High Quality Megalodon Display Stand
Made in America

The Dark Water Megs high quality megalodon tooth display stands are made in America with American parts by American small businesses.
After not being able to find a high quality megalodon stand, I engaged with several small businesses and craftsmen in order to make these high quality display stands for megalodon shark teeth.
You can view and purchase these stands in my store and I encourage you to read about the description of how they are made below.
Megalodon Tooth Display Stands

I have been searching for and collecting megalodon shark teeth for years, and throughout that time period I have been fortunate enough find some megalodon teeth and other fossils that I sell, but some I keep.  For the shark teeth that I keep I have always had a tough time finding a good way to display them, and after a couple of years working on the problem and refining different versions I have come up with a design and process that results in a high quality megalodon stand that is made in America.
There are other megalodon tooth display stands available, but after seeing many of them I found they had the same issues.  They were built using the lowest cost materials available and assembled overseas using the cheapest labor possible.  The end result was a megalodon tooth stand that either did not properly display the tooth, or even worse distracted from it with a low quality, gaudy stand.

I took the opposite approach when designing and building these megalodon display stands.  I used high quality material sourced locally, and used several highly skilled trades people with years of experience to craft the individual elements of the display stand.  Because these display stands will be showcasing megalodon and other fossil teeth I needed the display to be durable, attractive, and long lasting.  Each element of the megalodon mount was designed and thought through with each of the craftsmen who would be responsible for that component.

The Wood Base by Robert The Woodworker
Wood base for megalodon display stand
The foundation or base of these high quality megalodon display stands is the wood base.  I worked with a woodworker with decades of experience to design a stand base that would be strong and beautiful by itself but also compliment the tooth that was being displayed.  After several tests and revisions we arrived at a set of dimensions and materials that would allow for different sizes of bases depending on the size of the tooth to be displayed.

 

Robert The Woodworker:
Robert builds the wood bases for these megalodon displays.  He uses high quality woods like red cedar, black walnut, cypress, and various other woods to create a stand base that is elegant and compliments the megalodon tooth being displayed.  Robert cuts out each stand base individually within a specific set of dimensions that we found works best.  He then rounds the sharp edges on the top of the stand and drills a hole in the center of the base. This hole depth is based on the size of the wood base and the size of the tooth that will be displayed on it.  He then finishes his portion of the process by sanding the wood to help bring out the natural grain and give it a smooth finish.
The end result is a one of a kind wood base that allows the natural wood to compliment, and not distract from the megalodon tooth that will be displayed on it.

Wood Used
Reclaimed wood for megalodon stand
The wood Robert uses to craft the wood base for these megalodon shark tooth stands is a variety of American grown lumber.  Most of the wood used is from storm damaged trees, reclaimed wood or excess pieces from larger cuts.  It was important to not contribute to deforestation and build these stands using as many sustainable methods and materials as realistically possible.  For that reason the wood used to create the base for these megalodon stands is from trees that were fallen by hurricanes, boards that were removed in remodeling or demolition processes, or cuts from large boards used on boat renovations or home projects.  Utilizing wood from these sources ensures that trees are not being cut down for the sole purpose of making these stands, and that many small businesses benefit from the sourcing of this wood.  Tree removal businesses are helped when the downed trees they have to remove can be used in these stands, reusing this wood via reclaiming it helps the demolition and renovation companies, and other woodworkers are able to recapture some value from their purchased materials by allowing Robert and I to utilize some small pieces of wood left over from their projects.

 

The metal upright or megalodon holder
Another key element of these megalodon display racks is the metal upright that holds the tooth in a vertical position.  These metal uprights are what allow the tooth to be displayed in a way that it can be viewed from multiple angles and truly show off the ancient fossil.  The metal portion of the tooth stand needs to be strong and attractive while not distracting from the tooth.  After many different design attempts utilizing different materials, dimensions, and angles we arrived at the final version which displays the tooth in a way that is beautiful, but draws attention to the tooth not the stand itself.

The Metal Upright by Zane The Welder

Welding high quality megalodon display stand
Zane is an incredibly skilled welder and metal worker with years of experience.  He is a full time welder and fabricator and was the perfect partner to help design and build these metal uprights for the megalodon stands.  Zane and I went through several versions and metal types before coming up with the perfect metal upright for these megalodon displays.  Zane takes the raw steel and cuts it to precise lengths depending on what size tooth the upright will be used for.  He then puts four precision bends in the two pieces of metal and rounds off the sharp edges left from the cuts.  Finally he securely welds the two pieces of metal together to create the metal upright used in the Dark Water Megs Megalodon Display Stand.  The process of making these metal displays takes several individual steps, but the end result is an elegant and functional megalodon stand.

Metal Used

Steel used for megalodon display stand high quality
The steel used for these megalodon stand uprights is purchased from a local metal market that supplies Dark Water Megs with a variety of different metals.  The specific steel used for these high quality megalodon display stands varies depending on the size of the megalodon that will be displayed, however this metal steel used in these high quality megalodon display stands is Made in America.

 

American made steel for megalodon tooth display stand

 

Powder Coated Metal Uprights
In an early version of these megalodon display stands I used different kinds of paint for the metal uprights.  After Zane the welder has cut, bent, and welded these metal stands together they are raw metal which is strong, but not very attractive or rust resistant.  The megalodon teeth displayed are millions of years old so I did not want the stand uprights to rust after a few years of being displayed in someone’s collection.  While the paint previously used would prevent rust and looked somewhat attractive, it was not as durable as I wanted it to be.  Sometimes these stands need to be slightly bent to achieve a good fit with the megalodon tooth they are displaying, and that bending process would crack or chip the paint.  Also the act of removing and replacing the tooth from the stand could cause the paint to wear.  So after experimenting with several different coating options I decided to have them powder coated.  The powder coating process ensures that the stands are covered with a durable material, that looks attractive and also helps to protect the tooth.  The powder coating process is much more labor intensive and expensive than paint but the end result is a much higher quality finish on the metal upright for the megalodon stand.

 

Powder Coated Metal Uprights by Merilee The Powder Coater
Merilee does the powder coating for these high quality megalodon stands.  She begins with taking the metal uprights that Zane cut, bent, and welded and then she prepares them for powder coating.  In order to be fully prepared for powder coating these metal stands need to have any residual oil, grease, dirt, or residue left from the welding process removed.  Merilee bead or sand blasts the metal to ensure that the megalodon rack is clean, and then fully powder coats the metal upright.  The process involves several steps and can take a couple days when allowing for batching and drying.  The end result though is that the metal upright that holds the megalodon tooth on the wood base has a durable and attractive finish that will last for many years.





Design, Sizing, Assembly, Fit and Finish by Dark Water Megs
The wood bases need a wood finish to preserve them and bring out the natural grain in the wood. This also protects the wood so it will be beautiful for years to come.  I apply 2-3 coats of a natural finish made from non-toxic linseed oil and natural beeswax.  This finish is not a stain and does not contain the harmful chemicals found in some wood finishes.  The finish is purchased from a US based company who sources and makes the finish here in America.  It is a combination of responsibly farmed linseed oil and beeswax from hive friendly farms that utilize sustainable hives.  The finishing process requires 24-48 hours of drying time between coats and a light sanding between coats, so the finishing process on the wood bases typically takes about a week allowing time for drying and sanding between coats before the wood base for these megalodon display stands is complete.
Finally, a wood base is paired with a metal upright that are of appropriate size and will correctly fit the tooth.  All three items, the tooth, wood base, and metal upright need to be sized appropriately for each other to have the megalodon look good on the display stand.  For that reason I size stands myself when selling them with teeth or offer three different sizes of stands based on tooth size on my website.

Wood finishing for megalodon display stand high quality


Once all of the components have been sourced, cut, sanded, drilled, welded, powder coated, and assembled the stands are finally put together and finished.

 



Stands supporting many small businesses
These megalodon display stands support five small businesses directly and over ten other small businesses indirectly.  These are all American small businesses, most of which are located within 20 miles of my business here in the Southeast United States.  With ever component of the process I have tried to get the materials and labor from American small businesses.

Not in the stand business
I have been working on developing and making these stands for the past few years. However, I have done this not with the intention of selling megalodon display stands, but with the intention of having a good stand option for the megalodon shark teeth that I sell.
While I don’t mind selling stands individually for people that already have teeth, my primary goal with this megalodon tooth display journey was to provide high quality stands for the teeth that I find and sell, along with those I keep for my own collection.



I started this process because I could not find stands to properly display megalodon teeth being sold, after a long road and help from some very talented craftsman I am happy to offer these high quality megalodon tooth display stands for sale with megalodon teeth purchased form www.darkwatermegs.com