Building Display Board Stands

The electronic displays are very effective when located near the judging stations. In effect, they replace the hand flashers. But to do this, you will need a stand for your scoreboard.

Display stands are easy to make with materials found at a local hardware store, and each stand will cost between $5 and $10, depending upon the materials you have at hand. The stand described here can be used to hold the smaller display boards.

Using PVC pipe, you can make the stand to any height you like. A 1" PVC slips nicely into a 1-1/4" PVC pipe, so by using these two different diameters, you can make an adjustable floor stand.

COMPONENTS

The list of materials below is used to make an adjustable floor stand for the Beta-Brite display board:

  1. 1-1/4" diameter PVC pipe, about 6" shorter then the minimum height you want for your stand
  2. 1" diameter PVC pipe, 1" longer than piece #1
  3. 1-1/4" PVC coupler, threaded one end
  4. 1" PVC coupler, no threads
  5. 1" PVC plug
  6. 1-1/4" galvanized pipe flange
  7. 16"x16" base board (3/4 inch plywood or similar)
  8. Four 1/4" x 1" taper-head machine screws
  9. One 3/8" x 2" carriage bolt with nut
  10. One piece 3/8" plywood, 3" x 25"
  11. Four 3/4" #10-32 machine screws (or similar) with nuts.

PROCEDURE

1. Begin by gluing the threaded coupler (3) to the 1-1/4" PVC pipe (1).

2. Attach the pipe flange (6) to the center of the base board (7) using the four 1" machine screws (8). Counter-sink the taper-head so they are flush with the bottom of the base.

3. Screw the 1-1/4" coupler and PVC pipe (1 & 3) into the flange on the base (6,7,8).

4. Next, glue the 1" coupler (4) to the 1" pipe (2), and when dry, slide the pipe down into the 1-1/4" pipe.

5. Drill a hole in the center of the 3/8" plywood (10) and also the PVC plug (5). Slide the bolt (9) through the plywood and then through the hole in the plug, and attach with the nut. Tighten the nut to pull the square part of the carriage bolt head into the plywood.

6. Glue the PVC plug into the 1" coupler (attached to the 1" pipe). You can omit this step if you want to later disassemble the stand. But you may want to put a small bolt and nut through the pipe and plug to secure it.

7. Using the #10 machine screws (11), attach the display board brackets to the ends of the 25" plywood.

 

FINISHING TOUCHES

1. You can raise the 1" PVC pipe and drill 1/4" holes (or smaller) across its diameter at various points along its length. Then, by sticking a small dowel or cotter pin through the hole, you can adjust the stand to different heights.

2. Paint your stand the color of your choice.