|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
| by:
Konrad Sauer
photos: Dave Starrett
illustration: Len Churchill |
HIGHER FIDELITY |
| These
elevated stands will give your stereo speakers a lift |
The first few paycheques I earned after high school went toward
the biggest, loudest set of speakers I could afford. The key
features for me were size and volume—and the gigantic set
I bought could shake window panes at half the volume. But 10
years and two kids later, big speakers don’t hold the same
appeal. In fact, they look kind of ugly to me now. Adding to
the eyesore were scrap 1 x 2 boards I used to prop the front
edges off the floor. Yes, my woodworker’s shame led to
these simple, tilted stands. Floor speakers seem to perform
best when the front edge is propped up a few inches. The angle
directs the sound upward rather than straight across the floor.
Material and Design
 |
| Crank
up speaker performance and appearance with this
custom-made, tilted stand. Clean mitre joints and
striking grain give this project lots of power |
|
I decided
to use crotch walnut for my stands because of its dark colour
and attractive grain. Structurally, most woods work fine here,
though you’ll probably have to paint or stain lighter woods
to match the typically dark colour of speaker boxes. Before
cutting into the walnut I cut test pieces from scrap pine, checking
angles and machine settings. It’s a good thing too because
they needed fine-tuning. The hardest part of this project is
the corner mitres; testing on scraps certainly makes it easier.
The chances that your speakers are exactly the same size as
mine are pretty slim, so you’ll have to customize the dimensions
accordingly. Each stand should be big enough to hold the base
of the speaker box within a rabbet groove around the top edge
of the base. You’ll find it easiest to start custom-building
with a piece of scrap ply. Cut it the same size as the footprint
of your speaker plus 1/8", then use it as a benchtop template
for building your own speaker stand.
Tapering Jig
 |
| Hardwood
blocks strengthen the corner joints of the speaker
stand while rabbet grooves hold the tilted speakers
steady |
|
Start by
making a tapering jig for your tablesaw. To build this you will
need a 4"-wide by 18"-long piece of scrap 3/4"-thick
ply. Fasten wood strips to the top of this to hold the side
members steady and at the proper nine-degree angle to the blade.
Cut all four sides together to ensure accuracy. You could also
rough cut the tapers using a jigsaw or a bandsaw and refine
the sawn edges with a hand plane. Next, cut the front and back
pieces, leaving the top edges at nine-degrees.
Ready for the Real Thing
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
|
Once you’ve
test-fitted the pine parts and made the required adjustments,
cut the walnut using the same machine settings. Then prepare
the rabbet grooves that will hold the speakers. The easiest
approach involves a bearing-equipped rabbeting bit in a table-mounted
router. If
you’re using highly figured woods, as I did, make the rabbeting
cut in several shallow passes. Otherwise,
aggressive routing will lead to splinters and large chips. Before
final gluing, dry fit again, this time around the speakers.
Although
I strengthened the mitres using glue blocks, you can use biscuits
instead if you prefer. As for the finish, I applied two coats
of oil and then rubbed in a coat of wax. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Material |
Size |
Qty. |
| Fronts |
black
walnut |
5/8"
x 2 3/4" x 15 7/8" |
2 |
| Backs |
black
walnut |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 15 7/8" |
2 |
| Sides |
black
walnut |
5/8"
x 2 1/2" *
x
13 5/8" |
4 |
| Front
blocks |
black
walnut |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 2 1/2" |
4 |
| Rear
blocks |
black
walnut |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 5/8" |
4 |
| *
Tapers down to 5/8" |
|
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
