Deck Table Construction

[richie00boy]

I need to make a portable table to put my turntables and mixer on when I DJ at house parties. I made one from kitchen worktop reinforced underneath with 1 inch square steel tube. It works very well but is too long and heavy to transport easily.

I am thinking about making a table that can be folded in two - a bit like a pasting table. I was wondering if a 'skinned frame' design might be good, to save weight. I could build it all from MDF - a 9mm or 12mm frame skinned with 6mm panels. Do people think this would be good, or should I take the solid and heavy approach?

[richie00boy]

Any comments on the two approaches?

[YNWOAN]

As I understand it the negative situation that decks suffer from at clubs etc. is one of bass feedback.

You don't really give a lot of detail concerning your current solution other than it is made from kitchen worktop. Presumably this is melamine skinned chip board. Does the reinforcing frame also form the legs? How rigid is the structure as a whole?

I don't think you will have a problem with your proposed light weight solution. The relative mass difference between the two solutions is not that great except in a human 'blooming heck that's heavy' sense.

A couple of things I would say though:

1/ Fill any internal cavity with light weight insulation - you don't want the whole thing to become a sounding board.

2/ Where the two halves are hinged I suggest you allow for some removable bracing between the two parts. Ideally you want the entire structure to be as rigid as possible.

[richie00boy]

Yes it's just normal worktop and the bars are just two running the length of the worktop screwed on. The legs are tubular screw on legs that bolt onto the worktop.

The skinned design becoming a sounding board is a worry, that was why I proposed internal bracing. Can you elaborate why stuffing is needed if it's braced?

For the hinge I was thinking of a piano hinge. I wondered if the weight of the decks holding the hinge shut would be rigid enough?

[YNWOAN]

Hum, I now understand the structure you are intending to build. Even if braced internally there is a danger that any hollow void may act as a sounding board, much like the internal cavity in an acoustic guitar. This can easily be avoided by filling any voids with the kind of insulation used in loft insulation or similar.

However, I can foresee a potential issue which you should seek to avoid and it is a strangely pragmatic one. The problem relates to your stated intention of lowering the overall weight of your stand. If it is constructed with twin skins of 6mm MDF and reinforced internally, you may well find (in fact I'm pretty certain you will) that it isn't much less heavy than your existing design. A 12mm sheet of MDF (2X 6mm) plus bracing, plus hinges etc soon adds up.

I have built surprisingly similar constructions to the type you propose and I would not use the piano hinge you suggest in the way you intend. I am certain that the two halves when open will have way too much 'bounce' and be much less rigid than your current solution. I would use bolted on side cheeks to stiffen the structure.

As an alternative have you thought about adapting your existing design. How about getting rid of the metal bracing (not sure why you need this any way), cut a bunch of large holes in it to reduce the weight, cut it in half and re-join with piano hinge and add the light weight bracing to brace the structure when un-folded.

[d to the g]

In the past I've moved quite frequently, so I built a place for my dj decks made of mdf. The top is a solid piece of 3/4" mdf, and the base is made of 1/2" mdf.

I've never had any problems with resonance, or with finding a place to stash records, amplifiers and what not.

Since I no longer dj, my wife now uses it as craft storage... bear that in mind with the pics:

[d to the g]

two

[d to the g]

fin

[YNWOAN]

Hmm...not exactly the last word in portability though.

[d to the g]

Each of the three base cabs is separate. All fits easily into a minivan.