Good access to all of the buttons & knobs.
No bracing in the rear, so all the jacks are clear.
Build thoughts:
Assembly required a little forethought. As I was walking to the mailbox to get the screws I realized that bolting all three devices at once and then flipping everything could easily break the thin plywood. So I bolted one side of the MNM & MD first, flipped and then bolted them to the other side. Then I bolted one side of the OT and flipped the whole thing again to finish bolting the OT in. That worked perfectly.
Now that the stand is assembled, I’m amazed at how robust it is. The stand will wobble a little side-to-side if pushed hard, but otherwise is extremely stable. I may experiment with bracing options, but the convenience of an unobstructed back probably outweighs any gains in stability.
I would strongly recommend against this design for live use. If you want a 3-tier live stand, use 1/4" or 1/2" side panels and consider adding some bracing as well. The stand as designed could easily tear itself apart in the back seat if you drive over rough roads.
COST:
- Panels: $6 for wood, laser cutting was free at the library
- Hardware: $15 for 100 screws and washers, but I didn’t need the washers and only used a dozen screws.
- ~$150 for a professionally made stand is still reasonable. The best wood supplied by the library costs $20/panel and the professional stands often have routed and sanded edges and are stained and sealed. That doesn’t even consider the design and assembly labor or the time taken to learn the various necessary skills.