Ekco radio stand for round radios

[charney19]

I intend to make a copy of the 1930s ekco radio stand. I know how they look and actual height is 26 .5 inches I believe. Does anyone have the actual dimensions and know which timber was used? As stated previously I can build a house but not a radio. Pictures would be good.

[vinrads]

I thought about making one, but seeing that they tall and narrow, they must be prone to being knocked, thinking about it the best place would be in a corner.

Mick.


.

[MurphyNut]

Some years ago I restored one of these for a friend, I'm pretty sure they're made of oak. To remake such an item well would require some woodworking skill, I remember them having some nicely shaped curves.

[David G4EBT]

I'd contemplated making a stand for an A22 back in 2009 when I'd restored two sets - one for myself, one for my son. I scoured the net and found no information, but someone suggested I contact a gentleman called Robert Chesters - reputedly something of an expert on Ekco radios. This was his verbatim response:

Quote:

8-<

Although this sounds a very interesting project I will have to scotch an element of it straight away. To my knowledge the A22 did not have a stand produced by ekco to mount it upon, so there are no plans that I can furnish you with. The pre war stands are all made to measure for the various sets that sit on them so it would be a bit of a hopeless gesture supplying you with those dimensions. However, as I am aiming to become the patron saint of lost causes I will give you the height, width and depth of the stand for the AC76 - you will have to position the feet of the A22 mark where they will sit and cut some little recesses accordingly. All of the stands for the round sets slope inward towards the top so I will give you the details of the top and the bottom. To be honest with you I would just make it up based on the height but here we go:

Base: Width 17inches, depth 13 inches
Top: Width 3inches depth 9 inches
Height :26 inches

There is a stretcher running all the way around at a height of 4 inches and a shelf at 14.5 inches

I hope that this is useful to you.

On anouther point - as you note Coates was indeed a clever fellow however, he did not design the chassis for his radios that was handled by the in house team at E K Cole. In fact he found that the people engineering the chassis caused him problems as they would tell him what could and could not be done. Reputedly, the AD65 was originally intended to lie backwards and be tuned by rotating the whole set. This was not favoured by the engineers and the round Ekco became a much more conventional "upright" set. This claim by Robert Hawes is supported by an original blue print produced by coates that does not have a tuning knob and instead has a device at the back implying that the set lies on its back and can be spun around. What fun if that had been the solution that had been accepted! No need for stands then!

8-<

End quote.

I have the necessary woodworking skills, materials and equipment to construct a stand, (routers, bandsaws, biscuit jointer etc), and nowadays, with biscuit jointers there wouldn't be a need to use mortice and tenon joints. I'm more inclined to think that the stands would have been made of beech rather than oak, as beech has closer grain and finishes much better than oak. I doubt the stands were French polished - more likely sprayed with toner, then cellulose lacquer, as was the norm for wooden radio cabinets. Nowadays, black ebonising aerosol sprays are excellent if a black finish is needed, and if a stand is stained brown, modern acrylic gloss or satin car aerosols such as 'Tetrosyl Trade Spray' give an excellent and durable finish.

For staining oak black, many woodworkers/woodturners use a solution of wire wool immersed in vinegar and left overnight. (Well cheapskate northerners do!). The acetic acid and steel react with the tannin in the wood. (A good reason to never use wire wool on oak for finishing purposes, unless you want black blotches that is).

I did actually have the plans somewhere for the AD65 stand and was going to adapt them to suit the A22, but in the end, I thought it was tempting providence to perch an expensive radio on a stand which - if nudged, could well topple over.

I think someone on the forum did actually make a stand some years back and posted details. (MerlinMaxwell perhaps?).

It will be interesting to see if this thread goes anywhere!

[charney19]

I have the skills and the workshop and tools . as I served a 4 year carpentry and joinery apprenticeship albeit 40 plus years ago . plus time and patience ... now I just need the hardwood .. still cant build or rebuild radios though [ its a dark art ]

[David G4EBT]

If you make a stand for a round Ekco, you might need to learn the dark art or re-building smashed Bakelite cabinets! Given that the top is 9 inches deep, the bottom is 13 inches deep and the stand is 26 inches high, having drawn a quick sketch, the angle of the legs is just 93º - 3 degrees out of vertical, and given the weight of round Ekcos, I think the stand with a set on it would be rather top heavy, but of course, it depends on where the set is sited, whether it's on a carpeted floor, and whether there are any children or boisterous dogs around.

I guess that the only way of really knowing how stable a stand would be, would be to build one and plonk a set on it.

They also made wooden stands for the Ekco AD65 - a large, heavy oblong set. I've attached a not very good illustration of one. I think the slender rails of the stand make the set look bulky, ungainly and top heavy and I don't find it pleasing to the eye, but others may have a contrary view, which is fine.

I don't think that the 'arched' feet of the A22 lend themselves to an elegant stand in quite the same way as other round Ekcos would do. As I recall, the sets rest on a 'cradle' contoured to the cabinet, rather than 'standing on a shelf', but I could be wrong - it was 2009 when I looked into, but abandoned the idea of building one for my A22.

Someone will know!

[charney19]

after doing a mock up I think perhaps copying the old design may not be such a good idea.but............ 18inches high instead of 26 for stability, 18inches wide ..12 or 13 front to back still a curved top rail but radio feet stood on a solid shelf . not sure on the splayed legs.i think square would look neater and is easier to make .and could possibly adapt an old occasional table rather than buy new timber WE SHALL SEE WATCH THIS SPACE .....

[YoungManGW]

I have been researching for a little while the stands made for Ekco radios, and thought that fellow forum members might be interested in what's been turned up. Please see here:

www.ymgw.blogspot.com

Regards,
Richard

[Modernist]

The Ekco stands are typically made of beech and not oak - the grain is tighter and so a smoother finish can be achieved.

[YoungManGW]

Thank-you Robert. Yes, Ekco's wooden stands were indeed of beech.

I recalled seeing your handle somewhere else, so looked up your previous posts, and have only just seen your response to mine re. developing a list of all the Bakelite Ekcos. My current list does now include the 312 and 313. The year issue is a conundrum - whether to state year of first manufacture, or the year a particular set went on sale? Thus, an AD65 would be dated 1934 under the first scheme, but 1935 under the second, assuming the 1935 season didn't start until 1 January 1935 - which isn't a certainty!

If it's still available, I would very much welcome your list of all the Bakelite Ekcos. Would happily exchange my list of the same, which runs to the end of WWII. Perhaps PM me an email address?

Regards,
Richard

I made one for my A22, a drawing of it is on here somewhere...