Display cradle for HDS special metal lights

I would like to have something very nice to display the HDS light on my work desk.

Does anyone know where I can purchase a display cradle for my HDS Titanium Executive? Or, possibly know someone that can make a stand out of plastic, wood, or other material. There are many artists on Esty but I do not have any experience with them.

Pm coming

Also, PM coming.

Trying to get some ideas. Search terms included flashlight stands, light saber stands, and pipe stands. On Esty, ThePCModShop in Utah seems to do a lot of custom work using laser printers and I have a message into the Owner to see if he can make a custom stand.









Below is an image from thepcmodshop in Utah. Will try to contact the owner, Clark Pace, to see if he can make something similar and custom to the HDS light with custom engraving....





The stand below is $5.95 from vapeyaya.com. Not going to order this right now because I think I can do much better.

I use a simple oval shaped Lucite sculpture stand I happened to have in the house. You could check out pipe racks (some are made for a single pipe), the many display stands at a place like Bed Bath and Beyond, or you might consider a circle cut from colored felt for the light to rest on. Or even a coaster of the right material and design.

Tried to contact several artists on Esty. No one returned my emails.

So, ventured out on my own to develop a display stand out of wood. As in any developmental project the first prototypes are for learning. Below are photos of my first and second prototype. The second prototype is in process for final sanding and staining. There will be a third prototype in a few weeks based on my usage and learning from the second prototype.

First prototype - lots of learning here. Was going to build out shelves for two HDS lights when I learned that even brass screws are a bad idea. Stopped before finishing and moved onto a different design - prototype two.


Second prototype - photo one - prior to final sanding and staining.


Second prototype - photo two - prior to final sanding and staining.


Second prototype - photo three - prior to final sanding and staining.

Wood "would" have been my choice. But you're doing good. Btw why are brass screws not good?

usdiver said:

Wood "would" have been my choice. But you're doing good. Btw why are brass screws not good?

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The pine wood I am using - pine square and round dowels - are thin and fragile. I did drill the starter hole too small on this prototype but convinced myself that I should use wooden dowels instead. A more refined solution that will not split or strain the wood.

Thought of oak or something harder?

usdiver said:

Thought of oak or something harder?

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Yes, I will move to Oak in three or four weeks once I get through a few pine prototypes. I want to work through at least two more prototypes before I find out what I like and what works best while honing my development and building skills. At that point, I will go to the more expensive Oak for the final design and final display.

RCS1300 said:

Second prototype - photo three - prior to final sanding and staining.

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I like the idea of this stand! :twothumbs If you take for the production version i.e. Oak I'd take some I guess.

But I will not place all my HDS on a stand. Than my shelf would be filled up with light stands, and I can put more HDS lights on my shelf I I stand them on the lens. :naughty:

Some final photos of the second prototype. Definitely some redesigning and refining are in order. Need to improve the wooden dowel fit and finish, cutting and sanding, and angles of the HDS lights. Although rough looking it is sturdy and will serve its purpose well. I rotate three different lights each day and want them handy. Use High Noon emitters - in titanium and aluminum packages - during the hours of sunlight and move to NLT 325 lumen light from sun down to sun rise. So, there will always be two on the stand.

Going to put this one through daily use for the next few weeks and see how it works and holds up. Also will be thinking of some distinctly different prototypes to maybe create within the next month or two.

Aaron at Soloshold, a small light saber and light saber holder manufacturing company, got back to me and is interested in creating a display stand for my HDS Titanium Executive. Presently, he is super busy but asked that I check back with him in the Fall. I will!

While I am waiting I will pick up some micro wood working tools from micromark and specialty wood from Woodcraft.

looks like you are on the right track.

Is it just my eyes or is everything in 2 pieces. It appears that all the legs and base were made out of narrow wood and glued together. I am no wood worker but i can see where some other ideas could be done, not sure what the overall look would be.

Is there a reason why you chose a "V" shape to hold the lights rather than a "U" or curved shape? It would be more work, but you could use a wider base and have the legs inset to the base rather than secured to the outside. I guess there are a million ways to go about making a stand. Overall, turned out good.

I just have long shelves that I put my non used lights on. old poor quality pic. Unfortunately this doesn't show any HDS or other lights, Just my Malkoff collection. I have an identical shelf above and below this one

INFRNL said:

looks like you are on the right track.

Is it just my eyes or is everything in 2 pieces. It appears that all the legs and base were made out of narrow wood and glued together. I am no wood worker but i can see where some other ideas could be done, not sure what the overall look would be.

Is there a reason why you chose a "V" shape to hold the lights rather than a "U" or curved shape? It would be more work, but you could use a wider base and have the legs inset to the base rather than secured to the outside. I guess there are a million ways to go about making a stand. Overall, turned out good.

I just have long shelves that I put my non used lights on. old poor quality pic. Unfortunately this doesn't show any HDS or other lights, Just my Malkoff collection. I have an identical shelf above and below this one

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I have no idea what I am doing - tinkering, I guess.

Purchased some square and round wooden pine dowels and had at it with hand tools I used to build a porch and frame a door. Ha! Wanted to use small pieces of wood so that the size of the wood did not over power the HDS lights. Purchased the wooden dowels before I had a design, so that explains some of it.

Used V shape cuts because I happen to have a miter box, large size for door and window framing on a house. Joined the square wooden dowels with round wooden dowels and some wood glue. Drilled holes using a center punch and hand drill. I do not have a drill press so I cannot by hand make perfectly perpendicular holes so I do have some limitations in construction and therefore design.

Can do better on fit and finish so I will likely build another using the right tools and a hard wood like oak or maple instead of pine. The next version may not be built for three or four weeks as I will be traveling a lot soon.

I have it on my work desk now and it is outstanding. Really like it. The stand is rock solid and the lights drop nicely into the V shaped grooves. Perfect for daily use and perfect for me.

Thanks for the details. I think it turned out really well for what you have just explained. Looks great on your desk as well 👍

RCS1300 said:

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RCS1300 said:

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A real cool prototype :twothumbs. The only thing I would have done different is the finish of the wood. It is a little bit too dark for my taste. But on your desk if fits really perfect, when I see the surrounding furniture! :bow:

WarriorOfLight said:

A real cool prototype :twothumbs. The only thing I would have done different is the finish of the wood. It is a little bit too dark for my taste. But on your desk if fits really perfect, when I see the surrounding furniture! :bow:

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I was hoping for a lighter finish. My wife applied the stain and she thought I wanted dark so...

My current prototype two is nice. I like the sturdiness of it and how the V shape cradle automatically adjusts the light in place perfectly. So, I plan to make another and stain it in lighter color with an emphasis on better fit and finish and possibly source a solid one piece base. I will also make one or two single HDS light holders for the table next to my bed - maybe one in dark stain and the other in light stain. Looking at Oak, Cherry, and Maple wood.

Lack of a drill press is holding me back on design but I do not want to invest in one at this time.

RCS1300 said:

I have it on my work desk now and it is outstanding. Really like it. The stand is rock solid and the lights drop nicely into the V shaped grooves. Perfect for daily use and perfect for me.

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It's the next evolution in the edc gear obsession. First, lights (and knives), then custom leather sheaths, now this. I've often wanted a wooden display case custom made for my gear, one that I'd visit each morning the way that my wife visits her jewelry box. I've got everything in slotted drawer compartments, but this arrangement is merely functional. Your display cradle is super cool.

Enjoyed the handiness of the HDS light display so much that I made a few more for the night stand in this and other houses I stay in. These were all hand done with hand tools. Will stain them later this week in a lighter color than I did before and then protect them with two coats of Polyurethane. They are now temporarily assembled. They will be disassembled to stain. Hopefully, this will result in a better looking end product.

They are user stands not simply for display but mostly for holding my HDS lights so that I can easily access the light on the night stand in the dark (single light stand) or rotate the lights (dual light stand). The stands could be made more quickly and with more precision with a miniature table saw and table drill press. Each of these miniature power tools costs about $400, so not worth the investment for me. Learned that each stand takes about two hours to make by hand prior to staining and sealing. I did purchase a micro miter saw box and hand saw. The saw blade has 52 teeth per inch. It does make a nicer, more refined and finished cut than the metal hack saw I used on the second prototype.