So the wife expressed an interest in the stands I made and asked if I was going to make a TV table for it. I replied that I wanted to make a matching table and a new pair of speaker stands for the main speakers. My plan is to meld it all together for a seamless look that doesnt cost an arm and a leg. so to go along with the speaker stands here...

The table is the tricky part for two reasons. The first is that I have to bond 2 2x12's to each other. I will probably just use a cross plate. I could get fancy and fish plate it, but I want this to be able to be built by anyone. Keeping it simple will be key. But, I dont want the TV collapsing it. The second is the spacing for the components. Most of the components on the market average 17.5 inches wide. I have a few oddballs including a laser disk player which measures 18 inches. So the compartments in the middle will be ever so slightly wider than the sides.

The plans are drawn up, and all I need to do now is get the wood and schedule 40 PVC. It will have humble beginnings, but should turn out very nice.

Here is a shot of the plans and I will embed the PDF file into this thread.

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This should be fun...

SamuraiJack

So you may be asking yourself.."hey jack? Why new stands?"

Well, Let me show you...

Behold the ungodly mess that is my AV system. With the previous TV a lot was hidden and was relatively neat. Now its has kind of blown up and its a little hard to organize. Note the table that the TV sits on. Those are speaker stands and the table top is a slab of granite. The toys are a bone of contention with me and the kids, but I like the fact that they play so hard and work so hard at playing...

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As you can see, its a mish-mosh of quality components, but it has no stage and no completeness.
I'm going to change that.
I aim to misbehave...

This next picture is a shot of my speakers. A vintage pair of DBx Sound field 100's. A terrific pair of speakers and their "stands" which are milk crates wrapped in green towels...
The towels were to distract an Abyssinian cat I had. It was either those or my grills... The grills won.

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Like the Bear Skull? Its from a Canadian Grizzly. The bear is my family's totem animal.


Finally the original speaker stands I made a few weeks ago. I am going to take the theme of right angles separated by tubes and infuse the front part of this room with it. Its going to be inexpensive, easy and its going to finally give me the look I want.

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I'm guessing that this will take about 100 dollars US and a total of 6-8 hours of work. We'll see...

Wow. That entertainment area looks totally familiar to me (Well, without the gorgeous wood panel walls and way hooge TV set.) The theme of kids' toys tucked into every avaialble nook and cranny is quite familiar though.

Yes, those kids can be quite a handful. Especially when they start walking...


So where was I?

Ah yes...

Its Saturday and Im mowing. Got a nice place off to the side that I dont visit often. I spot something grey. Im working on building a wall, so Im always looking for rocks. The grey is too uniform to be a rock...

So I creep up and observe....yes...Pipus North Americanus Electricus...just sticking up out of the leaves.

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BONUS!
Now I dont have to buy schedule 40 or cut it down at the store! So I drag it out hoping its not a scrap...

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Its not. Its 8 feet of resources for me! Now Im starting to feel even better about the project. Its a bit grungy, but its free and it will help clean up. I hate to waste resources.

Since this is going to be used as the spacers in the table and speaker stands, they all have to be a uniform length. Some folks like to do this by measuring, but I like to use a block for multiple cuts, that way if you are off, at least all your cuts are off by the same length.

To do this I place and clamp a 2x4 firmly into place where it will give 7 inches of cut including the waster from the blade. Thats 7 1/8 for folks who are picky. After the blade eats its way through, they will be an even 7 inches long. Which just happens to be 1 inch taller than the average component...

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Go patiently with this and cut the long pieces in half to make them easier to work with. If you have a friend, even better...Wear your glasses too. The shavings on this are like fingernails. Try not to work in a hot environment when you do it too. After I was done, I looked like a stainless steel yeti...

So here they are, all cut and ready to be washed...Yes. Washed. This pipe was in the ground for 10 years at least. Its really icky...

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Another shot...

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Like I said. Icky. First we have to let them dry out and lose their static charge. The plastic shavings will stick to them after you cut them. Only sometimes. Then we have to take the a quick rush at them with a sanding block and then we must do the unthinkable...

Yes. We are going to put them in the dish washer...

Thats why you REALLY want all the plastic shavings off. They will clog your washer if you dont.

hey sj,

the last two pics look like july 4th fire crackers ready to go....

looking interesting so far.

fw

Funny, I thought the same thing...They look a lot like a rocket bank.

So its Monday...
The day has sucked, but I might as well risk it.
I empty the dishwasher while my wife takes the children to camp. I get an approving look as she goes out the door. Yes, Jack is a Ladies Man....uhmmm....well....one anyway...

As soon as the car pulls out of the driveway, its go time! I hastily remove the strainer and plug the bottom with that funky netting you get onions in.
Then I go to get the pipe pieces, the theme from "Mission Impossible" Floating through my head as I carry two buckets of seven inch grey pipe pieces.

I quickly fill the sink and start with a basic rinse. After rinsing all the pipes I am left with this...

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Its mostly plastic but there are some leaves in it. If this had gone into the dishwasher SamuraiJack's plans with his lady would go right to the dogs...

And here they are ready to be washed. Im going to use a plastic brightener on them along with a regular detergent and a tablespoon of baking soda. This should scratch up the outside surface. I was hoping to avoid sanding. This will probably be the one time I CANT count on dishwasher pitting...

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More when they are done.

If I get them back to the shop before she comes home from the lake, I will be a very happy SamuraiJack!

Well...
Apparently this dirt is just too much for the dishwasher. I'm going to have to scrub it off by hand. I figure I will combine that with the rough up for the outside. I would have had to sand them anyway and the majority of the dirt is gone. I'm definitely going to want to use the plastic based paint for this.
Im also toying with the idea of using 3/4 pine for the middle shelf to make it blend more with the stands.

SJ

sand blasting works wonders for this !

... if you have access to one

gs

Sure! C'mon up!

Nope gonna do this one the old fashioned way...by hand.

sorry, didn't mean to imply I had one... I used to have access to a "bench type" one... it would have made this job easy... plus those things are really fun to play with.

as with most things DIY, it all comes down to doing things by hand!

gs

Ahh hand sanding and painting. I have to do these kind of slow. My garage is hotter than hades...

A picture of the units after a light sand and a coat of very basic black enamel spray paint.

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I will move forward on this a little more when the weather breaks....

Time so far into the project: an hour, maybe an hour and 15

Made a few more of the tube pieces over the weekend and then came to a conclusion.
2x12's are overkill in a big way.

The TV weights a bit over a 100 pounds and thats pretty much it. By my figuring, the table would weigh more than the TV!

So Im going to substitute 3/4 pine and use a cross brace to make the surfaces. The cross slats will sit between each set of tubes and will be pretty much invisible from head on. The bottom of the unit will have the same treatment so it "floats " a little bit from the carpet. I may use 2 slats there so I can get a good suspended effect.

Dont know what I was thinking. Its a serious waste of good wood...
(Not to mention it will be much easier to get 1x12 home from the store versus 2x12...)

No AV room would be complete without a claymore and battle axe hanging on the wall!

are you still using the pvc bowflex screen for the pj behind the tele? or will you be incorporating a motorized telescoping rod system from the new tv table?



I'm wanting to build a component chest of sorts now that I ordered an IR distribution system.. so again, I will be following your progress marked interest. Have you thought of stripping the television? hehe

The sword is actually a bastard sword. The battle axe is East Indian. Nice piece. Very light. I have gone through 5 or 6 of them.

I actually gave in and bough a 9 foot by 12 foot screen which hides behind the last rafter in the ceiling. Just reach up and pulll it down and the entire wall becomes a screen and hides the TV and large speakers.

Okay, I have to ask. How do you go through 5 or 6 battle axes? (besides divorce that is)

Practice, Practice, Practice...

note to self: "don't mess with SJ..."

nice touch to the 'ol resume... " battle axe combat cerified ".

Nah...that ones pretty much dedicated to house intruders...although I did
'persuade" some bikers off my property with it once...

Badddd Boy,, heheheh

Fess up. These were neighbor kids on tricycles weren't they?

and they were all under 8 years of age,,,, sammmmm,,, real bad boy,, spank spank

Don't EVEN bring his spanking fetish to the surface!!!

ohh dear me ,,, ummmm oops ummmism's

sowwy

Nah just some guys on riceburners who thought my driveway was a road. They came up, stopped at the top and started to look confused cause they were looking to hide from the police. Just speeders. So they were trying to get behind the fence. I came out. My friends Ray and Tom were over sayin Hi. These guys arent listening, so Ray says really loudly " YOU WANT YOUR AXE?"

6 seconds later I have my trusty axe in hand which I spin and set for them to make sure they were paying attention.
Lots of stammering, a few "sorry"s and one "were just gonna go now..."

Didnt help that Ray was bouncing up and down next to me going " Oooo! Oooo! Can I used the BIG SWORD?"

Well, we all have our moments...

Dude, now I wanna see you do some axe handling. I have a feeling it would be very entertaining!

Yeah... I've had a few interesting times with my hand and a half and katana. I didn't
realize for the longest time that people bought swords to keep them on the wall.

It was interesting explaining to the wife (oh so long ago) why it was a good idea that
I had a 3 1/2' long sword to play with. It went something like this:

"What's that?"
"What?"
"That thing in the long package?"
"(murmur murmur)"
"What?"
"A spring steel hand and a half."
"Another sword?"
"This one is so much better than the other one!"
"Why?"
[This is where I couldn't think of anything rational.]
"Cause it's big and shiny and sharp."
"Right."

Needless to say, she got her own little shopping spree out of that one.

I don't suppose they're this Tom and Ray.

Nope just a couple of jokers who I occasionally hang out with...

wait no more... SJ: The Teen Years... ... I believe that is the threaded rod used to make his speaker stands... (my feable attempt to go back on topic... if you choose that road )

BTW, nice story... talk about heading up the wrong road...

gs

Actually I spent most of my teen years walking around with a katana on my shoulder and an antique license so I could carry it in public. I didnt discover the axe until I designed one and then realized what an incredible tool it was...

Alright back on topic!


I STILL havent managed to get enough time together to put a few lengths of wood in my car and bring them home...but I have decided that I would take the 2x12s out and use standard wood. I will brace the seam with a strip and also use the strip as a centering device for the tube. Should make things easier. I will be using a 2x4 base for the unit so it sort of "floats" on the carpet. Im shooting for the illusion that its just three shelves. The rest should blend in well. I need to alter my plans. If I could just remember where I stored them....

I can't wait to see how this comes out. I think it will be great by the looks of the speaker stands and the basic design of this tv stand.

A certain member has helped me get past my aversion to plywood, so I think I might be making the shelves out of 3/4 oak ply...This project has been on hold for a bit in light of other things going on...

sooooooo......

A friend says to me..."Hey? What are these tubes?" When we were in the garage looking for something. Hey! My table tubes and my plans! Whoa! Why didnt I finish this?

Well, lets juts say that Jack got sidetracked trying to get the wood home and ended up getting new car, then things snowballed from there...I love my life.

So where were we?
Ah yes...wood. I decided I shall just use some standard pine. So I will need 6 pieces of 6 foot long 3/4x1 foot pine plank. In my "new to me" car, they will be easy to get home. The problem is that we have suits up from Central all week so I cant shop til the weekend.

Yes, Im going to brave the Depot!