Music Stand ideas

[Dan Oelke]

I'm not sure how quick I'll actually get this built - but I have been sketching and thinking about building a music stand (or two) for my daughter and LOML.

I have seen http://www.misterstandman.com/ and he has some very nice stands, and the basic design is something that I can handle. I don't do the spinny thing and don't have bandsaw, so straight lines are better than curved for me.

In particular I was looking at a design something like: http://www.misterstandman.com/colm34.jpg

I have 2 questions - one is more design and another is more construction technique.

The first is - I have some cherry, some black walnut, a board or two of mahogony, and lots of red oak. I would like to do a mostly clear type finish - no stain, just oil and sealer I think. So, what combinations do you think would look good for the rails, stiles, bars?

The second is - How thin can I make the material for the rails, stiles, bars, and yet be hopeful that when it is knocked over it won't shatter, but yet not be 3/4" thick and really heavy. This is for an 11 year-old with a 9 year old brother - it's a question of when, not if it gets knocked over. I was thinking 5/16" or maybe 3/8" .

The question that goes with that - is how do I join the parts together then? 1/4" dowels? Mortise and tenon? FF biscuits? Something else???

I don't have a mortiser, but I could rent one from the woodworkers guild - but a 1/4" wide mortise would leave very little material on either side. The FF buiscuits would limit how narrow the bars can be (about 1 1/4" I think) I also wonder about the strength.

[Carl Eyman]

It dealt with questions like how high, what angle the music holder should be, etc. I can't quote the issue of the top of my head, but you might get it thru their web site. If not, I have a copy of the article at my workshop I can look up. They didn't give hard and fast dimensions but enough info to design your own. I made one copied from one of the two examples they had in their article. Since it involved lathe work you probably are not interested, but if you want to see it, look for it at www.eyman.org/furniture. Be glad to help any way I can.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Here's one of my favorites: http://www.dougstowe.com/furniture/music_stand.htm

Pam

[Doug Shepard]

I had to do a search to find it, but I knew someone here at SMC had made a sweet looking stand a while back.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18340

[Dan Oelke]

Thanks for the links guys.

Carl - I can't seem to get your website to work from home or work.... I'll try again tomorrow. I see that Fine Woodworking index shows that #80 (Jan '90) has one with laminated curves and #31 (Nov '81) has one by John Freeman. Maybe I'll have to stop by the used tool shop that has a good collection of back old issues.

Pam - a neat stand - but not really the style I was thinking.

Doug - thanks for the link - I knew I had seen one here before, but my search didn't find it. My search did find me the link to the Mister Stand Man site, but not the one by Joe Tonich.

So - any ideas as to how to join wood - almost like a face-frame, but only 3/8 or 5/16" thick?

[Art Mulder]

The first is - I have some cherry, some black walnut, a board or two of mahogony, and lots of red oak. I would like to do a mostly clear type finish - no stain, just oil and sealer I think. So, what combinations do you think would look good for the rails, stiles, bars?

Well, Cherry and Walnut are out. Cherry darkens with age, and Walnut lightens. So the contrast will lessen with age. I've seen a picture of old pieces with the two woods mixed, and you can hardly tell any more.

Got any maple? I really like maple and cherry together. Might look nice paired with the Walnut also.

Otherwise I'd vote for mostly oak, with Cherry slats?

[Don Baer]

I'd vote for cherry and Maple.

[Dave Richards]

Dan, I think you could use an 1/8" straight router bit for mortises and make matching tenons. You might also consider making the rails slightly thicker and offest mortises toward the front (musician's) side. The tenon on the stiles would have a very shallow or no shoulder on the back face.

[Tom Jones III]

Take a look back at this forum for my questions on lectern designs. There were a lot of good ideas contributed by several different people. I'm still a big fan of the book display stand in Taunton's book on Desks. Sorry but I don't have a picture. It is worth while to stop by the bookstore just to see it.

[Bob Elzinga]

This is a music stand I made several years ago out of cherry for my daughter. I don't have any plans for it- like most things I make it is a combination of several plans or ideas.

The bars on mine are only 5/16" thick. The treble clef and notes are rabbeted to stabilize them. I joined them to the side rails with mortises.

It also is adjustable for height and the top adjusts for tilt. The legs make it very stable.

Since you don't have a lathe, you could use a stair baluster for the leg and fit the feet to it.

Cherry Music Stand.jpg

[Dan Oelke]

Bob - that is beautiful. I might just "borrow" the design for the top.

I am liking the idea of a 1/8" routed mortise - and/or making the outside a little thicker (and therefore stronger!) and the bars that fill the middle a little thinner (and lighter) Offsetting the tennon and mortise would then make the front side a little more even.

I'll have to dig through my stash - but my goal is to build this with ends that I already have. I have enough - just so disorganized that I'm not really sure what I have. I think an oak frame with cherry interior is sounding good about now. If I can find some maple I'll use it instead of the oak. I don't think I have any - but some of my lumber was a pile in a barn that I got at an auction a few years ago - that had some oak, some cherry, some pine, some mahogony and some kindling.

[Bob Elzinga]

Dan-

Have at it! I borrowed it from a catalog from my uncle. I borrowed the base from a Wood magazine table.

In fact most of what I do is borrowed from somewhere else.

[Keel McDonald]

This is a music stand I made several years ago out of cherry for my daughter. I don't have any plans for it- like most things I make it is a combination of several plans or ideas.

The bars on mine are only 5/16" thick. The treble clef and notes are rabbeted to stabilize them. I joined them to the side rails with mortises.

It also is adjustable for height and the top adjusts for tilt. The legs make it very stable.

Since you don't have a lathe, you could use a stair baluster for the leg and fit the feet to it.

Cherry Music Stand.jpg

Bob

Great looking stand. I'm also looking to make a music/podiium stand. How did you make the hole in the base for the adjustment of the height?

[Bob Elzinga]

Keel-

That was by far the most difficult part of the project. Because of the length of the post I had to drill from both ends. Since I wanted to use a solid piece of wood, I tried first using a drill press with an 18" long bit from both ends, but I couldn't get the holes to line up. (The original was gong to be walnut, but that failure used the last piece of walnut I had that was big enough to do the job.) The second try was with a horizontal jig, but I had the same problem.

Finally, someone suggested using a glued-up piece. Start by cutting a 3/8" or so groove in the center piece, then centering that groove in the glue-up. That way, the drill bit will follow the groove nad the holes will line up. Worked like a charm!

[Keel McDonald]

Keel-

That was by far the most difficult part of the project. Because of the length of the post I had to drill from both ends. Since I wanted to use a solid piece of wood, I tried first using a drill press with an 18" long bit from both ends, but I couldn't get the holes to line up. (The original was gong to be walnut, but that failure used the last piece of walnut I had that was big enough to do the job.) The second try was with a horizontal jig, but I had the same problem.

Finally, someone suggested using a glued-up piece. Start by cutting a 3/8" or so groove in the center piece, then centering that groove in the glue-up. That way, the drill bit will follow the groove nad the holes will line up. Worked like a charm!

Are you talking about cutting the piece in half (the bottom half of the stand), cutting a groove along each piece, then glueing the 2 halves back together to create a hole from top to bottom? I've read your post several times and am just not sure what you're saying. It also sounded like you drilled the hole (the one created by the grooves on both halves) after the glue up with a larger bit. Is that the case? Thanks for your help!