Console Stand - Metal Advice Needed

[critterkllr]

I'm planning on having a stand made for my console. I was wondering if I could get some advice on the type of metal I should use and if the construction looks solid. The console currently weighs 350 lbs, but I may add some traffos to it. I don't know how much that would bring the weight up to. I am planning on having somebody weld all of the pieces together. The stand will be painted to match the console. It will also include a 19" rack to hold a couple power supplies.

With the exception of the feet, I wanted to use metal tubing. Any advice on the type of metal and thickness I will need? I had estimated for A513 steel at 11 GA (.120 wall). Is this overkill? Something like 14 or 16 GA would bring the price and weight down. Aluminum would be nice for the weight, but I want it to handle the weight and be able to paint it without issues. I have absolutely zero metal working experience, so any input would be appreciated!

Here's a model I made using Sketchup:

 

[joaquins]

I wouldn't put everuthing so parallel, some angle between the profiles may do a harder structure with the same amount of tubing and some diagonal connections between them even more...

I don't know how to calculate the exact iron needed for your structure but there are a couple of calculators online to the flexion done by a defined iron tube for a certain weight.

JS

 

[Timothytitus88]

A few tips....

It needs some cross bracing to stop it wobbling from side to side.

Thin wall tube will be fine to support the load, so do not worry too much about the wall thickness (1/16" will be fine..... whatever that gauge is)

Also...... the 1"x1" is too small to me. Make the whole thing out of 2" square tube with a 1/16" wall thickness.

Do not bother with the wide "foot" pieces. Use the same tube as the rest then put 4 large adjustable feet....  http://www.ehi.com.au/50m12100-adjustable-foot-af-5012100  (for example)

Get the welder to weld 4 nuts into the bottom tubes for those feet to go into (with holes into the tube).

Welded as you show it will never sit flat..... particularly as when the side pieces are welded to the 3" x 1" foot pieces, they will probably distort and bend up at the ends like a banana.

Cheers,

T

 

[critterkllr]

Something a little more like this?

 

[Timothytitus88]

Precicely!

If you think it looks too chunky with the 2" square, then the next size down will be OK (40mm - I am a metric man)

And the one set of big gussets is enough to stop side sway - don't need the little ones behind the 19" rack.

Also for the rack..... could use angle, then the rack is done (drill through the angles and the rack cases bolt straight on)

T

 

[critterkllr]

It was a bit clunky, so I redesigned using 1.5". I like this a lot better. Since a lot of the weight is in the back, I shifted the bars/legs a little more towards the rear.

 

[joaquins]

I would open the legs on the floor end, to get some more rigidity, keeping the distance on the top the same and the leg nearer to you a little open to you, maybe it's just a feeling but it may help... and it may be better looking, but that's taste. As it is it will hold the desk for sure, the thing is that you may have some little movement to front and back that may be annoying... cross bracing in the other way may help also.

JS

 

[critterkllr]

Are you saying to get rid of the three bars at the bottom that sit parallel to the floor and have it like a standard table? Would that make it more sturdy? I planned on having adjustable rubber feet so that I I could make sure it sits flat.

Or do you mean that I should make the bottom bar longer so the the front rubber feet come closer to the front of the desk? Having a difficult time understanding.

 

[joaquins]

Short of time now, no parts change, just the angle of the legs closer to you, leave the bottom bars as they are, they are ok there, but make the vertical ones non parallel. The distance of the rubber feet are ok.

What I'm saying is that once you have the 6 rubber feet on the floor perfectly the structure may bend a little bit, just a mm or two, but it may be annoying. The problems are with the rack, so another option is to use two cross bracing in the other plane, 90º from the ones you already used, maybe that is your option.

JS

 

[critterkllr]

Gotcha. If space wasn't a concern, I'd remove that rack and angle the bars. I'd like to try to fit that rack in there. I was considering adding a metal sheet to cover the sides, do you think that would stabilize it by itself or should I add cross braces like the picture below?

 

[JohnRoberts]

OK, it's been a while since I last had to design one of these... (actually I didn't do it myself... we had engineers just for mechanical designs).

Question #1 how rigid is the console chassis/frame?  My last big dog console used a monocoque (like airplane wing) where two thin aluminum skins attach to frame making a rigid but light weight base. I ask, because if the bottom of the console is rigid you don't need to make a rigid top for the console stand. So yes adding sheet metal can improve strength. Sheet metal can buckle in compression, but is very strong in tension so a inside and outside layer of sheet metal screwed or riveted to the support frame can increase strength. You might be able use lighter smaller frame parts. 

Yes, the triangle is a very strong geometry. You don't want to make the stand a simple parallelogram where it can just fold up in response to side forces. Adding struts at 45' will distribute side forces and keep the frame square.

My console was rigid enough that I just needed to provide a pair of legs for each end with a pair of struts to space them apart. If your stand needs to also provide rigidity to prevent bowing in the middle you may need more angled struts.

If you are thinking of building racks under the console, why not make them part of the stand? One on each end would add a bunch of strength and will be functional.

JR

 

[critterkllr]

It's a Tac Scorpion II console, in case you're familiar. It seems pretty rigid. It has multiple thick bars on the bottom running from the rear to the front. In between them are sheets of aluminum that are screwed into the bars. The sheets are probably access panels for repairs to the connectors.

I only really need one rack underneath. I thought about two, but I just wanted space for power supplies. My plan was to eventually make a side car that would allow me to have access to rack gear that needed tweaking. I was thinking that it would be nice to have most of my rack gear on a similar level as the console so I could just slide over to it. I can foresee it becoming a bit of a pain to constantly bend down and tweak knobs when it's underneath the console.

Would you suggest that I add a strut front the left side of the rack bar to help with the center?

I also thought it might be good to add a another bar to the back of the stand.

 

[Gold]

I'd damp the inside of the tubes so it doesn't ring like a bell.

 

[critterkllr]

Good call. I have a few cans of spray insulation that should do the trick.

 

[Winetree]

I think the whole stand is over kill. It's gonna cost more than the console.
A fellow studio owner had the same board. He made a stand out of 2X4's.
Wood doesn't ring, paint or blowtorch and brush.
I wouldn't put the power supply or outboard gear under the console.
P.S. away. O.B. at eye level and arms reach.
Keep it simple.

 

[critterkllr]

Fortunately for me, my best friend run's a metal fabricating shop. So I get wholesale metal prices, free welding and cheap paint. He specializes in precision automotive, so I need to design it. As is, this stand will cost me around $140 painted and finished. I'd like something more presentable than sitting on some 2x4s.

Would the PSU give me problems if it's sitting in the bottom of the rack?

Also, outboard gear won't be going in there. It's just to save some extra space in my outboard rack. See reply #11. My plan was a 3U PSU at the very bottom, a 1U PSU above it and perhaps a drawer above that.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Only problem I've seen with PS mounted at floor level is people inadvertently kicking the on/off switch at inopportune times.  :-[  As long as that is not an issue low is good.

Perhaps a heavy power amp or two.

JR

 

[critterkllr]

I didn't think of that John. I'll be finishing the PSU soon. I'll put a switch with a cover on it