Doll Stand From Gym Weight Squat Rack

[djcdoll]

You've ordered your dream girl and you suddenly realise that you're probably going to need a doll stand of some kind.
There are some great doll stands that have already been described here on TDF, CRD and elsewhere such as tripods, wooden stands, steel stands.

Here's an idea that seems to work very well, a slightly modified gym/exercise/barbell squat rack.
These are readily available on eBay and are priced around £40 to £50 here in the UK.
The bonus is that you get TWO stands in the price and they are about 95% ready for use as a doll stand right out of the box.
They are height adjustable, made of steel and are VERY sturdy. All you need are a few basic DIY skills to modify these stands.

Here is the eBay link to the stand I bought, there are many stands like this on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Outsunny-Wei ... 2749.l2649

I recommend getting one that has sufficient vertical height for your doll and is sturdy enough.
The one I bought is capable of holding 200Kg, so is more than suitable for supporting my Dani (a Body F).

Here are a initial couple of photos of the stand as seen on eBay and the base and top as initially modified by me.

The first photo shows the stand in the eBay advert. Note the central vertical pillar is located in the middle of the base.
My modification is to move the vertical pillar further back towards the rear of the stand.
This makes sure that when holding your doll that the centre of mass is located within the area of the stand base.

In the second photo I've shown the central part of the base (from the second stand) with four holes already pre-drilled as supplied, marked by the red arrows. The vertical pillar part of the stand usually screws in the middle 2 holes, but I switched it further back to the holes at one end.

In the third photo you can see that the vertical pillar has space to go further back by about another inch. I've marked this on the photo as A.
You will need to drill new holes to attach the vertical pillar here. This will bring the centre of mass even further inside the base.

The fourth photo shows the top of the stand. I used the neck attachment plate from the Abyss crate. I drilled 2 holes into the top of the stand and bolted the plate to it. It works fine, but I intend to beef it up a but by adding some support as marked by the arrow B.

NOTE - you will need to use proper HSS drills suitable for drilling into steel.

[djcdoll]

This is an update to my gym weight squat rack doll stand described in a previous post.

I decided to modify my stands by moving the vertical post as far back as possible on the stand base.
I mentioned this in my previous posting. This helps bring the doll centre of balance further inside the area of the stand base.

To do this modification you need to drill holes in the base of the stand as I indicated in the previous post.

I used "High Speed Steel" or HSS Drill Bits. These are harder than normal drill bits and are suitable for drilling steel. Normal drill bits that are used for wood will overheat and melt - I know as I tried those first! An ordinary DIY electric drill should be fine as that is what I used.

Also it's a good idea to drill small pilot holes first as a guide before using a bigger drill bit.
Go easy and take your time when doing the drilling. While drilling it's a good idea to either clamp the steel in a vice if you have one, or put them on the floor and stand on them to stop them moving around.
Wear some eye protection too such as glasses, as you do get some bits of metal flying about.

The only slightly tricky bit is working out how to attach the doll hanging bolt to the top of the vertical post.
I used the hanging bolt from Dani's doll crate for one of my stands and created a home made version for use on the other doll stand from an old bracket that I found in a cupboard. You may be able to work out a better solution with what you have available.

Here are some additional photos of my 2 doll stands as modified from cheap gym squat stands bought off eBay.

The first 2 photos show the base of the stands with the vertical pillar positioned further back.
That helps move the doll centre of mass over the base and helps prevent the stand and doll tipping over.

The next 2 photos show the top of the vertical pillar and the doll neck bolt hanging attachments.
I used the doll attachment bolt from the doll crate for one stand and I used a bracket that I found for the second stand (a bit more sturdy).

The final photos show the stands together and also Dani hanging on one of the stands by the bed.
I used some foam pieces from the crate behind her back and bum to protect them.

The doll stands easily support my Dani with no problems at all.

[Dollarhyde]

Great job djcdoll and it's much more compact... I copied mine from Abyss BUT that was way back when and I used the big speaker stands that I got from WalMart and built them accordingly. Since then and knowing how to weld I decided to make something similar to what you have but with wheels so I can roll my gals around the house... Your idea is a great alternative for those who have limited tools...

[djcdoll]

Great job djcdoll and it's much more compact... I copied mine from Abyss BUT that was way back when and I used the big speaker stands that I got from WalMart and built them accordingly. Since then and knowing how to weld I decided to make something similar to what you have but with wheels so I can roll my gals around the house... Your idea is a great alternative for those who have limited tools...

Thanks very much Dollarhyde.
Yes, I wanted something that didn't require anything other than basic DIY skills.
If you have an electric drill and can drill a few holes then you should be okay modifying one of these stands for use as a RealDoll stand.

I'm very pleased with mine so far, It's compact, can go almost flat against a wall, it's very sturdy and strong, and you get two stands!

[Tsall]

I love the KISS principle (Wikipedia): "keep it simple, stupid"

This is a nice example for KISS. Cheap, only some small alterations, only simple tools needed and it fulfills the job perfectly.

Some thoughts.

Your set of two stands is able to hold 200kg. That obviously means that one stand holds about 100kg. Still enough for any known doll.

What if you were to mount the neck mounting plate a little further down directly into the pole? You need two longer screws, but it would hold much better than the relatively thin plate at the top. Of course only if the pole is high enough. I personally would avoid to extend it to the maximum.

The doll is hanging on one side of the stand. That means the pole is pulled forward. To increase the stability I would replace the small 45° bar at the bottom with something larger. For example the one below. Only 5 Euro in German hardware stores. That one is 30 x 20 cm and holds 300 kg.

Stabilit Stegkonsole 300x30x200mm 300kg.jpg (35.26 KiB) Viewed 4743 times

[djcdoll]

I love the KISS principle (Wikipedia): "keep it simple, stupid"

This is a nice example for KISS. Cheap, only some small alterations, only simple tools needed and it fulfills the job perfectly.

Some thoughts.

Your set of two stands is able to hold 200kg. That obviously means that one stand holds about 100kg. Still enough for any known doll.

What if you were to mount the neck mounting plate a little further down directly into the pole? You need two longer screws, but it would hold much better than the relatively thin plate at the top. Of course only if the pole is high enough. I personally would avoid to extend it to the maximum.

The doll is hanging on one side of the stand. That means the pole is pulled forward. To increase the stability I would replace the small 45° bar at the bottom with something larger. For example the one below. Only 5 Euro in German hardware stores. That one is 30 x 20 cm and holds 300 kg.

Stabilit Stegkonsole 300x30x200mm 300kg.jpg

Thanks for your comments and feedback Tsall.

I like both of your suggestions and I think they will add more rigidity to the stand, especially the base strengthening modification.
This is the great thing about these weight stands, they're almost ready for use as a doll stand. All that's needed are some small alterations.

[zoomer]

great tools

[TallLassLover]

Hi,

Can this be done for a WM doll? Mine is currently on the way and I was looking to make a stand like this for her. Is there a bolt that can have the eye bolt coming out of the back of her neck like yours does?

[djcdoll]

Hi,

Can this be done for a WM doll? Mine is currently on the way and I was looking to make a stand like this for her. Is there a bolt that can have the eye bolt coming out of the back of her neck like yours does?

Hi TallLassLover,

I also have a WM doll as well as my RealDoll.
The WM dolls don't have a neck bolt, so a stand like this probably won't be much use in the way RealDolls can.
I've not seen any modifications to WM dolls to allow a neck bolt like RealDolls.

RealDolls can't stand unaided to their skeleton is built with a neck bolt attachment point.

However, the WM dolls heads can be removed and the doll body suspended by a bolt screwed onto where the head attaches.
That may be a possible help.

NOTE - that WM dolls do have a standing feet option (foot bolts), so your doll may be able to stand on her own as long as she's leaning against something sturdy.

[VanWalker]

That is clever! You've given me some ideas. Thank you for this post.

[djcdoll]

That is clever! You've given me some ideas. Thank you for this post.

No problem, glad you found the idea useful. Let us know how you get on.