pucho812
Well-known member
Was thinking about use pipe combined with pipe flanges to go between base and tops as speaker stands. Anyone know where I could find how much weight it can support at the various diameters?
Iron plumbing pipe
- Thread starter pucho812
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Help Support GroupDIY Audio Forum:
You probably could find some calculator online for profile loading, but that probably won't limit your design. Most critical part probably would be at the base and depending on how you tied the flanges to the base that could be the limiting factor for the pipe/flange size. Then, what materials are your base made from and how do you plan to tie them together would be the first questions, then how much force you are expecting to support and you then will have the diameter you'll need for the flange. I would start for a 12/15" speaker with some less than 2" pipe but not much less, I don't know your application though.
JS
JS
pucho812 said:
The weakest part will be where the threads are cut into the pipe. Look at it like a thinner wall-thickness pipe. There are probably specs for shear and compression strength.
JR
PS When I was a young puke I used some pipe and flanges (and eye glass lenses) to make the adjustable focus for a DIY microscope... Did I mention I was a young puke? 8)
madswitcher
Well-known member
The other thing you could try is scaffolding poles - a bit OTT, but it will take any load you want. You can be a bit rough with it to get a good finish or put it on a lathe and skim it. To fix it to the platforms, use threaded rod going up the centre of the tubes and then bolted top and bottom over washers. The speaker on the top should cover the nuts etc. and you won't see the bottom ones.
Cheers
Mike
Cheers
Mike
pucho812
Well-known member
well I am thinking rectangle base out of wood rectangle top that is smaller then the base. From there multiple pipes holding it up and not just one big one. This would distribute weight a little more evenly. In the end the price will not be cheaper so much as it will fit a look. I was also thinking about filling the pipes with sand to prevent ringing....
I will once again give away my design for super freakin killer speaker stands. No one I know of has taken my advice.
Fill a base or bucket with sand. Put a 3" pipe into the sand to the height you want. Fill that with sand. Take a short piece of 2" pipe and attach the speaker platform to it. Take the 2" pipe and nest it in the 3" pipe.
The speaker is now super decoupled. It can be a little tricky to keep the sand where you want it. You can use your mechanical engineering skills to keep the sand where you want it. I have tricks for that too.
Fill a base or bucket with sand. Put a 3" pipe into the sand to the height you want. Fill that with sand. Take a short piece of 2" pipe and attach the speaker platform to it. Take the 2" pipe and nest it in the 3" pipe.
The speaker is now super decoupled. It can be a little tricky to keep the sand where you want it. You can use your mechanical engineering skills to keep the sand where you want it. I have tricks for that too.
pucho812
Well-known member
Gold said:
interesting. So the base is a bucket? How do you move the stands after being built without spilling sand. hmmmmm
pucho812 said:
Any container that can hold the sand. I'm fond of food service bins.
That is the tricky part. It's hard to make the sand do exactly what you want which is why I think people are scared off it. If it's for a high traffic place where random people screw with things, it may not be appropriate because you can't lock it down. That's kinda the point. It's very well decoupled.
If you can set and forget then you can brace the pipe with fins and other stabilizers and move the assembly carefully to tweak. Or just move carefully without the extra work.
It's easier with PVC pipe because you can cut pieces of PVC as needed and attach them with the purple adhesive.
joaquins said:
The idea is to have the loosest bond possible without having anything move. Sand is unique in this way. It has the density of concrete but can convert mechanical energy into heat very efficiently. Having a hard bond to the edge of the container like with silicone will decrease performance quite a bit.
pucho812
Well-known member
hmmmm now I am thinking sand could be used in other areas as well, floors, inside the walls. etc. How well does it keep sound in and out? might be onto something here
pucho812 said:
Extremely well. Like i said above it's a unique material. It has the density of concrete so provides mass, but also has sound absorbing properties because it can convert mechanical energy into heat.
I see sand used most often strictly for is mass properties. It's a bit unwieldy but if you can make it do what you want it's really wonderful stuff. Fancy stuff like Sorbothane is great when you need decoupling in a small space.
There was a GS thread recently I found totally hilarious. The dude was recommending building a giant box, filling it with sand and plopping it on a sheet of Sorbothane. So he built a giant acoustic obstacle and filled it with wonderful sand to mass load the Sorbothane. Technically it's correct but what a dumb idea.
Edit: I wouldn't try to use it in a framed wall with dry wall. You would be relying on the drywall screws to contain a sh*t load of weight. It's good for floors as long as the structure can bear the load. For a floor you would do a nested box. Make a frame. Fill it with sand. Then put a smaller frame with a top on/in the sand.
pucho812
Well-known member
I am thinking more along the lines of for gobos and maybe sandbags for in the walls? but kool ideas. thanks paul
Gold said:
I know what you'r talking, that silicon it's not rigid, quite soft what I'm talking, just a thin cover so sand stays inside... A simple and small bag of sand just under speakers does quite well for decoupling speakers and you don't have all this problems, then you just build the stand as you want. Not so much decoupling as your approach but quite enough some times.
JS
joaquins said:
That is basically what I do for my speakers. The pipe is to get the height for nearfield speakers and reduce the acoustic interference of the stand. My speakers are 832 x 398 x 581mm and only need to be raised 700mm or so. I like the way sand looks so I use two clear food service bins filled with sand and stacked on top of each other. The speaker sits on a platform in the sand with a lip around the edge. The lip keeps the sand from moving towards the outside. The sand always wants to escape. I use 00 playground sand. it is uniform in size and comes dry.
Aren't those too big for near field? I just work with my little yamaha NS50 that I like pretty much (not the best but they do a good job for the mix I do)
Some photos of that setup may be nice... I'd like to see how do you use them.
JS
Some photos of that setup may be nice... I'd like to see how do you use them.
JS
I don't use the pipe setup for my speakers. My speakers are mid fields. ATC 100A. The setup is very simple. Just a big plastic bin filled with sand to about 350mm with another one that is the same stacked on top. The speaker on top of that. From bottom to top, bin, bin speaker.
