Introduction

This project is a simple set of speaker stands that can be built very easily and at low cost. The basic version uses 3/4" MDF shelving that is available in 12" wide boards that are 48" long. These should be pretty common and usually run about $4 each. This project requires two of these shelves for a complete pair of speaker stands. I recommend that they be painted with whatever finish matches your listening room or speakers. With paint I estimate the total cost of this project to be under $15 for a complete pair of speaker stands. There are other options regarding building materials listed below.

Design

Shown above is a drawing of the speaker stand design. It is a very simple design that should accomodate most bookshelf speakers. You can build them to whatever height you need but the diagram shows a version that is 25.5" tall which is the maximum height you can get using the building materials that I suggested in the diagram. For the lowest cost version you can use two pieces of 3/4" MDF shelving that comes in a 12"x48" size. The shelving usually has one edge that is bull nosed and the shaded part of the diagram indicates where the bull nosed edge should be. The only issue with these boards is that they are often narrower than 12" so you might have to make some minor adjustments. The pieces I've been getting lately have been about 11.25". If your shelving material is narrower like mine then I suggest you make the bases slightly shallower than 12" to match the width of the shelving. Also, cut the two back stand pedestal pieces to be 4" wide each and use the remainder for the front of the pedestal section which in my case would be 3.25". These boards can be cut very easily using a circular saw with an edge guide or, if you have one, a table saw would also work well. The top pedestal size can be adjusted to match the footprint of your speaker, just cut it to match.

Once the boards are cut I recommend that you glue the pedestal section together first. First laminate the two 4" wide boards together, then glue the remaining front board on to make the 'T'. Finally, glue the top and bottom plates on. If you plan to paint them then I would recommend mixing a 50/50 solution of Titebond (or wood glue) and water which should be brushed onto the exposed edges of the MDF to keep the paint from soaking in. I recommend a few coats of the watered down glue solution and then a bit of sanding once it is dry. If you are going for a really smooth finish then you'll probably want to put a few coats of primer on prior to painting the final coat. If you are using a textured type paint like truck bed liner for example then you may be able to skip the primer stage.

There are some alternate ways of making these stands by using real wood instead of MDF. You can buy some hardwood boards and some common examples are pine, oak, maple and poplar. For the pedestals you can use planks that are 4" wide (which might be a bit narrower if they are finished boards which might be closer to 3.25" but they should still work). For the tops and bottoms you can either use some 1/2" or 3/4" plywood or laminate some hardwood planks together to get the right size. If you build them this way then you can stain and finish them to your liking (I use polyurethane a lot for a durable finish). You might want to stain the boards prior to glueing them together because if the glue drips during construction and you try to stain them after you might see the glue spots through the stain.

Regardless of the materials used, you should be able to make these speaker stands for under $20 a pair which is a great value. I suggest that you determine the desired height and top plate dimensions prior to building them in order to ensure that they are ideally matched to the speakers that you plan to use them with.