The $10 PVC C-stand

A C-stand is an important part of any photography studio. C-stands are high-quality adjustable stands used to mount lights, reflectors, hold up backgrounds, etc. The problem is that real professional c-stands get expensive. If you want to buy one new on the internet, expect to pay at least $200, not including shipping. Even used ones on Ebay are pricy and are expensive to ship because of their weight.

In this instructable, I will demonstrate how to make your own c-stand out of plumbing pieces for under $10! The C-stand i made in the picture below is pretty sturdy, and looks a lot like the real thing.

On the next page we'll discuss the materials for this project...

Please vote for this project in the Digital Days Photo contest going on right now!

Step 1 Supplies

Like I mentioned before, everything you need can be bought at your hardware store.

The things you will need are:

• 3/4 inch PVC pipe - This stuff is usually sold in lengths of 10ft. Buy ten feet of this pipe. You will not have much leftover
• 1/2 inch PVC pipe - Just like above, buy a 10 foot piece. This pipe will form the riser, or the part that goes up and down to adjust the height.
• 2 3/4 tee junctions
• 4 3/4 elbow junctions - These are those 90-degree connectors
• 3 3/4 caps - These will be put on the legs to cover them.
• 1 3/4 straight connector
• 1 3/4 to 1/2 adapter - This adapter will make sure the 1/2" pipe will slide smoothly
• Drill tap - You will need a tap to make screw threads in the adapter.
• Screw - This eye-bolt screw should match the size of the tap above.

You will also need a saw to cut the pipe

Comments

[filmnuts]

This seems fine for holding a flag, a silk or mounting a light on top of the vertical shaft (assuming you make some sort of adapter for the pin), but the real thing that makes a c-stand so useful is the gobo arm.  I don't think making a pvc gobo arm would be difficult, but I'm concerned about if it would be able to support the weight of a light or big piece of duvetyne when fully extended, especially to the side.  Have you made a gobo arm and if so, how much weight are you comfortable putting on it?

[ohowson]

I was also wondering about the potential of a sturdier base. How about something like this - the only problem I can see is stopping the middle t-connector spinning around. Involves a lot less precise measurements for lengths of pipes though. I might go get some pipe from B&Q and give it a go!

[tristantech]

Let me know how it goes! The base of my c-stand is designed to spread out the weight as much as possible to create a low center of gravity to prevent it from tipping and to allow multiple stands to placed in a tight space, but your design looks like it will work. If you use PVC, you will probably have to glue the middle T-junction!!!

[jgderuvo]

It'd be great if you would show close up videos of the C Stand in action, like the pipe sliding up and down.  I don't see how an 3/4 to 1/2 adapter allows for this.

[ohowson]

I'm struggling to see where the 1/2" pipe goes - can you add some more detailed photos of that bit? Would also love to see this in action!

thanks :)

[mrmath]

Wouldn't it be more sturdy if made from metal pipe? No less customizable, just a little harder to build, and a little more expensive. But you'd end up with something much sturdier, wouldn't you?

[lemonie]

I don't much like PVC as a construction-kit, you'd think someone would develop a better system? Wood would be my choice. L

[tristantech]

Thanks for all the great ideas about using other materials... The reason I chose PVC is because it very easy to buy and work with. Metal pipes are also a great choice if you have a larger budget (like $50). For the design I built, I don't think wood would be practical. Believe it or not, I have actually built a c-stand out of wood, but it looked nothing like what I wrote about in my instructable. Instead of legs, I just used a flat board. And instead of making a sliding riser out of wood (don't know how you could), I used a piece of wood that is about 1" by 2" by 5 feet tall and a u-bolt to fasten attachments in place. I can post a picture if you are interested.

[lemonie]

My thoughts were that with quite a lot of people using PVC pipe and fittings as construction kits, someone might see a gap in the market and develop an "adult KNEX/Lego/Mecanno" to fill that gap. If people are being innovative with materials that aren't quite the best, there's potential for something better? L

[tristantech]

I really don't think there would be a need for adult versions of legos or knex. Have you ever heard the expression "big toys for big boys" ? You wouldn't want to build a house or a piece of furniture out of adult legos; you'd use saws, trucks, wood, and nails.

[lemonie]

-or PVC pipe & fittings. L

[ejk00]

Nice job! I may have to make a couple myself. One suggestion - after you get the 120-deg angles of the legs worked out, use a sharpie to mark their positions, then you could conceivably fold the legs flat for storage, and easily rotate them back to their marked positions tor use.

[tristantech]

yes! The PVC pipes make it very easy of fold or take the whole thing apart!

[rimar2000]

Good idea. And this is not only for photography, I need sometimes a helper stand, one of these will be very useful. Maybe polypropylene tube for water is a little stronger? (and more expensive too).

[jdege]

There are two kinds of PVC piping. One is intended for plumbing. That's what you can find in the hardware stores and home centers. It's not ideal for this sort of thing because it has blue printing all over it and has no UV protection. Without the UV protection, plumbing grade PVC gets dangerously brittle when exposed to sunlight. Do a web search on "furniture grade PVC" and you'll find the other. It looks better, it's safer, and it has a wider variety of fittings.

[PS118]

And the legs even fold flat! Genius!

[Spartan Phalanx]

Wow. I love the idea because not only are you saving 200 dollars you are making a more customizable stand that you can change to your needs. Also this is written very well and easy to understand.