest88

great job awesome post. How long did it take to make them.

Took about 5-6 hours. The longest part was the actual finishing of the wood, which took up a majority of the time. I'd say assembly itself only took about 20 minutes for both.

-Matt

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by GotToyota?

I hope you enjoyed this guide, and I hoped it was helpful to you. I encourage everybody to give this a shot, save yourself some money, and learn about building while doing it. Just to give you an idea of difficulty level, I've never worked with wood because and this is how I did.

Have fun, guys!



-Matt

Mine were of a similar design, but instead of 1 central pipe I used 3 smaller metal pipes(1" rigid conduit) for the added weight. Also where the pipes contacted the wood I used a 1 3/8" Forstner bit(the diameter of 1'" conduit) to drill about 1/4" into the wood so the pipe actually sits inside and is locked in place. Nice job for your first project, though somebody should have warned you how addictive woodworking is. You'll never be able to look at anything again without thinking "I can build that".

[crackinhedz]

wow, can't believe this is the first time reading through this thread. Nice job Toyota.

Sticky'd

[prerich]

Originally Posted by gmrankin

here is a website dedicated to the art of the home made speaker stand.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html



Also, I have those Sanus stands and they are very unstable if you are using a heavy speaker. I wouldnt use them around small children or animals. Something will end up broken, either your kid or your speaker.

Best Buy tried to sell me a pair of those Sanus stands also...for $95.00. I gave them as a gift for my son who has a pair of Paradigm Atoms that he likes to listen to when hes not playing his Polk Audio SDA 2a's. They brought those stands out and I picked up the middle piece and looked for somewhere to place a filler (they needed it - too light). The salesman suggested that dig a hole down the top of the stand - right, I couldn't return it then. I went to CC and found a pair of speaker stands on clearance for $58.00 with carpet spikes and - fillable!!!! Needless to say this is what we got and my son loves them. The Sanus may "look" good but they add to the sound - not sturdy enough.

[GotToyota?]

I'd appreciate anymore constructive criticism from you guys.

-Matt

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by GotToyota?

I'd appreciate anymore constructive criticism from you guys.

-Matt

Not criticism, but a suggestion for a different look. Instead of PVC pipe use 1x4 boards and miter the edges so when attached together they make a square. Then a few pieces of trim top and bottom, and router the edges of the base and top.

[daniel2229]

I recently bought an entertainment center to house my new Sony 40 inch Bravia LCD. First, I placed the speakers on top of the unit. The wife did not like the look. OK. Then I placed the speakers behind the TV and found that the sound was a little cave-like because they are pushed all the way to the back of the cabinet.

Got an idea to buy speaker stands to lift the speakers up so that most of the sound passes over the top of the TV. Looked around town for speakers about 24 inches high and found none that I was willing to spend my cash on.

Then I remembered somewhere seeing stands made from PVC pipes. I went to Home Depot and got four toilet drain hold downs and a length of four inch PVC pipe. I just added some pipe dope to the joints and placed a toilet connector to each end of a 23 inch length of pipe. I painted the finished piece black and attached with screws to the cabinet just behind the TV. I also placed double sided tape on the bottom of the speakers to prevent their vibrating off the stands.

Now the speakers sound normal. The total cost was less than $25.

[messym]

Nice. Do you have a pic of the setup?

[David Mamet]

Originally Posted by daniel2229

Got an idea to buy speaker stands to lift the speakers up so that most of the sound passes over the top of the TV. Looked around town for speakers about 24 inches high and found none that I was willing to spend my cash on.

You really have to have pictures with this thread.

[brett_day]

yep picutres would be awesome! i am in need of some good cheap speaker stands for my rear speakers!

[daniel2229]

OK, here are my versions of cheap stands. Four toilet bases, four inch PVC pipe cut to 23 inches long. I cut the pipe to 23 inches on my miter saw. Add a little blue or red pipe dope (left over from another plumbing job) to cement the PVC together and half a can of satin black spray paint.

I used four short drywall screws to attach the stands to the shelf of my entertainment cabinet and double sided tape on the bottom of the speakers.

The cost was less than $25 including tax at Home Depot. The whole project took 15 minutes and most of that was waiting for the paint to dry, which accounts for the finger prints in the photo!

I'll give you the toilet bases are crude, but since no one is going to see them, they fit the bill.

[GotToyota?]

Just a quick bump to see if anyone else has attempted this.

-Matt

[abynum1]

You defintely want the bottom board to be bigger than the top, like in the pic gmrankin posted. Also, if you do fill it with sand,kitty litter,moon dust, or whatever, you dont want to fill it all the way to the top as someone suggessted.That defeats the purpose of keeping it from being top heavy.
I think the idea of placing sealed bags inside was a great idea as you dont have to worry about sealing the pvc. Fill it about half way up with those,coupled with a larger board on the bottom, and your set.
Oh, and run your wires thru the pvc, it'll defintely look better!