# Need help figuring out a custom made Piano Stand Furniture-style



## MacCentris

This is probably quite a project, sadly there is nothing like this in the market and I've searched for days. My idea (honestly it would be great if music keyboard stands were this awesome) is to have a grand-piano-looking keyboard-stand that will be the envy of all your friends. This monster is a piece of furniture and it does more than just hold your keyboard. Well, the prototype on paper looks a bit like this and this thing must hold a good 80-100 pounds in case someone wants to put some heavy woofers on top. My questions are, how much would the wood cost average? How much would it cost to make? Finally, if I was to show this project to a woodworker how much should I expect to pay? I am aware this is an expensive project, but horrid looking keyboard stands (which are supposed to be furniture style) cost $1000 USD, which is too much for me. Wonder if this can be done for about half the price? Feel free to use my idea, honestly I wish companies would begin to manufacture things like this, they are not available. Apparently people need not worry about storage of sheet music anywhere around their keyboard stands. I really wanted something beautiful like this, sad nobody makes them! Just for the record, I dunno anything about woodwork!

Also please give me an idea about a similar items without door, with a sheet-music holder on top (perhaps one sitting in a slide panel you can pull out from inside the unit.

If you guys find it a bit hard to figure out please see this image as the stand should look something like this when closed: https://www.etsy.com/listing/219839831/vintage-drop-front-pine-childs-desk?ref=market

I saw a couple of great looking stands, this one custom made, but I need something more elaborate than that  http://www.apdigitallight.com/2012/01/diy-digital-piano-stand.html

Image url direct: http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/q793/Maradanchron/Piano%20Stand%20Furniture%20Style_zpsgwi3kv0w.jpg

See my prototype on paper:


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## TheWoodenOyster

I think you are going to have a very hard time finding anyone who would build something like for $500. Depending on the quality, I'd say you are anywhere between $1000 - $5000. If you were willing to accept mass cabinet shop style quality, you might get it for a little less than $1000.

This sounds snotty, but please don't take it that way. If I were to build that to my standards I would probably charge in the $4000 to $5000 range. Many would do it for cheaper. But, I'm afraid you won't find many who will do it for less that $1000.

Sorry. Good luck.


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## Bluepine38

There are usually a few pianos on Craigs List that are inexpensive or free. You might be able to get one
of these and repurpose it. Are you using a full size keyboard or a small one? Size will influence cost. We
just have our keyboard on the usual pipe type folding stand a few feet from the Kwai upright. Some of 
real good keyboards would also take up a larger area, some with depths measured in feet not inches, there
is a lot of variety out there.


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## Bluepine38

http://www.slamgrand.com/ Go to this site if you want a quick easy answer, I asked the keyboard 
player with my wife's band about it last night a the gig and this was his answer. There is quite a business
built up around these, but he still prefers a good grand piano.


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## MacCentris

Thanks, I had looked for information on piano "shells" but I bet I wasn't using the correct terms, plus I wasn't aware anyone would make them. But that would definitely help to solve my problem. I appreciate it.

I had looked for "broken piano" shells, for restoration to see if one could put the keyboard on it. Mine is a Yamaha DGX-230 measuring 46" and about 5.25 inches high.

I don't have the room at all for a shell that big, so I do wonder if they make upright shells. I might give them a call. I appreciate all your help. When my dad was younger, he used to build furniture in his industrial arts class workshop, he is 80 years old and no longer teaching, so he can't help. Apart from the price of the wood, he'd do that for free it was therapeutic to him.

I will continue to look to see if anyone has other much cheaper designs, that wont take an entire living room 

edit: I am so glad I posted here, thank you guys for helping me find the correct terms for searching for this. I found the perfect thing! Here is the website: http://www.grandillusionpianoshells.com/
this model in particular is absolutely delightful and would fit my needs:


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## MacCentris

Sorry for double posting but I can't edit above, waiting for a response from them, but at the same time not taking a break. I found this, which is very interesting. Not only is it interesting but if you look ahead in the post I see some people posted that it would be worth $250 to make?! Maybe, he means $250 if you buy the wood? Other than that, there are generous people who'd be willing to make it, apparently for less than $500! 

Look how beautiful it is, it's a very long post and lots of pictures: http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=54826.0

Some people just love doing their job, I guess. I am aware there are tons of people who'd charge $2000 (a very skilled woodworker will do all of that in one day, that's a month's salary right there)... but anyway.


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## MT_Stringer

Currently in my area, select maple is $4.20 bd ft for 4/4 stuff, less than 7 inches wide. Furniture grade plywood is well over $100 per sheet. The dollars can add up in a hurry just for materials.


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## JAAune

A stand like that could be built for $500 but it would be cabinet-grade and knocked out on a CNC machine with very little follow-up handwork. It would also take a fair amount of time to develop the process to get it to the point where sales would be profitable. Setup costs would make it necessary to sell the product in volume to recover the investment.

If it were a one-off custom piece built to cabinet-grade standards, my company would probably bill around $1,200. Furniture-grade (but no fancy joinery) would double the cost. Start getting into complex joinery and the price keeps climbing.

$2,000 isn't a month's salary for a pro nor is $500 a week an acceptable pre-tax salary for anyone that spends 5+ years learning a trade. Any woodshop capable of doing custom work will likely pay more than that per month in overhead. Plus, professionals are subject to higher taxes than conventional employees. Expect to pay a professional at least $45 an hour shop rate and that's on the low end. To put it into perspective, a commercial plumber billed me $120/hr. to open up a drain system, take pictures and write a report. Woodworkers are still pretty cheap to hire compared to other trades.


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## MT_Stringer

According to your specs, I doubt you will get two drawers on each side. One per side…maybe three inch deep opening max. x 8" wide. Depending on the type of drawer slide, you would have to subtract the thickness of the slides plus the thickness of the drawer sides, leaving a pretty small drawer maybe 7 inches wide.

Draw it on a sketch pad and you will see.
Good luck.
Mike


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