DIY speaker stands...certain materials better than others?

[alphaiii]

OK guys...I'm looking to build some speaker stands for relatively cheap. I don't own/have access to any power saws, so buying MDF or baltic birch ply by the sheet and cutting it isn't an option.

I need things that are already the correct size, or can be cut with a hand tool, or can be cut at Lowes/Home Depot for me.

I have a few ideas for materials, but I'm not sure which would be the best - so I need your help.

Ideas for top/bottom plates:

1) Michaels Craft store has some pre-cut 12"x12" and 6"x12" baltic birch ply, in 1/2" and 1/4" thickness. The 12x12 would work as is for the bottom plate. The 6x12 I can cut with a hand saw and put the uneven wavy cut I made on the back side so it won't be seen under the speaker. I can also glue the 1/2" and 1/4" together to thicken the bottom plate for added weight/stability...

2) I can have 1x12 and 1x6 wood cut at Home Depot or Lowes to the sizes I want. My options would either be oak, or poplar (which softer and lighter weight).

So which is better....the ply or the solid wood? The oak will give me the greatest weight at the base and will look the nicest, but I recall reading that hardwoods resonate pretty badly. The ply will give me decent weight, and as I understand it, is very nonresonant. I'd have to glue pieces together to get the desire thickness though.

Now ideas for the center post:
1) Steel table leg from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10105290 A member @ the skiing ninja forum used these to build his stands: http://www.ninjasreview.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30&page=5
Again, I've read about steel having resonance issues, but I could fill the post with sand to help with that. Of course, I need to see these to make sure the steel is thick enough to be worth using.

2) Solid wood posts... I can go with the 2"x2" square oak or poplar posts, or with these 2.3"x2.3" ash table legs http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=839-1380-2678&lpage=none.

3) My least favorite idea - follow the TNT audio stubby design and use a threaded rod inside painted PVC. I really don't want to do this unless there are legit reasons why it's the best option.


Alright...I'm all ears...(or eyes in this case )

 

[j_garcia]

I vote for the Ikea table leg (which can be filled for weight and dampening) with some fabricated ends. 1/4" cut smaller than the 1/2" in a pyramid pattern at the base might look nice, then use the 1/2" for the top as well not the 1/4". Stain to your preferred color and you could be out the door pretty cheap for these.

You can find any number of things to use as stands that won't cost you much either.

 

[alphaiii]

I vote for the Ikea table leg (which can be filled for weight and dampening) with some fabricated ends. 1/4" cut smaller than the 1/2" in a pyramid pattern at the base might look nice, then use the 1/2" for the top as well not the 1/4". Stain to your preferred color and you could be out the door pretty cheap for these.

You can find any number of things to use as stands that won't cost you much either.

Thanks for the input.

So no resonance issues worth worrying about if using the steel table leg, provided I fill it with some sand?

 

[j_garcia]

More or less all stands will have some resonance, but there are other methods of decoupling the speakers from the stands that can minimize that as well. Even if you built them out of wood all around (hollow column), you could still fill them.

I have the Parts Express High Mass stands that are fairly heavy on their own and I still use Auralex MoPads between the speakers and stands:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=578298&postcount=45

I think the steel tube looks good and is less work than putting together the wood for a column, and the steel is probably going to be heavier as well. The resonances of steel are also in different the wood will be, though it is impossible to say if that will make any noticeable difference or not.