Amp Cradle

[Ron Worley]

I thought I'd share this design that I built a while back to make chassis work easier. I had been using a POS thing that I built out of 4x4 and large dowels.... not very good at all.

I saw the DST Engineering cradle that Weber now sells, but really didn't want to shell out $160 for something that I could make for $50... Plus I didn't like the static angle of that unit- I wanted to be able to adjust the work angle for sitting height, standing work, or whatever. I saw something on TV ("How it's made" on Discovery Science) showing a factory where units under build could be rotated to allow quick access to every side of the unit.

I decided that Lazy Susan bearing assemblies might work, and found a perfect 6" unit at Lowes... Anyway, here are a few shots of it. It works very well. I installed fixed angle points that allow the unit to be set at several angles, plus the set bolt stabilizes the unit and the load on the bearings.

Ron

[Ron Worley]

Unit adjusts via the bolts / knobs in the middle. Bottom unit has holes drilled along the centerline at uniform spaces to allow macro adjustment. The slot in the middle of the upper unit allows it to slide for fine adjustment. This thing works for everything from a Champ to an AC30....

[Ron Worley]

Here is the unit at a level setting, which is great for playing the chassis out of the cabinet after working on it. I made it out of oak for strength, and ability to take stain. Adhesive backed foam in on the mounting surfaces to protect the wood and give it some vibration dampening. Non skid feet were mounted on the bottom to prevent any movement on the bench.

All of the hardware came from Lowes, except the knobs, which I found at a specialty hardware store. It's not perfect, but for a prototype I'm pretty pleased with it!

Ron

[Structo]

Nice job on that!
I may have to build one.
So the adjustment on the bottom holds the chassis tight enough so it won't fall off the supports?

[Ron Worley]

Tom-

The foam on the arms provides enough static friction to hold the chassis, plus the angle / gravity. The Angle adjustment bolt just sets the angle, and holds the entire assembly firmly in place.

There probably are better units out there, but this is my take on it...

[drhulsey]

... for a prototype I'm pretty pleased with it!

Very cool design Those lazy susan bearings should create a very stable mechanism. Great idea All you need is a clamping mechanism and a little clearance for the amp carriage, and you could turn it 360º. I sometimes find it helpful to do that. YMMV.
I was jealous of all those guys with cool amp cradles, too. Here's my version:
http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#37145

[10thTx]

I did something fairly similar in using Lowe's and Home Depot to build this one for about $30. It adjusts to fit both the length and width of the chassis.

With respect, 10thtx

[Ron Worley]

Tim- Yeah, I thought about some kind of clamping method to allow it to rotate 360... I may still. It is designed to allow it to rotate so long as the chassis is not too deep.

I literally slapped it together in a weekend, so I'm sure that it could be improved. It is very sturdy, and it's weight makes it very stable on the bench.

Ron

[angelodp]

Here is my down & dirty version of Jephs cool unit. Thanks for sharing the design.

Ange ..... now if I can just get my Dlite kit ........ LOL !!!

[Allynmey]

Jeph made the best ones I've seen. I have one of his solid oak models. He also made a mini version for 12x8x2 chassis. He also made me a pcb extention arm...sweet!

[dcribbs1412]

Jeph made the best ones I've seen. I have one of his solid oak models. He also made a mini version for 12x8x2 chassis. He also made me a pcb extention arm...sweet!

sorry to bother
are these for sale
thanks in advance

[Allynmey]

I think Jeph stopped making them. You can try PM'ing him at that name here.

[skyboltone]

... for a prototype I'm pretty pleased with it!

Very cool design Those lazy susan bearings should create a very stable mechanism. Great idea All you need is a clamping mechanism and a little clearance for the amp carriage, and you could turn it 360º. I sometimes find it helpful to do that. YMMV.
I was jealous of all those guys with cool amp cradles, too. Here's my version:
http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#37145

Tim! how in the heck did I miss that one. Wow, I really like it!

Beautiful job on your's too Ron!

[drhulsey]

... how in the heck did I miss that one...

I think it would at least hold a Volkswagen chassis
I'm just a gadget kinda' guy
How's everything on the Bay

[skyboltone]

... how in the heck did I miss that one...

I think it would at least hold a Volkswagen chassis
I'm just a gadget kinda' guy
How's everything on the Bay

What was it Mark Twain said......The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco?