Saturday Morning Workshop: How To Build Speaker Stands

Matt BoleyUpdated: Aug. 19, 2020

Build these custom speaker stands, and learn a simple angle-finding technique in the process.

Time

A few hours

Complexity

Intermediate

Cost

$20-50

Introduction

Ideally, the stands should lift the speakers to roughly ear level of a sitting person. This is important because it aligns the subwoofers and tweeters relative to the ear and achieves the best balance of sound. The high frequencies are often missed when speakers are placed too high or too low. Speakers placed on a shelf or table often cause the surface to vibrate, thus distorting bass. These speaker stands isolate the speaker's vibrations from the floor, allowing you to hear the bass from the speaker and not the vibrations from a shelf, table or floor. Speakers come in various sizes and shapes, so the height of your speaker stands is dependent on your unique speakers. For this project, we give you the dimensions suited for the speakers shown in the photo, but you can alter the design to fit your individual needs.

Tools Required

Circular saw
Clamps
Cordless drill
Iron
Miter saw
Utility knife

Materials Required

13/16” x 25' Iron-on edge banding
2’x4′ 3/4″ Plywood
2” #8 Construction screws (32)
8’ 1x4 Hickory (dark wood species)
8’ 1x4 Maple (light wood species)
Felt/foam

Cutting List (One Stand)

Tech Art

Project step-by-step (6)

Step 1

Glue Up Boards

We wanted to spice up this build a bit, so we decided to incorporate a light-dark contrast with the legs. Glue up the boards face-to-face, making sure that the glue is spread all the way to the edges. Clamp, let dry, and sand the edges so that the boards are flush.

Step 2

Cut Plywood to Size

Cut two pieces from the 3/4-in. plywood to the size of your speakers. Ours are 11 in. x 13 in.

Find Angle for Legs

Use the scrap piece of plywood to map out the angle for the speaker stand legs. Decide the height you want for the base of the speakers, and make a mark on the plywood (32 in. for us). Mark the depth of the speaker (13 in.). Lay the 1×4 board assembly on the plywood, lining it up with both the corner of the plywood and the 13 in. mark from the edge. Scribe along the 1×4 board assembly, take the assembly away, and find your angle with a protractor or speed square (17 degrees for us). Cut that angle onto one end of the 1×4 board assembly.

Cut the Second Angle

To mark your cut for the bottom angle on the speaker stand legs, lay the board assembly on the plywood template again, and use the plywood edge to scribe the non-angled end of the board assembly. Be sure to consider which wood species (light or dark) you want on the inside and outside of your finished speaker stand legs, and keep that in mind when making your angle cuts.

Fasten Legs to the Top and Bottom

Use a No. 8 countersink bit and 2-in. No. 8 construction screws to fasten the legs to the base. We sketched out the hole locations for all of the parts to ensure that the pilot holes match up.

Edge Band the Plywood

Rough cut the banding veneer to the length of the plywood edges for easier application. Empty the water out of the iron and heat it up. Press firmly on the banding with the iron, moving along the edge to activate the adhesive backing. Make sure to keep the iron moving, so you don’t scorch the wood. Add wood finish and paint, if you wish.