STEEL rods for a speaker stand

[Yukster]

I'm making speaker stands. I needs 2 X 1m sections of the mild 8mm steal round bar with the 10 mm end sections on both sides reduced to 5 mm and threaded. I couldn't find this ready-made and metal fabricators that I looked into do much bigger projects. Any advice how I could source this item would be appreciated.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Find a smaller fabricator, job for the apprentice in his lunch hour.

 

[Yukster]

Yes, that's what I've been trying to do but haven't found anyone.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Metals for U ?
The difficult bit (although not impossible) is finding someone who can turn down say, a metre length of rod then create the thread. Not sure if all lathes allow rods to go through the chuck?

How about a length of 8mm studding a bit longer than a larger tube? Shove the studding through the tube and add a nut at each end. Or add some braze .
You may not be able to have the precise measurements you need, but close enough.

Another option is a slightly bigger diameter bar that is tapped to 8mm and then a short stud locttited in?

 

[Yukster]

Metals for U?

I emailed them and The Metal Store and I'll wait to see what they say.

The difficult bit (although not impossible) is finding someone who can turn down say, a metre length of rod then create the thread. Not sure if all lathes allow rods to go through the chuck?

How about a length of 8mm studding a bit longer than a larger tube? Shove the studding through the tube and add a nut at each end. Or add some braze .
You may not be able to have the precise measurements you need, but close enough.

Another option is a slightly bigger diameter bar that is tapped to 8mm and then a short stud locttited in?

There must be more than one way of doing this so let me explain in more detail what I am trying to achieve here. I would like to recreate this Kef speaker stand for a 2001.2 speaker



The pole that I want to have made (just like the stands in the pic) screws into the top T bit that attaches to the speaker. I also want to find something like reclaimed metal weight to use as a base and crew or weld the pole into it. The stand in the pic isn't made anymore, and it is not easy to find on eBay + I think it is ugly so I thought I'd have a go and making it but make it look nicer. Does it make sense? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[thomp1983]

Are you having the final stand finished or powder coated?

You'd find it easier getting someone that will turn down the 10mm on the end of 4 100mm pieces of 8mm round bar, then getting those 4 pieces welded to 4 pieces of 8mm round bar that's 800mm long, having the welds dressed then the whole lot painted or powder coated so you can't see where the weld was.

Or use a thicker piece of round bar for the main body, drill and tap a 5mm hole at each end and screw and loctite a piece of threaded bar into it to give you your end pieces

 

[Tigercubrider]

My surround system uses stands that I bought from richer sounds, in pairs.
They don't sell them anymore - I looked!

It's basically a piece of black tempered glass with a hole bored in it.
The rod is telescopic and you can feed the wires into the pole top so they come out the bottom.
The rod has an external thread and a nut on either side of the glass base.. 4 rubber feet.

I do a bit of weird bodges at work and Amazon /ebay do stuff like these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174778620739?hash=item28b19e1b43:g:WjUAAOSwyFVgqken
Or buy something like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-m...6701&keywords=m5+studs&qid=1630268405&sr=8-12

And find a close enough tube to allow you to glue /lock it into the tube, having first run a bolt through the end to give you a stud on a cylinder.
Possibly harder with stainless but possible to stick it in a drill and sand or grind it down slightly if you cant't find someone with a machine shop.
Even epoxy putty may work?

 

[thomp1983]

What are you wanting to make them from? I've just had a look at our lath at work and you would be able to pass a 1m length of round bar through it to turn it down so I could probably get them made up

 

[JohnD]

I've had oddments made up in stainless steel by small workshops who advertise on fleabay, mail order. I remember they also offered galvanised. Probably do mild steel as well.

I have an idea I used one called "The Valley Blacksmith" or some such name.

 

[Burnerman]

Someone with a lathe could sort you in 20 minutes.
However, I guess it just about feasible to buy 5mm studding and then some tubing with a 5mm bore and an 8mm outer diameter and slip it together - but it's the hard way, for sure.
John

 

[Keithmac]

As soon as it requires hand machining it ends up getting expensive..

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you're on Facebook and a member of a local community group then someone would likely be happy to knock something together. Facebook, despite all of its associated (justified) bad press can be excellent for things like this.

 

[sxturbo]

Find a small blacksmith or something that generally tends to do small comissiong work.

 

[Yukster]

What are you wanting to make them from? I've just had a look at our lath at work and you would be able to pass a 1m length of round bar through it to turn it down so I could probably get them made up

To be honest, I don't know, probably medium steel. I plan to prime it and spraypaint the spend and speaker shelf in mat black. Is that a dumb idea?

In terms of the turned-down threaded bit at the end, it is roughly 5 mm but I need to determine the exact measurements of it. I have the screw that attaches the speakers' wall bracket to the speaker so the turned-down threaded bit at the end should be the same size. Sorry for the newbie question but how do I work out the exact size of the screw so that the turned-down threaded bit at the end will fit the speaker end?

 

[Yukster]

My surround system uses stands that I bought from richer sounds, in pairs.
They don't sell them anymore - I looked!

It's basically a piece of black tempered glass with a hole bored in it.
The rod is telescopic and you can feed the wires into the pole top so they come out the bottom.
The rod has an external thread and a nut on either side of the glass base.. 4 rubber feet.

I do a bit of weird bodges at work and Amazon /ebay do stuff like these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174778620739?hash=item28b19e1b43:g:WjUAAOSwyFVgqken
Or buy something like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-m...6701&keywords=m5+studs&qid=1630268405&sr=8-12

And find a close enough tube to allow you to glue /lock it into the tube, having first run a bolt through the end to give you a stud on a cylinder.
Possibly harder with stainless but possible to stick it in a drill and sand or grind it down slightly if you cant't find someone with a machine shop.
Even epoxy putty may work?

That would be plan B. If I can find a nice-looking round base with a rod ready-made (it can be fixed) and I can get the end bit made and glued it to the inside of the borehole at the end of the bar as you suggest. If anyone here knows somewhere that sells it and someone that can make the end bit for me that would be amazing! thomp1983, is the end bit something that you are able to do?