"Finished" DIY A/V Stand

[rumonkey2]

A while back, I started a thread about my DIY entertainment center.
About to buy new flat screen & needed something to accommodate this along w/ my 3 XLS across the front. Found nothing large enough that I liked, so I set out on DIY Path...

A buddy "owed" me for helping w/ his set-up. He does cabinet work, so he offered up a sheet of 3/4 Birch Ply & making some of the basic cuts for me based on this cutsheet:



I'm a tightwad, so looking for ideas for support post, I came up w/ 1-1/2 SCH40 PVC. Fastened to shelving levels w/ slip caps bolted to ply. I was lucky to find flat faced slip caps. This is a terrible drawing of what the stand would look like:



Well, he made the cuts and I started cutting PVC. Used tubing cutter to ensure accuracy for perfect seating. Wore my wrist out doing this!






Questions and concerns about lateral shift due to my connections & damping of PVC post. After much deliberation, I thought I would use pipe straps tied together w/ flat iron on each level. And damping PVC? I thought about sand filling, but didn't wanna add that much weight. So, came up with this:


Don't know if I would be able to "hear" a difference, but knew it was there

Component & speaker level build:


I forgot to take pics of underside w/ casters. 3 pair of 2" double wheel...
FlatPanel Level:


I had to assemble/disassemble/reassemble about 3 times for fitting/measurements/finishing, etc. With the final assembly, post seated w/ a trusty rubber mallet, I was pleasantly surprised just how stable it was! I am able to stand on top tier & no side to side. Front to rear balance is good too.
Level? The bubble stays between the lines all directions!
Virtually no lateral shift - without strapping post together So, I didn't bother...
All together now - with paint & stain!





I have added 3rd coat of stain: Red Mahogany Varathane. W/ third coat, very nice complement to my MNS XLS. Not sure whether or not to tung oil, poly, or just leave as is. Gotta touch up/paint bolt heads as I didn't countersink - several reasons. So, just some finishing touches to go!
And, a few more weeks before I get new flat screen...no rush really!
The leftover cuts I'm building matching "coffee table" for pics & media...
It does look a little "odd" nekid - so, there will be more pics when in place & 100% complete.
Finished, it will raise my XLS from 16" off ground to 22". TV pier a little higher than ideal for perfect(eye level center of screen) viewing, but I was gonna sacrifice that for SQ... will be 42" screen,if not bigger

Just what I needed to replace this:

[Mike P.]

It's looking good! Including the price of a sheet of 3/4 Birch Ply, what was your total cost for the project?

[rumonkey2]

Let's see:

3/4 Birch Ply 4x8 Sheet - $38 (Free to me)
2 - 1.5" Sch 40 PVC 10' - $10
32 - 1.5" Slip Caps - $10
Pipe Insulation - $ 6
Hardware - $20 (casters, machine screws, fender washers, nuts)
Primer & Paint - $12
Quart Stain - $ 9
----------
Total $105
If I tung oil or poly, add another $8-10 i guess...
Considering the size of the stand (80" wide) + the extra table I'm getting out of it (included all this in price), I'm more than pleased. I didn't "glue" the PVC either, so it is somewhat "modular" if I ever wanna reconfigure for any reason.

I'm gonna start on some DIY speaker cables next - just for the fronts...
Not looking for sonic differences. More aesthetics & something to do to kill the time waiting to buy new TV (will be Sept - BONUS time). Plus, I just need banana plugs for "convenience" Gonna do a take on the WhiteLightning build...
Likely to be a 16/3 orange cord covered w/ Blue TechFlex (see my avi!), Atlona bananas....


Thanks for looking!

[thxgoon]

Nice work! Nothing better than a piece of gear custom to your system

[splitz]

Nice!