DIY Digital Piano Stand plus Bench (…a $25 project!!)

DIY Digital Piano Stand plus Bench

Growing up, we always had a piano in our house.  We all took turns taking lessons…..even though mine only lasted about 6 months because my teacher moved away (but I played other instruments, so it worked out).  I remember sitting down to the piano when I was bored and making up random melodies and singing dramatic lyrics along with the nonsensical plunking of each key.  I also remember trying to figure out sheet music on my own (since my teacher moved away) and then having pretend recitals, where I would curtsy at the end and relish in my pretend applause.  I mean, you guys, I was an incredible pianist in my own little dream world….haha!! ;)

Anyway — for the longest time, I have wanted to have a piano for my kids to begin plunking around on and possibly gaining an interest in taking lessons.  But every time I asked them, they always seemed very disinterested…..so I decided it wasn’t worth forcing them to do, and that we would just wait.  A few months ago, we started talking about playing musical instruments and I told them I played the trumpet from 4th-8th grade and sometimes I played the tuba, sousaphone, and was even the majorette in our little middle school band.  They thought that was so cool and started telling me all the instruments they wanted to play.  I told them that all sounded great…..but if they wanted to play an instrument, they had to take piano first.  So, FINALLY——–they told me they wanted to give piano a try. :)

I started looking around online for a used upright piano but just didn’t see anything that would work.  Plus, I wasn’t sure I wanted to move a huge old piano from someone else’s house into ours.  We’d have to rent a truck, hire a tuner, and then hopefully it would play well after all that effort.  So, instead, I started looking at full sized keyboards with weighted keys.  That way, it would feel and mostly sound like a regular piano and then transitioning to a piano wouldn’t be so awkward in the future.  And—–headphones!!!   But the thing is……the only space in our house for a keyboard is out in the main living room (which is also open to the kitchen/dining room and where we spend plenty of time), and I didn’t want to just plunk it in the middle of my furniture as is.  A standard upright piano is like a piece of pretty furniture, so when not in use, it’s still pleasant to look at.  But a keyboard is a little different.  Even though it’s totally fine sitting out, I really wanted to create something that was more like a pretty piece of furniture!

So we created this all wood Digital Piano Stand…..complete with a little bench!

 

The stand is made from inexpensive pieces of pine and was put together in only a few hours.  It’s a quick project that makes me very happy to see sitting in our front Living Room.

 

The design is more farm-style and was stained to look like old distressed wood.  The top of the table and the bench both have planks of wood across the top….and I love how that turned out!

 

Oh, and that little bench was so fast to put together and could be used for so many things.  And actually, the stand could be heightened and used as a console table or even a sofa table…….if you don’t actually need a piano stand.

 

The stand puts the keyboard at a nice piano height that is perfect for adults to sit and play comfortably…..but also works great for budding little musicians who want to learn to play! (P.S. Elli and Connor both love taking lessons so far, and have become obsessed with learning notes, finger placement, rhythm, etc! And I love that they can put headphones on and not only keep the noise level down for the rest of us, they also help them to stay focused and not get distracted by what’s going on around them.  And then every once in a while, I have them unplug and let me listen for accuracy.  LOVE those headphones! Oh, and THIS is the keyboard we have, which has weighted keys that feel more like a real piano.)

 

Our stand and keyboard now sit along one wall, behind some chairs and it blends right in with what we have going on in this front room…….and I love it!

 

And really, for about $25 IN LUMBER, this Digital Piano Stand really didn’t cost much to make!  But just think——you could paint this all one color, or make the stand and bench two different colors.  You could even use this in a bedroom as a homework desk, a makeup station, or even a project table.  So many reasons to love this little thing!

 

Want to make one too??

FIRST OF ALL, we purchased our keyboard HERE, and love it!  So the dimensions below accommodate our Digital Piano, that has an overall measurement of 51 3/4 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 3 3/4 inches tall (to the top of the keys).  If your keyboard is slightly different in size, make adjustments as needed.

ALSO, the dimensions for the piano stand below put the top of the keys on our keyboard at 30 1/2 inches tall.  I looked up online what an upright acoustic piano height was (to the top of the keys), and I got a variety of answers…..anywhere from 28-30 inches high.  We went slightly higher as my husband and I are tall people (he’s 6’5″ and I’m 5’11”), so why not have it at the taller end of the spectrum for once?!?!  Our kids obviously aren’t full grown yet but we didn’t want to create something that was too short for us, so if their teacher recommends it, maybe we’ll sit them up on a book or two so that their arms are at a 90 degree angle and aren’t reaching up.

Okay, let’s get started. :)

SUPPLIES:

• 4 – 2×4’s $2.50
• 3 – 2×6’s $3.50
• 1 – 2×2’s (If you can’t find 2×2’s that are straight….rip some 2×4’s down to size.)
• Screws
• wood glue (HERE’S the exact wood glue we used)
• Kreg Jig
• Counter Sink Bit
• Kreg Jig (HERE’S the EXACT one we have….and LOVE!)
• Kreg Face Clamp (HERE’S the EXACT one we have…..that you NEED while using the Kreg Jig)
• Drill

Finish & Misc:

• Stain (we used Minwax “Weathered Oak” and “Provincial“…both oil based)
• Polyurethane (we have had the best luck with THIS General Finishes, High Performance, Water Based, Satin finish)
• Random Orbital Sander and Mouse Sander (You could get away with using just a mouse sander…but it will take a bit longer. HERE’S the exact Random Orbital Sander that we have….and it’s only $30.)

***The finished STAND measures approximately 26 3/4 inches tall, 54 1/2 inches wide, and 15 inches deep.

***The finished BENCH measures approximately 18 1/4 inches tall, 30 inches wide, and 14 1/2 inches deep.

 

Okay, let’s start with the piano stand.  To do so, you will make the two end sections first and then connect them together with 2 long pieces…..it’s a pretty basic construction.

So, to make each end piece, you need to cut 2 of your 2×4’s into 2 longer pieces that are 23 1/8 inches long and 2 shorter pieces that are 10 inches long.  Then you need one 2×2 piece that is 17 inches long and two 2×2 pieces that are 8 1/2 inches long each. (I’m only showing two 2×2 pieces in the image below, sorry for the confusion….I just hadn’t cut them down to size yet).

 

Then you need to to use your 2×4 pieces to create the main frame of this end section by laying the two longer pieces on their side and the shorter piece at the top to lay flat and then the bottom shorter piece to lay on its side, just like shown below.  The top horizontal piece is flush with the top of the side pieces, the lower horizontal piece is 2 1/8 inches from the bottom of the two side pieces.

 

But let me back up for a second…  To connect these pieces together, the easiest way to connect them is to drill holes with a Kreg Jig (which is such an amazing tool and now that we have one, we use it ALL THE TIME!!  It’s a great investment, that really doesn’t cost much at all!  You can find one at your local hardware store…..or you can find it HERE.)  The Kreg Jig gives you a PERFECT angle and drilled hole for combing wood together in so many scenarios….and will save you a whole lot of grief with getting things straight and secure.  GET ONE!

 

This is what you want on your two shorter 2×4’s……..on one side you want the holes drilled in far apart (to provide room for attaching some screws later on) and the other end, the holes can be closer together.

 

Now, go ahead and attach these pieces together (placing a thin layer of wood glue between), making sure that the 2×4’s are all laying flush on a flat surface and that the drill holes are facing upward on the upper piece…

 

….and that the drill holes on the lower piece or on the bottom side.

 

Drill your screws in place and then once you flip it over…..no holes will be seen!

Now, it’s time to add the “X” to the inside of this rectangle piece, with your 2×2’s.  Cut one piece down to 17 inches and then the other 2 pieces down to 8 1/2 inches.  Reference the image below for all the angles you’ll need to cut the ends of each piece to create the “X”.

 

Repeat the above steps to create another side piece that looks exactly the same, EXCEPT the top drill holes in the horizontal 2×4 mirror each other.  (Remember, it’s helpful to add a thin layer of wood glue between all joining wood pieces.)

 

Now, cut 2 more 2×4 pieces that are both 44 1/2 inches long.  Then place the two end pieces on their sides and attach the two long pieces along the inner edges, adding holes with your Kreg Jig, just like above (reference the arrows below).  The bottom 44 1/2 inch long piece piece is attached 5 1/2 inches from the bottom edge of the side pieces.

 

Then from this view, the holes are hidden.

 

Now, to create feet for the base, cut two 2×6’s down to 16 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide.  Then, this is optional, but we decided to angle the top edge, to make it look a little more polished.

 

To attach the feet, turn the base upside down and then add another piece of wood as a support and then clamp the whole thing together, with the foot hanging over about 2 1/2 inches in the front and about 1/2 inch in the back.  Screw in place.

 

Next, I’m not sure how I didn’t get a picture of screwing the table top pieces together……but the top of the bench was created almost identically.  In fact, if I didn’t tell you that….you probably wouldn’t have noticed.  But the table top consists of two 2×6’s (54 1/2 inches long each) and then a 2×6 ripped down to 4 inches wide (that’s also 54 1/2 inches long)…..lined up together with the more narrow piece in the middle.  Use the Kreg Jig to drill holes and attach each of the pieces together…..creating one single table top piece.  The finished table top is 15 x 54 1/2 inches.

 

Then, place the table top right on top of the base, hanging over about 1 1/2 inches on the sides and about 1 inch along the front and back.  Then secure it in place by installing several screws from the top in several locations.

 

Okay, now onto the bench, which can be made for so many uses.

These are the wood pieces that you’ll be needing.  Screw into place….using the Kreg Jig when needed.

 

Then create the seat of the bench, just like the table top up above….but this time use a 2×4 down the middle…..making the finished width 14 1/2 inches.  And each piece needs to be cut down to 30 inches long.

 

Then, center the seat top onto the bench base and center it all the way around.  Screw in place from the top, right down into the base.

Okay, now that it’s all done…..it’s time to either paint or stain your stand and bench.  We chose to stain it with a combination of Minwax “Weathered Oak” and “Provincial“ oil based stains…just like the Octagon Dining Room Table that we made a few months ago.

Once I got the color I wanted, I added 2 layers of this General Finishes, High Performance, Water Based, Satin finish……which works SO MUCH BETTER than the Minwax brand!

 

And that’s it!!!

Hope it works well for you too!

-Ashley