Dan Barber
06-02-2003, 8:40 PM
After entering the digital entertainment world a couple of weekends back, I was left with a surround sound system with four satellite speakers and no place to mount them. I checked out the commercially available stands and nearly choked at the price - so I decided to make my own.
The following pictures show what I came up with. The bases are made from the remnants of a window cut out from a particle board core oak door that has been hanging around my shop for the last 10 or 12 years.
<CENTER>
<img src="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danbarber/Speakerstands/base.jpg"></CENTER>
The core was 1 3/4" thick and heavy, which was a prerequisite for this application. I also had some 1/4" thick 2" wide oak strips left from a prior project. I used the strips to edge band the bases which ended up about 12" square.
The supporting member is 1/2" EMT conduit bent into an offset to place the center of gravity of the speaker directly over the mounting point of the EMT into the base. The mounting was accomplished with a 1/2" EMT to 1/2" flexible conduit adapter. I picked this fitting as it's outside diameter was exactly 5/8" which permitted a nominal 5/8" hole to be drilled into the base, The fitting has some partial male threads on the outside which screwed perfectly into the base.
<CENTER>
<img src="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danbarber/Speakerstands/side.jpg"></CENTER>
A couple of mounting holes at the top for some screws and a coat of semi-gloss black spray paint for finish. I put four nail on furniture glides on the base to provide clearance for the speaker wire to go under the base and up the conduit.
I would estimate there is a total investment of 3 hours and $25 in all four - two 34" high and two 54" high.
Nothing spectacular and certainly not fine woodworking, but I thought it might give some ideas to other folks. A couple of layers of 3/4" MDF laminated together would work equally as well for a base and would be pretty reasonable in price as well.
Cheers,
Dan
PS. That is not Fluffy in the picture, that is Shadow - who rules the house BTW :)
The following pictures show what I came up with. The bases are made from the remnants of a window cut out from a particle board core oak door that has been hanging around my shop for the last 10 or 12 years.
<CENTER>
<img src="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danbarber/Speakerstands/base.jpg"></CENTER>
The core was 1 3/4" thick and heavy, which was a prerequisite for this application. I also had some 1/4" thick 2" wide oak strips left from a prior project. I used the strips to edge band the bases which ended up about 12" square.
The supporting member is 1/2" EMT conduit bent into an offset to place the center of gravity of the speaker directly over the mounting point of the EMT into the base. The mounting was accomplished with a 1/2" EMT to 1/2" flexible conduit adapter. I picked this fitting as it's outside diameter was exactly 5/8" which permitted a nominal 5/8" hole to be drilled into the base, The fitting has some partial male threads on the outside which screwed perfectly into the base.
<CENTER>
<img src="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danbarber/Speakerstands/side.jpg"></CENTER>
A couple of mounting holes at the top for some screws and a coat of semi-gloss black spray paint for finish. I put four nail on furniture glides on the base to provide clearance for the speaker wire to go under the base and up the conduit.
I would estimate there is a total investment of 3 hours and $25 in all four - two 34" high and two 54" high.
Nothing spectacular and certainly not fine woodworking, but I thought it might give some ideas to other folks. A couple of layers of 3/4" MDF laminated together would work equally as well for a base and would be pretty reasonable in price as well.
Cheers,
Dan
PS. That is not Fluffy in the picture, that is Shadow - who rules the house BTW :)