Low Profile VESA TV mount with pan and tilt

I was looking for an inexpensive VESA mount for my 27 inch flat screen TV...about 30 lbs.

I wanted it to pan side to side, and tilt forward and back. I also wanted it to be low profile and sturdy. I actually found a couple that were fairly inexpensive online, but then thought that perhaps I could build one...keep it under $15...and make it instructible. Once the design idea hit me I was on a mission. Yes. My wife hates me when I get like this.

Time for a run to the home improvement/hardware store...I picked the one with the blue and white logo...their people are better trained than the Orange and white store...at least here.

Here is what I ended up buying...

3 - 4 inch junction box covers (they are 12 centimeters square)
1 box of 1" long machine screws with nuts
1 bag of 2" machine screws with nuts. (6 screws)
4 bags of 4 conduit straps 16 total
1 bag of 4 - M4 metric screws with nuts (pitch 7) - VESA mount standard machine screws.
2 lag screws 3"
2 - 1" washers
1 small bag of 1/2" washers

Things on hand:

Scrap 1" OSB
Scrap 2x4
Scrap Conduit - Need 8 inches total - Two 4" lengths.

My apologies. For this project I did not do much (if any) precise measuring...just laid things out...marked it with a pencil and went to work with the saber saw and drill.

Step 1 Cutting and drilling

The first step I took was to trace around one of the junction box covers on a scrap of 1" OSB.  Then I cut out the basic square outline.  This piece serves as a spacer that allows us to have machine screws come in from opposing sides of the same plane without directly interfering with each other nor the rotation of the hinge.  It also allows for another inch of "stand off" space from the wall to facilitate the final tilt and pan degree of the mounted TV.

The next step was to cut out a section of 2x4 for the wall mount/spacer.  This piece serves as the mount and the primary stand off from the wall.

I cut a radius on each end to make it more aesthetically appealing.  NOTE: I intend to dress the surfaces with some sort of dark/black covering...perhaps foam sheeting from the craft store.

The next step was to lay out the straps appropriately on the steel squares and on the 2x4.  The layout will become more apparent at later steps and you may wish to lay them out a bit differently based on the position of your vesa mounts on the back of your TV.

Once satisfied with my layout I marked the positions of the straps and screw holes, and drilled the metal parts first.  Then I used the metal plates as templates to drill the OSB.  The holes are drilled all the way through the OSB and the 2x4.

I then used a larger bit to provide pocket holes for the nuts.  Please refer to the construction pictures at later steps to be sure you understand which side the pockets are made on.  For the 2x4 the pockets are (intuitively) opposite the screw's entry point.  The holes in the OSB merely provide pockets for the screws and nuts.  The pics are worth 1000 words.

Comments

[Fragmaster]

I think that you should draw attention to the the secondary purpose of your lag screws. They prevent the vertical pipe (the "pan" (left & right) joint) from slipping out from the meshed sleeves. If the hex heads of these lag screws did not jut out from the 2x4, the pipe could eventually slip down until the upper straps were completely freed. The TV would likely droop forward noticeably before the remaining straps tore away, or the pipe fell all the way out, but a falling TV could be the unlikely result of an unrestrained vertical pipe.

I just wanted to point out the importance of keeping that "pan" rod from slipping down.
Anyone wanting to tweak the build (like I will) and use four mounting screws oriented in a rectangular pattern instead of the two linear ones should restrain that rod with something.
I plan to use a little "L" plate that is affixed to the 2x4.

[Fragmaster]

You should mention that electrical conduit has arbitrary nominal diameter (like most US Customary System dimensions -_- ).
I bought the 1/2" electrical conduit straps, but wanted to use some of the free steel stock in my university's ME shop scrap room.

It was then that I remembered that you can never, ever, ever, assume any USCS dimension is cross-compatible with another, ever.

My point is that rigid 1/2" conduit actually has an outer diameter 0.840". So, if you want to use the 1/2" straps and anything other than rigid conduit, you should choose a pipe or rod with an outer diameter close to 0.840" (about 13/16").

Necessity is the mother of invention, but Clarity is the mother of repeatable production. I seriously made the second half of that up just now! I'm so cool :D

[Fragmaster]

LOL! You and I have the exact same screen! I just looked up a VESA mount Instructable and lo and behold, its intended screen was identical to mine. *sigh* What a coincidence. Thanks a bunch!
Since my school has a rule against drilling into dorm room walls, I'll probably end up hanging the mount from a conveniently placed extra-strong pipe that rund near the ceiling. I'll probably still use your pan/tilt mount design though, just need to add to it in order to deal with the torques involved. I bet hanging a 2x4 or 2x6 from the pipe and adding the mount to its center will be effective.

[EToft]

If it has to go on a pipe as you describe, you could probably just do the tilt part, and attach the "center plate" to the pipe with u-bolts. Let the u-bolts provide the pan pivot. Good luck.

[EToft]

Scratch that. I did not pay attention...I missed the fact that the pipe runs near the ceiling...ie horizontally. I was envisioning a vertical pipe.

In a dorm I am sure that you are very limited. Perhaps lofted beds? Then you could use part of the loft structure as a mounting point.