[markandson]

Thank you, everyone, for your comments and concerns. Here is the thought process for their design.

I chose 3 legs, and don't want a plate underneath so that they will always be steady on the ground, no matter what the surface, pebbles and uneven concrete, etc. I thought about the need for beveled connections on the connecting rods and decided to keep the 3 legs and make the connections as necessary. The diameter of the circle that the legs fit in is 8", I got that from the set of 4 stands that I presently use, although I admit that after I fabricated the stand, it looked a little small to me too. I tried the stand under the car over the weekend, and it appears to be quite stable as is, I am set up on a level concrete garage floor. The interconnecting rods have two holes in them to resist rotation due to the round pins, in general I will probably have 3 of the rods installed when working on the car, leaving myself access from one side. I ALWAYS, have a hydraulic jack as a backup somewhere under the vehicle on the end or side where I am working. I too had an acquaintance through business, who DIED , because he was trapped under a car when changing the oil. I am going to be fabricating the other three this week, I will be increasing the circle for the legs to 10" and I will change to a 4 leg pattern - just to increase the anti-tip factor. Again, thanks to all for your input - I will post a pic of the modified version when it's done.