After getting a record player for Christmas, it was clear it couldn’t be assigned to the floor of our living room forever. A solution, therefore, was to find a record player console – or similar – that would hold it along with the rest of my HiFi system and records. A quick scan of Google and Pinterest led me to a rather beautiful wooden sideboard which looks classically Scandinavian and has that vintage feel.
A bit of further research led me to the IKEA Hackers website and a post of the record player console by a contributor in September! See more of the record player stand here.
Having seen how much a good quality sideboard would cost me, I determined that if I want something similar I would simply have to build it myself. (Just to make clear, I have very little experience with DIY apart from woodwork at school and a general sense of enjoyment for getting my hands dirty.)
Hacking a record player console from BESTÅ frames
IKEA items used:
- 1 x IKEA BESTÅ frame bench: £25
- 2 x IKEA BESTÅ shelf: £5 each
Other items Used: (£50 overall)
- 2 x standard pallets: free
- 4 x hairpin legs: £5 each from eBay
- Wood glue
- Hinges
- Nails (40mm)
- Sandpaper / sanding block
- Colron Danish Oil & Beeswax (both Georgian Medium Oak)
Time:
- About 10 hours
Cost:
- £100-110
I purchased the BESTÅ cabinet and sourced wood from local businesses. Once BESTÅ was built, I measured and cut down the two pallets to fit. Four long pieces fitted perfectly for the top and four more for the bottom. Four smaller bits for each of the sides and finally a total of four further pieces on the top and bottom which boxed in the longer top / bottom pieces. But any configuration could work!
Related: Easiest record player stand DIY ever. See it here.
Using 40mm nails and Gorilla Wood Glue, all the wood was attached to the cabinet. At this point I would recommend ensuring your wood is fully dried out so that it doesn’t warp after you’ve fixed it to the unit. I left some of the pallet nails in the wood as felt this added character – just used a metal file to minimise their sharpness.
Once the glue had dried, I used a “Stanley Surform Shaver” to smooth most of the rough edges, imperfections before sanding. For this I used a cheap sanding block and then medium sand paper. Pallet wood is often pine, i.e. soft, so this actually didn’t take long to get a decent feel.
With a smooth finish achieved I moved onto applying 3 layers of Danish Oil and then 2 layers of Beeswax.
I buffed the Beeswax after each application. The Beeswax gave the unit a lovely smooth feel and was, a pricey but crucial purchase.
Related: DIY wooden turntable plinth. See the tutorial.
With the unit finished, I fitted the shelf and will – in time – add the hairpin legs and door. But at the moment it actually looks immense on some dark bricks we had in the garden. The door will also look great once fitted although we’re in no rush. Drilled a hole in the BESTÅ backboard for wires.
Properly chuffed with this record player console. Once the speakers were placed on, and within it, the bass that is kicked out is fantastic! Finally the record player has something worthy to sit on!
Couple of points:
– Be careful when oiling and sanding that you don’t damage the BESTÅ unit itself as it’s easily done.
– I would recommend cutting a hole in the back board BEFORE you build the unit. I realised too late, so had to drill through rather than neatly creating a space for wires etc.
– Lastly, take time with the sanding stage. Effort at this stage really brings out the wood’s grain and will pay you back once you’ve oiled it.
Took about 10 hours overall but worth it. Immensely satisfying and would totally recommend to anyone unsure of trying something like this!
~ by Alex Thomson
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