Easy Inexpensive DIY Speaker Stands

**rumonkey2** · **01-28-07, 11:19 AM**

Not being the handiest w/ woodwork - mainly because I don't have the tools - I was looking for an easy solution for some basic DIY speaker stands. Wandering around an arts & crafts store, these struck me as "doable".
Basic unfinished pine (or basewood for a little more $$) plaques & CD crates. Picked up 2- 9x6, 2- 11x9 and 2 crates 6x6x15 for roughly $18. 8 woodscrews, wood glue, sandpaper, stain/paint & poly - $12.
Slapped a pair together in about 10 minutes - then did a quick finish job just for my current speakers.

**rumonkey2** · **01-28-07, 11:21 AM**

OK, didn't take my time on finishing these...just wanted to get them functional. Plan on doing the same thing once I get some X-LS. Will add some spikes & use rubber feet to decouple. Will have to go 1 size up w/ plaques to accommodate size of x-ls & have found crate about 1" longer(taller in this case) that will put tweeter at around 34" (I believe) once spikes & feet are added. This should be just about right once I'm slightly reclined. Not perfect, I know, but more than adequate & sturdier than I thought they may be.
Will take my time on finishing new ones!

**Chrisbee** · **01-28-07, 11:42 AM**

Your stands certainly look the part!

You can always tilt the speakers back slightly on the stand top plate to point the tweeter at your normal ear level.

It amounts to the same thing as raising your speakers on taller stands.

Tilting may even offer a slight bass boost due to the proximity of the floor in comparison with a very tall stand with lots of air around the speaker.

Be sure your stands are stable enough so that the speakers won't take a nose dive if somebody or a pet brushes against them accidentally.

**Prof.** · **01-28-07, 07:04 PM**

Nice job on the stands rumonkey...That's called "Thinking outside the square"...

**rumonkey2** · **01-28-07, 07:20 PM**

Thanks guys. When I build next ones, I'll probably go PVC as post so I can sand load. No need to crate cds/dvds when upgrade will be used in HT room w/ front pj.
PVC will also allow me to build taller stands for surrounds. Will still use plaques as plates for a more finished look....

**Geoff St. Germain** · **02-01-07, 04:09 PM**

Hey, great job. I built a couple of stands for my JBL bookshelf speakers. I used 2" PVC pipe and some solid oak. They're based on the TNT stubby. Much cheaper than pretty much anything I've seen at local shops and I think they look better as well.

**canaris** · **02-01-07, 08:00 PM**

I used the "stubby" idea to make these..the top and bottom is attached with a 3/8 rod going right through.. the only thing I found some 4 inch aluminium tubing at a recycler..to use for the middle.

**RAW** · **02-24-07, 10:28 PM**

I recommend 4 pieces of 2" PVC cut to the length and run ready rod threw them from top to bottom.
Makes a very stable stand when you use 1.25" MDF on the bottom and .75" MDF on the top

**Geoff St. Germain** · **02-24-07, 10:42 PM**

Here's a picture of one of my completed stands.

**RAW** · **02-24-07, 11:13 PM**

We also use MDF 6" square boxs then you can fill them with sand.

**RAW** · **02-24-07, 11:18 PM**

Here is a maple pair with bases painted black.

Not to bad to make just the finishing time in the veneer.

**SteveCallas** · **02-24-07, 11:33 PM**

I built a pair of these a while back when auditioning some bookshelves. PVC, MDF, threaded rod, and some spray paint. Cost me about $15.

**RAW** · **02-25-07, 10:07 AM**

Now that looks sweet.Well done.

Did you have to add any weight in the center to make them stable?

**canaris** · **02-25-07, 11:04 AM**

Those look nice Steve...

I guess the weight of the speaker keeps them steady.

**SteveCallas** · **02-25-07, 01:47 PM**

The middle is hollow because they were just a quick project at the time - if I kept the bookshelves as mains, I would have sealed up the seam where the rod meets the MDF with caulk and then filled the PVC with sand. Kept hollow though, there are no stability issues, the bases are quite large at ~14.5"x9".

**MikeL** · **03-10-07, 08:51 PM**

I did these for rear speakers stands for a friend from work. Pictures aren't great and made them probably about 6 inches to high and I should have made the top plate the exact same depth as the speaker....width was good though.

**kano32** · **03-12-07, 02:39 PM**

Nice job MikeL!

Nice job SteveCallas!

I love DIY.

**FlashJim** · **03-13-07, 10:54 AM**

Quote:

Geoff St. Germain wrote:

Here's a picture of one of my completed stands.

Geoff,

These are quite nice!

**Geoff St. Germain** · **03-13-07, 11:46 AM**

Quote:

FlashJim wrote:

Geoff,

These are quite nice!

Thanks Jim.

**Hunter844** · **12-08-07, 12:56 PM**

I'm going with the Stubby plan, but I can't seem to find any black 3'' pvc around town or any black pvc for that matter. Any alternatives anyone can think of? I would use metal fence post or "top-rail" but I'm concerned about added noise they may cause.

I selected a very looking piece of red oak and I think it will turn out nice once I get everything together.

Also I think I got raped on the 3/8 all-thread I just bought. I thought $2.36 per was a bit high for a couple 3 foot sticks....got home and looked at the receipt and it was 12.36 a stick! Yikes, I may take them back and shove them up somebody's pooper hole.

**jwhite8086** · **12-08-07, 08:10 PM**

You mean I bought some ugly unstable $40 stands , and I can make some

at work for free.
"were is my walmart receipt".

**Hunter844** · **12-09-07, 06:44 PM**

RE: Stubby design.

What is used as adhesive to apply the base to the PVC pipe? I used black silcone caulking but it doesn't appear to be worth a for this purpose. Would wood glue work?

This is my first attempt at speaker stands. They are turning out decent, I don't have enough fancy wood working tools or know-how to do a real good professional job.

**Geoff St. Germain** · **12-09-07, 08:04 PM**

I used threaded rod to compress both ends down onto the PVC pipe.

**yourgrandma** · **12-09-07, 09:59 PM**

If my camera's usb worked, id take some pictures of the stands I built.

I originally built a pair of stands for my ProMonitors by stacking MDF plates I cut to the shape of the speaker and gluing them. Obviously, the result wasnt very appealing, so after hours of sanding the high spots down, I filled the low spots with Bondo and used a combination of flat, gloss and semigloss paint to very closely match the finish of the speakers. Only problem was that one of them was never finished and ended up destroyed in my shop, so I built another pair of the kind I was using for my BP2x's.

Thet are a 1/4" plate on the bottom with some 2x2x1/4 mild steel tubing and another 1/4" plate on top, I drilled and tapped holes with plugs for lead shot that i never put in there.

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