Record Stand

Brush up on your precision miters, and build this mid-century inspired record player stand.

- Collin Knoff

I've always appreciated vinyl for its aesthetic qualities as much as the analog experience of putting a record on. Yet for some reason, my collection has always lived inside of cabinets or cupboards. I decided it was finally time to change that and give my records a prominent spot in my living room. The added benefit is that with everyone out on display, I'm actually using my record player more often.

Design

One of my favorite parts of the entire woodworking process is the design phase. I spent months bookmarking ideas on Instagram and looking at mid-century pieces.

The case design itself came together fairly early; after making several furniture pieces with plywood, I wanted to construct something entirely out of hardwood, and I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to use a Domino. The legs were a different story though.

My original plan was similar to the nightstands I made for the February 2022 issue, just mounted lower on the case. Over time it evolved to a more Maloof-esque organic shape, which I really fell in love with in my head. When I started prototyping the legs with the case though, it looked all wrong. The balance was off, looking like a weightlifter that did nothing except skip leg day.

Finally I settled on the design you see here. That Maloof bug is still bouncing around my head though, destined for a future project.

Rough Stock Prep This project started life as a walnut slab with plenty of imperfections, as most slabs have. That doesn't mean you can't get plenty of good boards from it though.

With a rough cutlist in hand, I laid out all the boards needed, plus an extra here and there, and cut them out with a jigsaw. I gave myself an extra inch in all dimensions so I had room to cut to final size later.