[7 Dying Trees]

Never done any woodwork (which'd make this interesting) but also have an aversion to giving someone the best part of 100£ for something where I can't fit what I want on, hence I want to build one, hence:

-> Angles? Shoudl it be tilted?

-> Wood, what do I use, what type is adequate?

-> Anyone built one, I expect it isn't hard, but still...

-> Cases, any ideas for designs?

Currently I want to fit my FCB1010, two wahs and a whammy onto it, but possibly other crap as well. Just want to be able to slap it down, plug in an umbilical cord from the rack (with mains power, midi cable and cables running back and forth to the amp for the signal path)

So, help? I remember not being brilliant at woodwork, but was pretty good at lego!

[Chris]

Home use only? Make it out of MDF, and cover it with black carpet, or black stretchable vinyl.

[metalfiend666]

Did you ever see my craptastic one when you came to see Promise No Lies? It was a plank of 10 or 15mm MDF with my Whammy and GNX4 attached with heavy duty sticky backed velcro. Worked fine, but over time the velcro unstuck from the MDF. Next time I'm playing live I'll use MDF and some cheap brackets from B & Q. If you ask nicely, I don't mind giving you a hand, plus I've got a good idea for making a removable lid too.

[Lee]

I don't have any pictures, but I made mine out of 1/2" MDF and covered it with grey outdoor carpet. I used a heavy duty staple gun to hold the carpet in place, and it works like a charm

[darren]

I made a little "power board" for a power strip and all my AC adapters out of a good-quality plywood scrap i had lying around.

I sprayed it with rattle-can pickup truck bed liner (spray on vinyl).

Truck Bed Coatings

I then mounted four large rubber feet to the back side (if i were designing it as a pedalboard, i would have used two to give it a slight tilt). These help prevent it from sliding around.

Then i used some aluminum drawer/cupboard handles around the perimeter as "kick guards" and handles for picking it up and transporting it.



These also give me convenient places to attach cable ties to keep the cables tidy and with a bit of strain relief.

[7 Dying Trees]

It's all giving me ideas

MDF sounds like a good (cheap) option.

What about ways of nicely routing cables under the board?

[7 Dying Trees]

...and yes, I will be gigging with this. It's to make life easier, slap board down, plug into rack, and all is good!

[Leon]

make me one too?



i've been meaning to put something together for my stuff (FCB1010 + wah + OD + envelope filter) as well, but haven't gotten around to it. probably posting too much

[Lee]

Originally Posted by 7 Dying Trees

What about ways of nicely routing cables under the board?

I used a daisy chain for my power source, but the concept should be the same. I attached the bottom and sides, and routed a hole for the power cable to exit the back. Then I set my pedals out how I wanted them on the top, and marked the areas that I needed to cut out for the individual power cables, cut them, ran the wires, and then attached the top. The carpet covered up most of the hole, and I just left a little notch for the cable to get through.

I hope that made at least some sense, I'm trying to describe it the best I can without having pictures

[darren]

I would caution you against using MDF, unless you're planning on sealing it up REALLY well, or you're not going to be playing bars or clubs where your pedalboard might be on a wet stage or near where drinks migh get sloshed on it. MDF soaks up water like a sponge and turns to mush. Plywood would be a better bet, in my opinion.