No Products in Your Cart
Bookshelf Speaker Stands[8/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 speaker stands
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A pair of solid hardwood stands that lift bookshelf speakers to ear height and off the furniture. Each stand is a thick glued-up post on a wide, heavy base, with a top plate sized for most bookshelf speakers. Screws and dowels join the post to the plates, so there is no end-grain glue joint to fail.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post pieces | 4 | Boards 1–4, one each | 24" × 4" × 1¾" | 24" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Top plate pieces | 4 | Boards 1–2, two each | 9" × 4" × 1¾" | 9" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Base pieces | 4 | Board 5 | 11" × 4" × 1¾" | 11" × 3½" × 1¾" |
Posts: two 24" pieces face-glued, long grain to long grain → 4" × 3½" (S4S) or 3½" × 3½" (S2S).
Plates: top = two 9" pieces edge-glued; base = two 11" pieces edge-glued. Grain runs front to back.
Post to plates: end grain to face, so no glue on the post ends. 2 × #10 × 3" screws through each plate into the post (¾" counterbores) plus 2 glued ⅜" × 2" dowels.
Finished size: Each stand 27½" tall. S4S: top 9" D × 8" W, base 11" D × 8" W, post 4" × 3½". S2S: top 9" × 7", base 11" × 7", post 3½" × 3½".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 8 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- 8 × ⅜" × 2" fluted dowels and a set of ⅜" dowel centres
- 4 × ⅜" wood plugs (top plates)
- 8 rubber or felt feet, or floor spikes
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ⅜" Forstner or brad-point bit, drill stop collar
- 6 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Cauls (straight scrap strips)
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board and use a stop block for matching lengths. Boards 1 and 2: a 24" post piece and two 9" top pieces each. Boards 3 and 4: one 24" post piece each. Board 5: four 11" base pieces.
- 2 Glue up the posts. Face-glue a board 1 piece to a board 3 piece, and a board 2 piece to a board 4 piece, long grain to long grain. Clamp every 4–5" and keep the ends and edges flush. Each post is 4" × 3½" × 24".
- 3 Glue up the plates. Edge-glue the top pieces in pairs into two 9" × 8" top plates, and the base pieces into two 11" × 8" bases. Use cauls to keep the faces level. Leave everything overnight.
- 4 Square the post ends. Check both ends of each post with a square. If one is off, trim a hair off on the mitre saw — but trim both posts the same so the stands match. Square ends are what make the stands stand straight.
- 5 Flatten and sand. Scrape off the glue and sand the seams flush. Round or chamfer every edge, then sand 120 → 180 → 220.
- 6 Drill the post ends. On each end, mark two screw holes on one diagonal and two dowel holes on the other, all about 1" in from the corners. Drill the dowel holes ⅜" × 1" deep. Drill ⅛" pilot holes 2" deep for the screws.
- 7 Drill the plates. Push dowel centres into the post holes, set the post centred on a plate and tap it to mark. Drill ⅜" dowel holes 1" deep, then drill ⅜" counterbores ¾" deep and 3/16" clearance holes for the screws — from below on the bases, from the top on the top plates.
- 8 Assemble. Glue ⅜" × 2" dowels into the post ends. Fit the base, then drive two #10 × 3" screws up through it into the post. Fit the top plate the same way, screwing down from the top. Don't glue the post ends — end grain holds little glue; the screws and dowels do the work. Glue plugs into the top counterbores and sand them flush. Each stand is 27½" tall.
- 9 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats on every face. Add rubber or felt feet under the base corners and small rubber pads on the top plate for the speaker.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board and use a stop block for matching lengths. Boards 1 and 2: a 24" post piece and two 9" top pieces each. Boards 3 and 4: one 24" post piece each. Board 5: four 11" base pieces.
- 3 Glue up the posts. Face-glue a board 1 piece to a board 3 piece, and a board 2 piece to a board 4 piece, long grain to long grain. Clamp every 4–5" and keep the ends and edges flush. Each post is 3½" × 3½" × 24".
- 4 Glue up the plates. Edge-glue the top pieces in pairs into two 9" × 7" top plates, and the base pieces into two 11" × 7" bases. Use cauls to keep the faces level. Leave everything overnight.
- 5 Square the post ends. Check both ends of each post with a square. If one is off, trim a hair off on the mitre saw — but trim both posts the same so the stands match. Square ends are what make the stands stand straight.
- 6 Flatten and sand. Scrape off the glue and sand the seams flush. Round or chamfer every edge, then sand 120 → 180 → 220.
- 7 Drill the post ends. On each end, mark two screw holes on one diagonal and two dowel holes on the other, all about 1" in from the corners. Drill the dowel holes ⅜" × 1" deep. Drill ⅛" pilot holes 2" deep for the screws.
- 8 Drill the plates. Push dowel centres into the post holes, set the post centred on a plate and tap it to mark. Drill ⅜" dowel holes 1" deep, then drill ⅜" counterbores ¾" deep and 3/16" clearance holes for the screws — from below on the bases, from the top on the top plates.
- 9 Assemble. Glue ⅜" × 2" dowels into the post ends. Fit the base, then drive two #10 × 3" screws up through it into the post. Fit the top plate the same way, screwing down from the top. Don't glue the post ends — end grain holds little glue; the screws and dowels do the work. Glue plugs into the top counterbores and sand them flush. Each stand is 27½" tall.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats on every face. Add rubber or felt feet under the base corners and small rubber pads on the top plate for the speaker.
Why screws and dowels, not glue? The post meets the plates end grain first. Glue soaks into end grain and holds very little. Two long screws pull the joint tight, and the dowels stop the post from twisting.
Why a bigger base than top? The 11" base reaches past the top plate front and back, so a bump to the speaker doesn't tip the stand. The weight of solid 8/4 hardwood low down helps too.
Does wood movement matter? Hardly. The plates are only 7–8" across the grain, and the joint to the post is about 4" wide, so there is very little movement to fight.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Hidden cable channel: before gluing up the posts, rout a ½" × ½" groove down the middle of one mating face. Drill a ½" hole through the base and top plate to meet it, and the speaker wire runs inside the post.
- Sand fill: skip the cable channel and rout a bigger groove in both halves to make a hollow core; fill it with dry sand for an even heavier, deader stand.
- Two-tone: a walnut post with maple plates, or the other way round.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Cut the short plate pieces with a stop block on a mitre saw, never against a table-saw fence.
- In a home with small children, put a dab of museum putty or blu-tack under the speaker so it can't slide off.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
The top plate is 9" deep and 8" wide (7" for S2S), which suits most bookshelf speakers. A speaker can overhang the plate a little, as long as its feet sit on the wood.
For most sofas and chairs, yes — it puts the tweeter close to seated ear height. For a taller stand, use longer boards for the posts; the rest of the plan stays the same.
Rubber or felt on wood floors. Spikes help on thick carpet, where they reach the floor through the pile.
Planned offcuts only: about 23" off each of boards 3 and 4, about 3" off board 5 and short end trims. The long pieces make a matching small shelf or a pair of bookends. All 5 boards go into the stands.
No. The posts are 24" long, and a 2ft pack is a hair too short after squaring the ends. A 2ft 8/4 pack suits our chunky bookends or tumbling tower instead.
