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Drum Riser Plans

I pondered the benefits and downfalls of many drum riser designs before ending up with what I use. My first design would've needed a forklift to move and would've cost $400 to build. My final design was cheap and easy to build, cost very little, and can be moved and assembled by one person.

Actually, the very first riser I used was 9 milk crates covered with two pieces of plywood which were held together by two things I made that looked like large staples. The cool thing about that riser was that we could use the milk crates for storing lights, cables, and other stuff.

This final design is basically a waterbed pedestal. It's a simple, efficient design that can support a lot of weight. I needed a 6'x8' riser 1' tall, so that's what I'll detail in the plans. Make adjustments as needed.

Wear safety glasses when using power tools!!!
Having doctors probing around in your eyes trying to remove a tiny piece of metal is not fun. This happened to me and I was wearing safety glasses.

Materials needed:

3/4" thick, 12" wide plank: 44' total length.

1/2" thick plywood: two 4'x8' pieces.

Thirteen heavy duty long hinges (not the short rectangular hinges used on doors, but the long triangular hinges seen on large doors).
3' of aluminum or steel rod, a little smaller then the diameter of the hinge pins.

Phillips head wood screws if the screws included with the hinges aren't Phillips. (Why do they still make slot screws? They suck!)

Tools needed:

Circular saw.
Handheld jigsaw (saber saw).
Drill.
Phillips screwdriver. (Cordless screwdriver preferred.)

Step 1: The pedestal frame

With circular saw, cut the 3/4" plank into two 8' and two 5' 10 1/2" pieces [Figure 1].

Figure 1

Two corners of the frame will be joined with two fixed-pin hinges each [Figure 2].

Figure 2

The other two corners of the frame will be joined with two loose-pin hinges each [Figure 3]. Remove the pins from these hinges after mounting. Just knock them out with a hammer and punch, or cut or grind the heads off if present.

Figure 3

Cut the rod into two 18" pieces. Use a bench vise and the jigsaw with a metal blade or a hacksaw. Bend the two pieces into L shapes so that the total height of the L is not more than 12". These are now the hinge pins for the two corners that come apart. [Figure 4]

Figure 4

Step 2: The pedestal X's

With circular saw, cut the remaining 3/4" plank into four 4' pieces.

With jigsaw, cut notches out of each of the four 4' boards [Figure 5].

Figure 5

Assemble the four 4' board into two X's [Figure 6].

Figure 6

Step 3: The platform

With circular saw, cut the two pieces of 1/2" plywood down to 4'x6' pieces.

Lay the two pieces of plywood side by side so the long edges are touching. Attach five hinges along the seam [Figure 7]. Make sure the hinges nearest the edges are at least 1" from the edge. Otherwise the hinges will rest on top of the pedesta l and form a gap. This side (the side with the hinges) will be the bottom side.

Figure 7

Carrying handles can be cut into the platform [Figure 8]. This makes it easier to carry around, but the holes just might be in the exact place where you want to put a stand or something. To cut the holes, fold the platform together and stand it on the side so the hinged side is on top. Stand next to it and mark where a comfortable place would be to have the carrying holes on each end. Lay the platform on sawhorses -- leaving the platform folded together so you're cutting both sides at the same time -- and drill holes to start, then finish with a jigsaw.

Figure 8

Step 4: Assembly

Here is a series of images illustrating the assembly steps.

Cartage

To make the four 4' pieces easier to carry around, I stuck them on top of each other and drilled two holes through all four pieces. Two long bolts go through these holes and two wingnuts hold it all together. I also added a handle to the top board. An alternative method would be to simply strap the four boards together with two nylon tie-down straps.

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