Summer Project – Foldable Event Stand
Follow these instructions (and the video) to make a foldable event stand!
Materials You’ll Need
- (1) 4’ x 8’ plywood board
- (1) 1 x 2 x 18 (46 cm) piece of wood for the sign holsters
- (2) 6-foot (1.8 m) lengths of 1-inch PVC pipe
- (1) 4-foot length of 1-inch PVC pipe
- (2) 1-inch PVC elbows
- (4) hinges with screws
- (4) wood screws to secure holsters
- twine or beaded chain to hang sign
Tools You’ll Need
- power saw
- 1.5-inch (38 mm) hole saw
- tape measure
- PVC pipe cutter
- wood glue
- screwdriver
- power drill
Instructions (see video for details/example)
Getting Started
Cut your 4’ x 8’ plywood board into 3 parts: the tabletop, front wall, and a piece for the two side walls. Follow the dimensions to the right. You should be left with a 6-inch (15 cm) wide piece you can use for your sign.
Cut the piece for the side walls in half and on an angle to the dimensions specified
Attach Walls
Turn the front wall board so that it stands 33 inches (84 cm). Secure the side wall boards to the front wall board with two hinges and screws so they fold in. The shortest edge of the wall boards will face the top. Mount two hinges to the straight edge of each wall. Then mount each wall with hinges to the front wall board making sure the hinges are 3 inches (7.6 cm) from each side.
Cut Holes in Tabletop
Now cut two holes on both ends of the tabletop using your hole saw. The PVC pipe sign holder will be inserted through these holes. The center of the holes are 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) from each edge and in the middle. See image on right.
Sign Holder Assembly
Create a PVC frame to hang the sign by attaching the three lengths of PVC together with the elbow pieces. The two 6-foot lengths run vertically up the sides of the stand. They are connected at the top with the 4-foot PVC. You may have to cut the 4-foot piece down slightly to make fit but make sure its ends are fully inserted into the elbows.
Make Sign Holsters
The PVC sign frame will slip into the two holes on the tabletop and then pass through another set of holes and then into a set of holsters to give the whole stand its support. See the full stand for reference. First cut six 1 x 2 x 3”(8 cm) pieces of wood from the 1 x 2 x 18 (46 cm) board. Cut 1.5” (38 mm) holes in the center of four of them. Using wood glue, glue a holed piece to an unholed piece. Make two pairs of these, clamp together, and allow to dry. Once dry, fold the walls together and lay the stand flat. Glue all four pieces to the outer side walls and secure with a wood screw from the opposite side. The center should be about 8 inches (20 cm) from the front of the stand and 6 inches from the top and bottom. They must line up with the holes on the tabletop so the sign holder can be fed straight through.
The Sign
The length is up to you and your club. The sign can be made from the 6 inches (15 cm) of plywood you have left over from the 4’ x 8’. Drill two holes about an inch (2.5 cm) from the top. We used twine to tie loops and hang it on the frame. Two beaded chains with connectors would be better so the sign can be attached and removed without taking apart the PVC. You may even choose to lower the height of your sign by shortening the side PVC pipes.
Folding It Up
By now, you should have a functional stand for use. A nice addition to the project is to glue a 1 x 2 x 4 (10 cm) piece of wood to the holsters on the bottom sides to create a pair of “L” braces that, when folded up, will grab the tabletop, pipes, and sign. You will need some extra 1 x 2 wood to accommodate these two pieces.
To store the stand at your church, remove the sign holder and break it down. Then take off the tabletop. Fold in the sides to flatten the stand. Wedge the tabletop, the sign, and piping into the “L” braces. Now the stand is flat and will not take up much space.
If you have any questions or comments about this video, please send them to info@calvinistcadets.org.