A Simple Landscape Model Stand

A Quartet of Stands Conspiring.

This stand design was a request from a Professor of Landscape Architecture at Kansas State University.  No specifications provided other than to hold up landscape models done by students for display and examination. Often I'd see them in use during class critiques. Other times holding student made site models in the building hallways and exhibit nooks. These are a small bit of my legacy. 

I'd previously spent time sketching/iterating lightweight easel designs for artwork display. This A-frame design was just waiting for release from the storage rooms of my creative mind.  It is another example of my pursuit for simplicity in design.  The only challenging part is cutting and joining the feet to the legs. 

We had a drawer full of assorted hinges salvaged from past remodels and rejected prototypes. Among those were several 3" wide door hinges. Those suggested the legs could be made from pine 1x4s (usually 3.5" wide) initially.  We didn't have any in our supply room so instead I ripped 3.5" wide strips from some 18mm Baltic Birch plywood for both legs and the model shelf.  Each shelf is 1/2 the length of a leg.  Legs for 8 can be cut from one 60" x 60" sheet of Baltic Birch plywood. Another half sheet would be enough for the shelves and feet. 

I wanted the mass of the models to be centered above the base.  A little drafting deduced the lean angle and spread of the legs.  Feet were cut from a single 14 degree angled bandsaw slice diagonally through a small rectangle of the same plywood. Bottom edges of the feet sit flat on the floor. They were joined to the legs with a wide floating tenon.  I showed a standing prototype to the professor the next day.  I was then commissioned to make 15 for the college.  Enough for a single class of students to use during critiques. 

A Duet of Stands Cooperating.

The landscape models made from layers of chipboard could be quite heavy. To support them reliably the model shelf is attached with 3/8" diameter steel pins between the shelf and legs. Holes for the pins were drilled centered and perpendicular with a self-centering drill jig. As far as I know no stand has failed since they were put in use. Two stands used together hold up a very large site model in the photo above. 

I can tell by the hinges used and the unnecessary chains that these two copies were made by a student helper (cheap labor).  The four in the first image have stout door hinges between the legs. With the shelf in place the geometry is locked. 

The legs can fold together once the shelf is removed. The shelf can then be slid onto one leg to remain attached when the stands are stored.  Several stands can be stored in minimal floor space. 

Oak Version

Flush Strap Hinge

3 Heights. Chamfered Edges

For Flat Work or 3D Site Models 

The oak version shown here I made mainly to show off some design refinement and added versatility.  The legs taper. A narrow strap hinge is used rather than a door hinge. There are 3 height options available rather than one. The stance changes as the height changes so the bottom of the feet are rounded over to always have a tangent intersection with the floor.

A simple, lighter version could be made with 1 x 3 (.75" x 2.5") boards as shown in this rendering from my CNC software:

Feet attached with a mortise and tenon joint. 

The Fit Poster shown in the last photo is a survivor from the early '80s. It was for a folding lounge chair I designed and entered into a national design competition. 

Link: My Folding Lounge Chair

Comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged.

4D