Custom tuba stand (with pictures!)

[timdicarlo]

Hey all,
Thought you might be interested in my latest project: a stand for my new Gnageyphone, which is too wide for a normal (and acceptably-priced) tuba stand. The goal was to make it look as much like a piece of furniture as possible without compromising function. I should add that I had considerable help from my dad on this one, as he's much better at working with wood than I am. I came up with the basic design and did a lot of the grunt work (sanding, staining, etc.), but he helped out with the more complex parts. Anyway, on to the pictures. I'd post more but all I have is a cell phone camera and it doesn't do justice to the details. Let me know if there's any part in particular you want to see closer and I'd be happy to oblige.




The two "legs" in front curve upward about half an inch at the ends to keep the bottom bow from sliding. The struts in back are just inverted table legs held together by a 6" 2x4. The crosspiece on top posed the biggest challenge, as it had to be tailored to hold the curve of the bell and the tubing opposite exactly so that the weight would be distributed evenly across both. The result looks a little like a pair of antlers, but that's alright with me. The padding is double-layered foam from the local fabric store, covered in some kind of synthetic leather substitute and adhered to the wood with tacks. I'm really happy with the way this turned out; I've been geeking out for the last half-hour. Hope you guys find it interesting.

Tim

[Bob Kolada]

Cool stand and huge tuba!!

My first thought was that it could be a bit wider for stability.

[imperialbari]

Looks like the nice comfortable chair all mothers-in-law should be invited to sit in!

[Dan Schultz]

Nice stand!...please remind us...leaving a tuba standing on the bell will cause gradual bell damage due to weight, right? Leaving the tuba lying on the floor...bell edge and bottom bow back...will cause...? There seem to be no dangers here. What about with the tuba standing on its bell but inside a frame to avoid tip over?

Regarding standing a tuba on its bell.... I seriously doubt if there would be gradual bell damage due to the weight of the horn alone. However.... there are other reasons why you shouldn't do it. The biggest three I can think of would be:

1) Tubas tend to be 'tippy' when standing on their bell... especially rotary tubas.
2) A person would have to be very careful to gently place the tuba on it's bell.... something that's not always easy to do.
3) All the crap that's at the bottom of the casings on piston tubas will run back onto the pistons when it's on its bell.

In case you're wondering.... YES.... I usually stand my tubas on the bell. I shouldn't do it. But I do.

[bigbob]

Very nice tuba stand .. very creative..If you bump it with tuba in it.. does it rock??or tilt?..and Man!! what a beautiful horn!!..................................................................................bigbob www'rgisculptures.com

[timdicarlo]

I would screw that down to a nice piece of wood that was about .75" thick and about two foot square. This will prevent it from falling over towards the bell side, as well as forward, backward or to the other side. As it is, it could be tipped over to the right or left.

That was the original plan, but as it turned out the weight of the instrument is sufficient to keep it upright. It's really hard to tip over, almost to the point that the tuba will fall out of the cradle before the stand tips over. If I had a dog or a two-year-old I'd bolt that sucker to the floor, but for the moment this is pretty secure.

My first thought was that it could be a bit wider for stability.

Same deal-- the instrument sits in such a way that it provides its own stability. I tried to make the feet accommodate the bottom bow with as little stress on the metal as possible. If they were closer together it would put more stress than I wanted on the very bottom, whereas if they were farther apart the bow would sit on the floor or, worse yet, the feet would cut into the bow. None of these things would affect the instrument in the short-term, but I was worried that over time the stress points would dent.

Nice stand!...please remind us...leaving a tuba standing on the bell will cause gradual bell damage due to weight, right? Leaving the tuba lying on the floor...bell edge and bottom bow back...will cause...? There seem to be no dangers here. What about with the tuba standing on its bell but inside a frame to avoid tip over?

I live in a dorm room. I'd leave it on the edge of the bell/back of the bottom bow, but it'd take up half my floor space (it's a BIG tuba) and probably get tripped over. Twenty bucks worth of lumber and some manual labor are worth it for the preventative maintenance.

On the rare occasion that I build or buy myself a new tuba, it sits out for a month or two so I can LOOK AT IT .

Word. Tubas are purdy. Wish I could build my own, but for now I'm more than content staring at my new axe.