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Hardwood Headphone Stand[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 5 headphone stands
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood stand that keeps your headphones off the desk and the band in shape. Each stand is three parts: a base, a tapered upright set in a shallow dado, and a curved hanger arm on two dowels. Every board makes one complete stand, so one 2ft pack makes five: one for your desk and four to give away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bases | 5 | One per board | 7" × 4" × ¾" | 7" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Uprights | 5 | One per board | 10" × 4" × ¾", tapered to 2" at the top | 10" × 3½" × ⅞", tapered to 2" at the top |
| Hanger arms | 5 | One per board | 5" × 4" × ¾", shaped to 2" tall | 5" × 3½" × ⅞", shaped to 2" tall |
| ¼" dowel pins (buy) | 10 | 2 per stand | 2" long, trimmed flush | 2⅛" long, trimmed flush |
Upright to base: ⅜"-deep dado across the base, 1" from the back end; glue + 2 × #8 screws up through the base.
Arm to upright: two ¼" dowels through the upright into the arm end, glued; dowels trimmed flush at the back.
Shapes: upright tapers from full width to 2" at the top; arm is 2" tall at the root, curving up ¾" at the tip.
Finished size: S4S about 11" H × 4" W × 7" D · S2S about 11⅛" H × 3½" W × 7" D. The arm reaches 5" in front of the upright.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- One 36" length of ¼" hardwood dowel (10 pins)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 10 × #8 flat-head screws: 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- 20 felt pads
- 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)
- Table saw with a dado stack or several passes, or a router with a straightedge
- Bandsaw or jigsaw
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ¼" brad-point bit
- Router with roundover bit (or sand by hand)
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- 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, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" 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. Then cut a 7" base, a 10" upright and a 5" arm from each one. Set a stop block for each length so all five stands match.
- 2 Cut the dado in each base. Mark a line 1" in from the back end. Cut a ⅜"-deep dado right across the base, ¾" wide, with its back edge on that line. Use several passes on a table saw or a router with a straightedge. Test it with an upright. It should be a snug push fit.
- 3 Taper the uprights. Mark a 2" width centred on the top end. Draw a line from each mark down to the bottom corners. Saw just outside the lines with a bandsaw or jigsaw, then plane or sand to the line. Leave the bottom the full 4" so it fills the dado.
- 4 Shape the arms. Draw the arm on card first. It is 2" tall at the back end, slims to about 1¼" at the front, and its top edge curves up about ¾" at the tip. That lip stops the headband sliding off. Trace it onto each arm blank, cut it out and sand the curves smooth.
- 5 Drill for the dowels. Mark two holes on the upright's centre line, ½" and 1½" down from the top. Drill ¼" holes straight through. Clamp the arm to the front face, flush with the top and centred. Then drill through the same holes 1" deep into the end of the arm.
- 6 Sand and round over. Sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round the top edge of each arm well with a roundover bit or sandpaper. That edge carries the headband. Soften the other edges.
- 7 Fit the upright. Glue the dado and push the upright in, square to the base. Pre-drill two holes up through the base into the end of the upright and countersink them. Drive #8 × 1¼" screws. The glue helps, but the screws do the work here.
- 8 Fit the arm. Put glue in the dowel holes and on the end of the arm. Clamp the arm in place and tap in the ¼" dowels from the back. Once dry, saw and sand the dowel ends flush with the back of the upright.
- 9 Finish. Wipe-on oil or hardwax oil, 2–3 coats. Stick four felt pads under the base so it won't scratch the desk.
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 ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board. Then cut a 7" base, a 10" upright and a 5" arm from each one. Set a stop block for each length so all five stands match.
- 3 Cut the dado in each base. Mark a line 1" in from the back end. Cut a ⅜"-deep dado right across the base, ⅞" wide, with its back edge on that line. Use several passes on a table saw or a router with a straightedge. Test it with an upright. It should be a snug push fit.
- 4 Taper the uprights. Mark a 2" width centred on the top end. Draw a line from each mark down to the bottom corners. Saw just outside the lines with a bandsaw or jigsaw, then plane or sand to the line. Leave the bottom the full 3½" so it fills the dado.
- 5 Shape the arms. Draw the arm on card first. It is 2" tall at the back end, slims to about 1¼" at the front, and its top edge curves up about ¾" at the tip. That lip stops the headband sliding off. Trace it onto each arm blank, cut it out and sand the curves smooth.
- 6 Drill for the dowels. Mark two holes on the upright's centre line, ½" and 1½" down from the top. Drill ¼" holes straight through. Clamp the arm to the front face, flush with the top and centred. Then drill through the same holes 1" deep into the end of the arm.
- 7 Sand and round over. Sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round the top edge of each arm well with a roundover bit or sandpaper. That edge carries the headband. Soften the other edges.
- 8 Fit the upright. Glue the dado and push the upright in, square to the base. Pre-drill two holes up through the base into the end of the upright and countersink them. Drive #8 × 1½" screws. The glue helps, but the screws do the work here.
- 9 Fit the arm. Put glue in the dowel holes and on the end of the arm. Clamp the arm in place and tap in the ¼" dowels from the back. Once dry, saw and sand the dowel ends flush with the back of the upright.
- 10 Finish. Wipe-on oil or hardwax oil, 2–3 coats. Stick four felt pads under the base so it won't scratch the desk.
Why a dado for the upright? The upright stands on its end grain, which glue can't hold. The shallow dado locks it square and stops it racking side to side. The screws from below pull it tight.
Why taper the upright? A narrow top leaves room for the ear cups to hang free on both sides. The full-width bottom gives the dado joint the most wood.
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
- Two-tone: walnut base and upright with a maple arm.
- Cable hook: add a third dowel low on the back of the upright to wrap the cable.
- Leather pad: glue a strip of thin leather along the top of the arm for a soft rest.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Cut the tapers and the arm curves with the part clamped or held flat on the bandsaw table. Keep fingers out of the blade line on small parts.
- 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.
No. The base runs 7" front to back, and the headphones hang over the middle of it. Heavy studio headphones are fine. Felt pads also stop it sliding.
No. The arm is narrow and rounded, so the band rests in its natural shape. That's better than leaving the headphones on the desk or around a monitor.
A jigsaw works fine. Clamp the part to the bench, cut just outside the line, and sand back to it. The tapers are straight lines, so a hand plane works too.
Planned offcuts only: about 1" off the end of each board, plus the two thin wedges from each taper and the waste around each arm. All 5 boards go into the stands.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes ten stands: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan.
